Another Comeback: Suessical
Broadway’s full of failures. Putting on a show, any show, is going to be a gamble. So it wasn’t terribly surprising when the original Suessical, based on the work of Theodore Geisl (Dr. Suess) failed to recoup its original investment. Unlike some other shows – like Donny Osmond’s Yankee Doodle Dandy, which closed opening night – Suessical had a good run, 198 shows in 2000. But a bad investment is a bad investment, and it was put away.
The Long Tail of the Cat in the Hat
However, being produced on Broadway is not the only way to make money from a musical. Licensing a musical to be performed by smaller troupes can also be a money maker (as Disney has found to its joy with High School Musical). And for some reason, many, many theatre groups all over the country have wanted to produce their own Suessical, making it one of the most-produced shows there is. My daughters have even been in a local production of it.
Horton Hears a Revival
Something about that popularity made producers think that it might deserve a second chance, and so in 2007 Theatreworks took a revised Seussical off-broadway and on tour. “Several subplots have been eliminated — [including] General Genghis Kahn Schmitz and the Butter Battle, the Whos’ Christmas pageant with the Grinch, the ‘Havin’ a Hunch’ sequence…” says Stephen Flaherty, one of the composers (and I have a hard time believing I just quoted that particular sentence seriously). The revisions paid off, and several critics and organizations nominated it for Best Revival of 2007
It looks like the revised Broadway cast is gearing up for a recording session, as well, as JAY Records prepares to give the Theatreworks/USA cast their own shot at immortality. Will this be called a “RBC” as opposed to “OBC” recording? Either way, it will surely be interesting to contrast and compare the two, and maybe some other musical blunders (Frankenstein?) can learn from their example.
image courtesy of Newscom
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