So earlier this week Beetlejuice shockingly announced that they will be closing on June 6th, 2020. This came following breaking records and turning from what appeared to be a definitive flop into a surprise late success.
So what happened?
The answer is complicated but if you stick with us were going to try and make it as simple as possible.
Next year we are getting a revival of Music Man starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in the lead roles. This production was searching for a theater and had deep pockets to pay for one of the best on Broadway.
It settled on the Shubert Theater, current home of To Kill a Mocking Bird. The Music Man producers wanted it to either close or transfer to another theater, but the team in charge of Mockingbird refused to move and was enough of a hit to be able to fight the almost definite smash hit that will be Music Man 2020.
Then Music Man set its sights on another theatre. The Winter Garden Theatre, current home of Beetlejuice.
Beetlejuice, while currently successful, struggled early in its run and has yet to recoup its sizable investment. It couldn't afford to fight Music Man and therefore is being forced out of its theater next year despite likely still being able to run past that date.
So that leaves us with the question of will the show transfer to another theater?
This answer is also complicated.
Transfers are uncommon, especially for shows that are as complicated as Beetlejuice is. The only comparable example is The Lion King, which transferred relatively early when the show was still wildly popular (ok it still is). Typically transfers only happen with less complicated shows like Chicago, which has moved twice.
The other complicated issue is that not every theater is capable of a show on the scale of Beetlejuice, and most of the ones that already have shows that aren't closing any time soon. Wicked, The Lion King, Aladdin, and Frozen aren't going anywhere.
The only possible open theater would be The Marquis, currently, home to Tootsie which is supposed to close early next year. But this theater could have already booked its next show, essentially dooming Beetlejuice's transfer hopes.
Is there still hope? Maybe? A shocking closure could still happen, West Side Story could flop, opening up a theater, but it's unlikely. Unfortunately, it is starting to look like this show is heading towards a premature closure.
Are you hoping for a Beetlejuice transfer? Let us know in the comments and share your favorite memories of this show as well! We'd love to hear them.
Comments
Post a Comment