my heart is heavy tonight - I told my beloved cast and crew of THE STORY OF MY LIFE that we would need to cancel tomorrows 6pm show due to the fact that - after major press, ads all over the newspaper, tv ads, tv performance and interviews, email blasts, and even lighted billboards on Yellow Cabs AND THREE GREAT REVIEWS - we have sold 3 tickets for Saturday. It truly seems that Tucson no longer wants to see new musicals. They want reviews of songs that they already know, they want shows they have already seen - they do NOT want to sit and think, musically. They want for the moment - non important but silly fun melodrama slip on a banana peel and go on to the next song that they already know. When Arizona Onstage started, shows like Falsettoland, A New Brain, and Assassins were not known. People read the previews, looked at the postcards, the marketing, and chose to make a choice - take a chance. We had full houses. We won lots of awards and nominations. So, beyond the three tickets sold, the cast and crew insisted that they perform tomorrow at 6pm tomorrow... Fast forward - We still get great reviews, win awards, and when we produce a show like Marvelous Wonderettes - a show where every single song is well know and the major intelligent thought is the sound effect of the song Lollypop - we sell out before we open. Same for Forever Plaid. Same for so many jukebox shows... and this is not the kind of show, although I loved our productions, I want Arizona Onstage to be know for. We promised new, exciting, important musical theater. There is SO MUCH of it being written. What about the amazing ADDING MACHINE, or A MINISTERs WIFE? QUEEN OF THE MIST? - they are brilliant, they mean something, and they bring new importance to the question of why a musical? I wanted so much to direct ADDING MACHINE and MINISTER and others - and I see now that I cannot. At least here. I am not mad. I am saddened by the stupidity of the new musical theater audience. THE LAST SHIP, a bold new musical by STING, opened to mixed to good/great reviews. The score is solid, beautiful storytelling. .... No one came to see it. So, Sting decided to not charge any royalties to the production overall. He believed in the shows. It did not help. Out of an act of love - he has stepped in to the lead role - this is STING, people! 55% sales. Not breaking even. SIDE SHOW, despite many great reviews, is closing January 4th - BRIDGES OF MADISON county sold a few tickets, since, ya know, it was a movie and all, but when the audience sat down, they realized that they were presented with a brilliant score by Jason Robert Brown. They had to think. These songs were not on their ipods or a rescore of a 1980s song. The audience said NO. People do not want to think anymore when they see a musical. I have tried and tried, Tucson.. I cannot keep paying for all of these shows myself. I even offered money back policies. Nope. Nada. They want stupid shit musical reviews with no compelling story lines. So does NYC. I just cant do this. So, the cast talked me in to a show 12/13 at 6pm. I am offering $10 seat for students, $20 seats for all others. I am not breaking even at this point, and at this point, I just want my well deserving cast to have an audience... I could not even GIVE away tickets on opening night on Facebook. Looks like I am outta here... PLEASE come see THE STORY OF MY LIFE. A show this Saturday at 6pm, shows this next Friday and Saturday at 730 and final show Sunday at 230. I am hoping the term final show is not final, but it is looking that way.... The Story of My Life is a perfect showcase of what Arizona Onstage Productions does best - and I hate to say goodbye. Come see The Story of My Life.... tomorrow at the 6pm show, or Sunday at 230 or the following Friday and Saturday at 730 - and closing at 230. It will indeed, it looks like, be a closing on many levels.... arizonaonstage.org
Posted on: Sat, 13 Dec 2014 06:18:37 +0000
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