Mel Brook's Musical Young Frankenstein is closing it doors on January 4th after almost 500 performances according to Broadway World.
"Once again it has been a joy to work with such tremendous talents, Mel Brooks and Susan Stroman. Young Frankenstein's magnificent creative team and cast are second to none. As anyone who has seen this stunning production can attest, it is a spectacular and extravagant musical. In these uncertain economic times, my partners and I have decided to end our run on Broadway and focus our efforts on the first national tour, which will launch in September 2009," said Young Frankenstein's lead producer, Robert F.X. Sillerman.
There were rumors that Cloris Leachman was going to take on the role she originated in the movie Frau Blucher (neeiigghhh!), but I guess that isn't going to happen now.
Personally I am shocked the show lasted as long as it did with the high prices they were charging for seats. Next months YF, Spamalot, Hairspray and 13 are all having their final curtains, maybe Broadway needs to reconsider the cost of the tickets if they want the audiences to come back. Even with TKTS, I can't afford to go to a show anymore.
Not even a MTV show to find the lead could save Legally Blonde The Musical! After less than 600 performances, Legally Blonde will be closing its doors on October 19th according to Broadway.com. Let's hope Hollywood takes this as a sign not to turn this into a movie like the other movies turned into Broadway shows turned back into movies.
Yet another movie is being turned into a Broadway musical, this time it is American Psycho according to The Hollywood Reporter. Normally I hate when they do that but I think that American Psycho can actually work as a musical just because of that Hip To Be Square scene!!! Only problem is no one will ever be as good as Christian Bale in the role!
Abba and Billy Joel have had their music turned into musicals and now finally The Monkees are getting one according to Broadway World.
According to press notes the story tells the journey of four musicians who “unwittingly become stand-ins for the most famous group in the world. It is a nostalgic trip down memory lane for those who remember the TV seriesâ€Â. It includes hits such as “I’m a Believerâ€Â, “Steppin’ Stoneâ€Â, “Hey, Hey We’re The Monkeesâ€Â, “Last Train to Clarksvilleâ€Â, and of course, “Daydream Believer”.
Daydream Believer will open a year from now at the Theatre Royal Plymouth. I know it is a whiles away, but I hope it is good enough to make it to Broadway because I have always loved their music. Maybe John Mayer could play Michael Nesmith’s role, he kind of reminds me of him!
Twisted Sister’s Christmas music is coming to Broadway in the form of a musical show according to Merry Christmas Radio. Dee Snyder (a Jew) is turning his band’s Christmas album in to a Broadway musical that will make Abba and Billy Joel…well I don’t know what but it will.
“I have turned ‘A Twisted Christmas’, the album, into a musical, and in 2009 there will be a new TWISTED SISTER album, which will be a companion piece to go with the existing ‘A Twisted Christmas’ album. It’s gonna be old-school metal songs that are an addition to the show. So ‘The Twisted Christmas – A Musical’ is a combination of the Christmas album, the new album, which will have new metal songs on it and the best of TWISTED SISTER throughout history. And when you hear more about it, you’re gonna love the idea. The people that are hearing about it get pretty stoked. So it’s early on, but I’ve finished the script and now it’s time, we’re gonna start working on a new album, new songs, so it’s the first time for TWISTED SISTER in a very long time… I haven’t written since 19… Man, ‘98 was the last time I wrote a song, and that was for the ‘Strangeland’ soundtrack. It sort of came out of left field, but we’re all very fired up. When you hear the concept… everybody who hears it just smiles ear to ear and goes, ‘Man, that’s awesome.’â€Â
He continued, “It’s either gonna be called ‘A Twisted Christmas…’ or ‘THE Twisted Christmas – A Musical’. It tells a story, but it’s very much a concert event. But there’s a storyline going on between. The show is about 20 songs. The band are the only actors. There is a narrator, I will tell you that much, who fills in the spaces  he’s on video screen  and he tells  ala ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, to be honest  he helps move the story along and tell the story. If you saw ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’, off Broadway, [a band] performs and then in between there is interaction, which further moves the story along. So it’s pretty involved. It’s a unique combination of things that have been done before and haven’t been done before. And the goal, really  ’cause we’re not playing ourselves, we’re playing a fictitious band in the musical  eventually is to, like the BLUE MAN GROUP, have a whole bunch of casts out there during the holiday season performing the show. So that’s the ultimate goal. So it’s in development, but it’s well on its way. Like I said, I finished the script, everybody loves it, and now I’m sinking my teeth into writing the album which we’ll start recording in January/February for release in 2009.â€Â
Oy! I actually totally want to see it because I love what they did on their Christmas and Dee Snyder is so warped it will probably be the best thing on Broadway in a really long time!
