Can't say I'm surprised, but High Fidelity posted its closing notice today. It will have played 14 performances.
Ouchy-wa-wa.
When I saw the show in Boston during its out-of-town tryout, I felt it needed quite a bit of work if it was going to work on Broadway. Sources tell me that the production staff made some changes, but evidently they weren't enough to bring the piece to life.
It's really a shame. The piece had merit, and there were certainly some worthy performances, particularly those from Will Chase and Jenn Colella. And the score has some really interesting songs.
The main culprit, I think, was director Walter Bobbie. He just wasn't able to wrench any humor or credible drama out of the piece. The show could have a significant afterlife, especially if there's a full-length recording of the show, although that may not happen at this point. There's a CD sampler in circulation, which I have a copy of, and it really has some compelling stuff on it, particularly the opening number, "Desert Island Top 5 Breakups."
On a positive note, ticket sales for Spring Awakening appear to be picking up after some pretty stellar reviews. The show had been playing to about a third of capacity, but the reviews combined with great word of mouth may just turn that around for the show. As I said in my review yesterday, it's a very exciting and energetic show, and well worth taking in.
Recent Comments