Legally Blonde at the Palace

At any given time, there are numerous musicals circling Broadway in a holding pattern, waiting for a suitable theater to open up so the show can come in for a landing. Many shows are announced for their Broadway bows, only to run out of gas mid air. (OK, enough with the airplane analogy.) Sometimes this is because the show can't find a suitable venue, or at least that's what the producers say. More likely it's because the show just isn't working out. 

But what is true is that a show only really becomes a serious Broadway contender when it finds a theater. (So now I’ve moved on to boxing analogies. Just add metaphors and stir, that’s what I always say.)

So anyway, thanks to the deservedly abbreviated run of Lestat, the glorious Palace Theater is now vacant, giving the new Legally Blonde tuner a very luxurious venue to settle into. Let's hope the show fares better than the theater's previous tenant.

Other shows that are currently looking for theaters include High Fidelity, which is scheduled for a Boston tryout very soon, so it's more than just a glimmer in its creators' eyes. Less concrete, and somewhat less likely to actually make it to Broadway, are new shows Princesses and A Tale of Two Cities, and a revival of The Wiz.

Why less likely? I don't know, I just don't see them happening. A Tale of Two Cities seems like just another Les Miz wannabe. Princesses really hasn't been generating much press or word of mouth. And do we really need a revival of The Wiz, even if the talented Des McAnuff is at the helm? Yeah, he directed Jersey Boys and Tommy. But he also directed Dracula.

Comments

[lawrence jack]

hey chris! which of these shows do u think should most deservedly hit broadway next?

also, im wondering what you think about the wiz revival. i heard that its getting an updated score and that it will be multi-cultural instead of all black casting....? what are your thoughts?

ps-LOVE the blogs!

[chris caggiano]

Hey, Lawrence! Thanks for posting. Haven't heard anything about The Wiz, other than it's slated for next season. Multi-cultural? Geez, I'd rather see it stay all-African-American and give people like Lawrence Jack a chance to shine!