Broadway and the performing arts world has never seen a show quite like Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark. The question is what is what led to the closure of the most expensive and worst reviewed show in Broadway history?
It was a radical idea. Put Andrew Jackson in tight pants and have him rock out to emo music. However, despite its outlandish concept, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson went on to receive rave reviews in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly and The Rolling Stone. So why didn’t it transcend to the height of another modernized historical musical, Hamilton?
(Ft. KateCast Reviews) What Went Wrong with The Producers 2005? Mel Brook's 1967 first feature film "The Producers" became a cult classic that redefined comedy, showcased the amazing talent of Zero Mostel and launched the career of Gene Wilder. When the film was brought to Broadway as a musical, it broke records! And when we got the 2005 Producer's movie....well it flopped harder than Max Bialystock's "Funny Boy".
Everyone was certain that Spongebob Squarepants the musical was destined to flop, and yet to the surprise of almost everybody, the show would become a Broadway smash. It would even go on to tie for the most Tony nominations for a show. The question is, what's the story?
Buckle your seat belts for this wild ride through the fall and redemption of Seussical. When the show was unveiled in 2000, the theater world was enchanted by the early readings. With an incredible cast of characters, world-class actors, and master composers, it should have become the next mega hit like "The Lion King". However, once the show became weighed down by lawsuits and behind the scenes tension Seussical started to fall off track and it would go on to become one of the biggest flops in Broadway history. How did this happen? And more importantly...how was it saved?
Beetlejuice the Musical seemed like a simple enough concept in theory. Once it began its journey towards Broadway, however, things got...complicated. Wait in the Wings is back in a big way by diving into the hectic history of Beetlejuice the Musical.
Sharpen your chainsaws for the Bloody Adventure of Evil Dead the Musical. Regarded as one of the goriest film series ever created, Evil Dead would make its bold jump to Off-Broadway in 2006. With over-the-top musical numbers, a ton of alcohol and a splatter zone where audiences could get doused with blood, how couldn't it be a good time? But the question is... how could this have ever happened?
All aboard! As we continue forward on our journey of theater history, today we'll be making a stop to look into the painful spectacle of Starlight Express. Fresh off the success of Cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber would follow it up with a musical about anamorphic trains. What could go wrong?
Matilda the Musical could have been a flop. With a director who had yet to prove himself in the relm of musicals, a playwright who had never written a script for one, and an Australian comedian, the odds were stacked against the show from the beginning...or were they? Learn more about the history of Matilda The Musical with this in depth documentary!
This is the story of The Broadway Massacre of Legs Diamond (WitWS2E5). The landscape of Broadway was changing in the late 1980's. The way of traditional glitz, glamour and light-hearted kicklines was on the way out, and the dramatic, dark, spectacle of the mega-musical was proving to be king. Legs Diamond on Broadway would solidify this as the rough, 1920's gangster would trade Tommy Guns for footlights in a Broadway production that was doomed from the start.
Is Fame gonna live forever? In this episode of Wait in the Wings we find ourselves in the crime ridden New York City that's on the brink of a 1980's revolution that would be sparked by a new variation of the teen musical genre.
It's all been leading to this. Carrie the Musical is known as the flop to end all flops. Lasting only five performance, the mystery and lore surrounding the Broadway production of Carrie has kept it in the minds of theater enthusiasts for the past 30 years. In this season finale of WitW, the true story is finally unveiled.
On paper, Hadestown should have never worked. Originally starting as a "folk opera" in a small town in Vermont in 2006, the show would undergo a 13 year journey culminating in it becoming a Broadway smash. This is the story of how a DIY Theatre Project would come to rock the very foundation of the Great White Way. This is the story, of Hadestown.
Rebecca on Broadway was poised to be a career defining moment for its producers, directors, and actors...but on the first day of rehearsal, the show would close. The question is...what the hell happened? This is the full story of Rebecca the Musical.
To say Rebecca the musical had everything going against it would be an understatement. After securing the last piece of funding needed to stage the show, producers Ben Sprecher and Louise Forlenza are left waiting to see what the fate of their gravely ill investor will be. Buckle your seatbelt for the wildest ride in theater history.
What is Superbia about? It's a question that's persisted for decades. Today we find out.
The Phantom and Grizabella. Two polar opposites. Or are they? A character is at their most dangerous when they have nothing left to lose and everything to give...this is the moment when they reach The Point of No Return. In this theater video essay, through the use of two of Andrew Lloyd Webber's most popular characters in Grizabella from Cats: The Musical and Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera, Wait in the Wings seeks to decipher the different circumstances that makeup two extremely different types of outcast characters.
Films were so much simpler in the golden age of movie musicals. In this review, we're waltzing our way through 1956's High Society that's packed with superstar performances by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and the wonderful journey of Grace Kelly's Tracy Lorde.
