I’ve noticed that I don’t blog about theatre all that much of late. ME, not blog about THEATRE. I know. Bizarre.
Anyhoo, Broadway Across America announced their 2011-2012 season today. 6 shows at the Boston Opera House, 2 at the Shubert Theatre (oddly…. what happened to the Colonial?). Take a gander:
South Pacific - Sept 27 - Oct 2, 2011 - Boston Opera House
La Cage Aux Folles - Dec 5-18, 2011 - Shubert Theatre
American Idiot - Jan 24-29, 2012 - Boston Opera House
The Addams Family - Feb 7-19, 2012 - Shubert Theatre
Les Miserables - Mar 13 - Apr 1, 2012 - Boston Opera House
Beauty & the Beast - May 29 - Jun 3, 2012 - Boston Opera House
Mamma Mia! - June 19-24, 2012 - Boston Opera House
Billy Elliot - Aug 1 - Sep 2, 2012 - Boston Opera House
There was a time when Boston was a go-to road stop in the theatre community. Broadway-bound productions (Our Town, Follies, La Cage aux Folles, Seussical, High Fidelity, the Kathleen Turner Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolff and the Christina Applegate Sweet Charity to name a few, off the top of my head) tried out here, national tours either started here or made sure to hit the city early-on. Now? Not so much. I’m not sure who or what is to blame…. the producing company, the critics, the audience, the proximity to NY, economic factors…. but if you ask me, the producing company, Broadway Across America, really needs to step up. Let’s break it down.
This will be this South Pacific tour’s second appearance in Boston, playing the Wang Theatre in late 2009. The tour also played Providence earlier this winter. It’s a truly wonderful production of a phenominal show, yes…. but really? BAA was beaten to the punch not once but twice.
La Cage Aux Folles and The Addams Family…. these ones I’ll give BAA. Relevant shows (still in NY), early in their first touring season, in appropriate theaters… good stuff. Credit where credit is due. The same is mostly true for American Idiot, save for the theater. The show will be swallowed up by the Opera House… but such is life on the road.
When I saw Les Mis in 2005 (or 2006?) in Boston, it was billed as the “final Boston engagement”, a billing I recall laughing at. Sure enough, here it is again. Aside from the fact that there is yet another Les Mis tour getting ready to hit the road, I actually don’t have a problem with this hitting Boston. It’s been a while, the show sells well… it’s an institution. I suppose the same is true about Beauty & the Beast….
Mamma Mia! is back! After the tour took a season off from Boston (going to Providence instead!), it’s back. I’m so happy! /sarcasm
My major problem is with Billy Elliot, coming in the summer of 2012. The first US production of Billy Elliot that wasn’t in NYC was in Chicago, in March 2010. That production moved to Toronto and later San Francisco, with a second national tour opening in October 2010. 21 months later, it hits Boston. I understand that a huge physical tour like Billy Elliot can’t criss cross the nation willy nilly, but a city with a rich theatrical history like Boston having to wait nearly 2 years for a major tour is just plain dumb. I am fully expecting PPAC’s season to be announced very shortly, with Billy Elliot playing the theater in spring/early summer 2012, just to be an extra kick to Boston’s balls.
