Seriously? OMG! WTF?

The Tony Awards announced today that the show will not go on on June 7th as planned because of Coronavirus. Don’t worry that fat lady has not sung yet because the show will be rescheduled once the lights on Broadway go on again. As of now, the curtain is expected to go up on April 12th, but I doubt it will be that soon.

It was not an easy decision, but they say, “The health and safety of the Broadway community, artists and fans are of the utmost importance to us.” Sadly Broadway legendary writer Terrence McNally passed away from the virus, while Moulin Rouge’s Aaron Tveit has tested positive.

When it is time for them to do the show, I am sure it will be the most spectacular show is Tony history! They should have Billy Porter host the Great White Way’s biggest night with some help from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The Coronavirus has come to the Great White Way, and things are very dark. That is because Broadway is canceling all performances until April 12th according to Broadway.com.

Charlotte St. Martin, President of the Broadway League, announced the news with Governor Cuomo. She said, “Our top priority has been and will continue to be the health and well-being of Broadway theatergoers and the thousands of people who work in the theater industry every day, including actors, musicians, stagehands, ushers and many other dedicated professionals.

“Broadway has the power to inspire, enrich and entertain, and together we are committed to making that vital spirit a reality. Once our stages are lit again, we will welcome fans back with open arms so that they can continue to experience the joy, heart and goodwill that our shows so passionately express every night.”

This is heartbreaking for the city. This is a huge part of Manhattan, and it is going to have a devastating effect on the community.

Back in 2001, the curtain was only down for two nights. Therefore, when the curtain goes up again, Broadway is going to need us more than ever.

Long before Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker were married, they both starred in several Broadway shows. Next year, they will finally star in a show together on the Great White Way.

The couple will play one in Neil Simon’s Plaza Suite for 17 weeks starting on March 13th. I bet you that every night will be sold out. Not only because it is a very enjoyable play, but who doesn’t want to see these two acting together.

Back when Hugh Jackman was 14 years old, he went to an all-boys school. His friend called him up and asked him to audition for the school musical. At first, he was like no, but when he found out a nearby all-girls school was in it too, he was up for auditioning.

Therefore, he looked up The Music Man and memorized the opening number. He told Jay Leno on his Tonight Show that number had 8 different characters singing that sang one song. He didn’t care, that was the tune for him. To this day, he still knows that whole song.

Sadly, he will not be singing it in the revival that opens on October 22, 2020. That is because this time the traveling salesman is the lead, Professor Harold Hill.

A dream come true for the entertainer who truly is a music man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dyl0j3WU6Y
NBC announced yesterday that it was not moving forward with a live version of Hair on May 19th. This announcement comes a week after RENT bombed on Fox. But I think there were other contributing factors.

Back in May 2018, NBC announced that Hair would be its next live musical. Which, I thought, was very brave. Even though it is one of my favorite musicals, it is not really broadcast TV friendly.

Strike 1 – On August 20th, Craig Zadan, who co-produced the live musicals, passed away suddenly. Leaving his business partner, Neil Meron, alone for the first time to do a show on his own.

Strike 2 – Just over a month later, Bob Greenblatt resigned as the Head of Entertainment at NBC. Greenblatt loved live television and Broadway, and he was the one who brought musicals to life on the network. With his departure, even Jesus Christ Superstar’s Emmy wins were probably not enough to keep them going.

Strike 3 – HBO scheduled the series finale of Game of Thrones for that night. If that was not bad enough, ABC did the same with American Idol’s finale. Although, I think the latter will even make a blip in the ratings.

Strike 4 – RENT: Live, the ’90s version of Hair, aired on Fox to disastrous ratings.
All of sudden taking a risk on a risque show does not sound like a good idea,

Which means Hair is out of there.

Does that mean we have reached the sunset of the age of Aquarius of live musicals? NBC’s new heads of Entertainment, Paul Telegdy and George Cheeks, told Variety, “Live musicals are a part of this network’s DNA and we are committed to continuing that tradition with the right show at the right time.”

Which means they want something more family friendly. Since ABC probably gets first dibs on the Disney shows that does not leave a whole lot of options. They can do Annie, but do little girls still know it like we do. One of my favorites, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is great but it has not been done in a while. Which is still more current than Jennifer Lopez’s Bye Bye Birdie that one is indefinite hold at NBC. They can try to beat Steven Speilberg to the punch and do West Side Story. Even that one is not really kid friendly. Maybe they can switch it up and do Fiddler on the Roof for Chanukah. If I were a rich man…

In short, I think we have seen the last of live Broadway musical productions. I am grateful for the ones we had. Even the bad ones like Peter Pan. Sorry, I hated it on Broadway and hated it on NBC. But at least it is still better than Cats.

Are you sad that this tradition has come to an end? Maybe someday soon they will let the sun shine in again. Hopefully soon! Hopefully sooner than when Hamilton becomes eligible to be done by Hollywood.

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