The Book of Mormon on Tour and in Chicago in 2012

September 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Broadway production of The Book of Mormon, winner of 9 Tonys, is one of the hottest tickets in New York City. You’ll have to wait a little while, but more opportunities to see the hit show are on the way. A production will open in Chicago at the Bank of America Theatre in December 2012. This production isn’t touring, it will stay in Chicago for an initial run of 12 weeks. That will probably be extended if sales are strong, and they likely will be.

Announced earlier this month, there will be a touring production. That is slated to open a little sooner, August 2012 in Denver, Colorado at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Buell Theatre.

If you don’t want to wait for the tour or more than a year for the Windy City, you can check out our Book of Mormon Tickets page and see the Broadway show a little sooner.

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The Kings Speech to Broadway

August 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
King George VI of England

The acutal, non-Colin-Firth version of King George VI of England

In the latest film-to-Broadway news, this year’s Best Picture winner, The King’s Speech, will be heading to the stage in 2012. This isn’t too surprising, as the script for the film was based on an original treatment for the stage. The film was both a popular and critical success, becoming the most successful independent film to date in the UK, netting 12 Oscar nominations, and wins in 4 categories.

The story covers events surrounding George VI’s ascension to the throne and his eventual delivery of an address to the nation after Britain declares war on Germany in 1939, the “speech” of the title. George VI’s road to becoming king is something an interesting tale in and of itself, though the film isn’t quite so concerned with that. George VI suffered from a stammer and worked many years with Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue to overcome it. This relationship is the core of the film.

The stage adaptation is said to be more concerned with the bigger political picture, including the abdication and the run up to World War II. It will follow in the footsteps of many stage adaptations, with a tryout in a regional theatre before moving to the prestigious West End in London, and, eventually, on to Broadway. It may be on Broadway by fall of 2012.

Something tells me this one will have fewer problems meeting its opening date than Spider-man did.

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South Park Scribes On Broadway

December 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Another injury story out of the Spider-Man production arrived this morning. I’d post about it if I hadn’t just posted about Turn Off the Dark yesterday, and another one would be like bullying a sad little kid on the playground. Instead let’s focus on a musical that I’d probably catch if I found myself in NY in Spring: The Book of Mormon.

The new musical is the product of South Park scribes Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and yes, I’m a South Park fan. Heck, I liked BASEketball, too. The story focuses on two Mormon missionaries in Uganda, simultaneously telling their tale while recounting the tale of founder Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith as “back-story” is similar to the episode “All About Mormons” from South Park‘s seventh season. The use of Mormon missionaries calls back to an even earlier and more adult Parker/Stone comedy collaboration from 1997.

The musical will be co-directed by Trey Parker and Jason Moore, who also directed the musical/comedy Avenue Q, which is still playing off-Broadway, and the less successful Shrek: The Musical. Another Avenue Q alum, Robert Lopez, is composing the music.

Safe to assume that your millage may vary depending on your opinion of the humor in South Park. Previews start in February, and opening night is March 24 at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre. You can find tickets here: The Book of Mormon Tickets.

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Spider-Man Delayed Again, Rewrites Cited

December 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Another delay in the 65 million dollar Spider-Man Musical saga. This time to retool something a bit more fundamental than the rigging: the script. As reports from the early previews suggested, many were willing to live with some mishaps with the complex staging of the ambitious musical, but said the story needed work. Work it will be given, with retooling focused on the second act.

U2 vets Bono and The Edge may be called in to provide more music for the finale. U2 is currently playing dates in Australia and they may return once those dates are over. Nothing is certain at the moment, only that the new opening date is now February 7th. Maybe. At this point it seems clear you may not want to be making formal plans around a Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark opening date. No word on what will happen to the dates in January during the “re-tooling” period.

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Spider-Man Musical Off to a Shaky Start

November 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Tangled RopeSo, after multiple delays, the first preview of the mega-musical based on Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man got off the ground November 28th, and, reports indicated, hung suspended there for a few minutes while stage hands fixed the rigging. The preview show stopped 4 times to fix issues with the complex set and effects during the first act, which eventually ended early. After a rather long intermission, the show resumed and stopped once more in the second act, prompting some “constructive criticism” from an adventurous audience member.

Producers were in damage control mode before the show began, and didn’t let up afterwards. The cost and the talent behind the show does a lot for raising expectations. Reviews of the elements that weren’t effected by issues with the rigging weren’t necessarily charitable either, as elements of the story and the songs by U2 vets Bono and The Edge were both questioned.

The show opens officially on January 11, to what now will have to be a long, extremely successful run if the roughly 65 million dollar price tag is even somewhat accurate. Tickets for the preview shows throughout December are available. Producers feel all the technical issues will be ironed out by the December 4th dates. It remains to be seen if the script and the music will see any changes, though that is certainly possible as well.

Grab tickets to the previews on our Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark Tickets page. Look at it this way, if this does turn out to be the biggest flop in Broadway history, you can say you were a part of it.

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