What if Leonardo DiCaprio was in Dear Evan Hansen? You're in control in this first episode of Broadway Stunt Cast, the show where we take your favorite broadway roles and recast them with big name celebrities! Be sure to vote to see who is going to have to call a phone fantasy line using solely Broadway phrases.
Even though we're isolated...it doesn't mean that we're alone. Special thanks to all the amazing fans who submitted clips for the You Can't Stop the Beat Music Video!
If/Then is one of the most confusing musicals to ever cross the great white way, but at its core is a story about choices. In this first episode of the Double Take we team up with Jess and Andrew from Musicals with Cheese to explore the personal and professional consequences of narrow minded ambition.
Initially, chess the musical seems like it would be a pretty boring affair. But add in two world super powers holding 99% of the world's nuclear weapons, along with a catchy 80's pop song and suddenly...things become much more interesting.
Being Mel Brooks' second Broadway musical adaptation, Young Frankenstein the Musical wasn't only a hilarious staging of the classic film, but also highlighted the absurd theatricality of the man himself. In this episode of The Double Take dive into what makes Mel Brook's comedy so unique and how his style helped redefine the musical comedy genre.
The story of Rocky Balboa has been capturing people's hearts and filling people's workout playlists for over 40 years. So when the show made the jump over to Broadway, was it still able to capture the scrappy spirit to have audiences rooting for their hero to win? Join Brendon and Nando from Nando V Movies as they break down how Rocky works thematically and as a character.
While he may be painted as the perfect southern hero in Oklahoma the musical, what does the character of Curly McLain say about a culture of toxic masculinity and a desire to hold onto a past that never existed.
In our final episode of the Double Take on Groundhog Day we team up with Marc from Broadway by Ghostlight to dive into one of the most fan requested shows on the channel. Life gets whacky when weatherman Phil Connor's finds himself stuck reliving the same day over and over again. Does the immortality that comes from the time loop serve as a curse or a blessing?
This is about the past. This about the future. This is about the now.
The Hadestown reopening was truly a special moment in Broadway history. Turns out, a year and a half without going to a show (either on Broadway or off) can have a surprising effect on a person. Take a listen to my recap of a spur the moment trip that turned into a bucket full of tears.
Welcome to the WitW Recording Session for the upcoming episode on Rebecca the Musical. It's been a four month journey writing a script that has seen me talk to numerous sources around the world, hop on trains to meet with confidential sources, and drink one too many coffees.
It's hard to believe that just over a year ago, Beetlejuice the Musical had its promising comeback stopped in its tracks. Now, off the exciting news that the musical will be returning one has to ask how we got here and why it's not just an important moment for Beetlejuice the musical, but for Broadway as a whole.
The bets have been placed and now is the time to see who will have to walk the Brooklyn Bridge dressed as a character of the patreon's choosing!
The movie adaptation of the Dear Evan Hansen movie seemed to have literally everything going against it. Was it the catastrophe everyone said it was? The answer may surprise you.
I want to talk with you about something important. No fancy editing. No music track. Just me and you.
What does it take to wake up a generation? Well, the new movie Tick, Tick...Boom! and the history behind it might just help us find the answer.
2021 was quite the year for movie musicals. Which ones were the best and which ones left us scratching our heads, crying in agony, or wanting to check a certain actors ID? Here's my list of the best and worst movie musicals of 2021!
How do you define a hero? Rogers the Musical sought to answer that question in 2024, and while the show itself is a wild ride...the behind the scenes story of its creation is even wilder. It's time to learn more about Rogers the Musical.
You sent in some of the greatest theatre fails of all time. If I can make it through without laughing three times, you could win a pair of tickets to a show in your hometown! Unless @Broadway By Ghostlight can make me laugh, in which case the tickets are his to give away!
"I don't really wanna do the work today" has become one of the biggest memes on the internet. But how did a low-budget, scrappy, and rebellious theatre troupe named Team Starkid perfect the art of making viral hits?
Today we Dive Deep with this video essay into the dizzying world of the 2016 broadway revival of the Falsettos musical. This fast paced musical follows four men on their journey to manhood, and as they march along we see how they each come to their own conclusion of what it means to be a man. In this video we analyze the characteristics of Marvin, Whizzer, Trina, Mendel, and Jason as they take part in the march of the falsettos and discuss how each of them help contribute to the themes displayed throughout this musical.
"Not the Beatles, but an incredible simulation". This was the phrase that was used to describe one of the most ambitious theater productions in Broadway history. It was more than just a show, it signaled a rebirth in New York City. And yet somehow, the show has been left in the dark. Now it's time to hear the full story, with some help from the face of Beatlemania himself, Mitch Weissman.