As I remember, this started in a big way many years ago with some nutty old musical from the 1920's, "No, No Nanette,"
Then producers started reviving everything and anything..idea being old Hollywood one that if it drew them in before it will do so again.
Following is a random sampling of what is being presented in Theater District generally, not just the immediate Times Square area.
Have to note here that "The Lion King" is not going to die a natural death--they are, as someone once said about some very tough and feisty old person, " going to have to take it out and shoot it."
"Phantom of the Opera," another hardy perennial finally closed down...
Well , here we go starting the newest:
Charlie Price inherits his father’s shoe factory in the English Midlands, along with its financial problems. Charlie wants to escape to upwardly-mobile London with his status-conscious fiancée, Nicola. But the factory is near bankruptcy, and good-hearted Charlie wants to save the workers' jobs. The factory makes merely functional shoes, and the market for them is drying up. Lauren, who works in the factory, has a crush on Charlie. She suggests that the factory make boots for drag queens, an "underserved niche market". Soon, conservative Charlie meets Lola, a drag entertainer, and her troupe, the Angels. They help him update his style sense, learn not to judge a book by its cover, and turn the factory around.
With, of course, a lot of razzmatazz good musical numbers....
This is also a newer one, way over on West 43rd Street but still in the Theater District. I believe the title gives you the idea of what it is about...here is a little more from the net--NY Times:
Such a Tradition of Humor, and This Is Only a Revue?
‘Old Jews Telling Jokes’ at the Westside Theater
Sara Krulwich/The New York Times
From left, Marilyn Sokol, Lenny Wolpe, Todd Susman, Bill Army and Audrey Lynn Weston in “Old Jews Telling Jokes.”
By JASON ZINOMAN
Published: May 20, 2012
Every Jewish mother will die, a fact many
are not exactly famous for playing down, but the Jewish-mother joke will
live forever.
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That doesn’t mean you should take this
glorious tradition, one of many celebrated in “Old Jews Telling Jokes,”
for granted. The show, whose title has as firm a grasp on its audience’s
desires as “Girls Gone Wild,” is a winning concept executed deftly with
affection. Would it kill you to pay a visit?
And then there are the --uh, revivals of shows that somehow will not go away
After a glorious Broadway run and a hit movie with--of course-- Meryl Streep, if you don't know what this is about you have not been paying much attention to pop culture...
Well, then, to refresh your memory:
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. The title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia". Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, who composed the original music for ABBA, were involved in the development of the show from the beginning. Anni-Frid Lyngstad has been involved financially in the production and she has also been present at many of the premieres around the world.
The musical includes such hits as "Super Trouper", "Lay All Your Love on Me", "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Take a Chance on Me", "Thank You for the Music", "Money, Money, Money", "The Winner Takes It All", "Voulez Vous" and "SOS". Over 42 million people have seen the show, which has grossed $2 billion dollars worldwide since its 1999 debut. A film adaptation starring Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Stellan Skarsgård and Julie Walters was released in July 2008.
Saving what may be the best for last, did you know that that hoary warhorse off Bway show, "The Fantasticks," is playing in a smaller Broadway house still today? I mean, your grandparents saw this show...maybe several times over twenty years or something..
It is quite possible this piece is from so far before your time you have never heard of it, though you will recognize its hit song, "Try to Remember," which has become a kind of schmaltzy pop classic... Here it is in a nutshell:
he Fantasticks is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play "The Romancers" ("Les Romanesques") by Edmond Rostand,[1] concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into falling in love by pretending to feud. The fathers hire traveling actors to stage a mock abduction, so that Matt can heroically seem to save Luisa, ending the supposed feud. When the children discover the deception, they reject the arranged love match and separate. Each then gains disillusioning experiences of the real world, seen in parallel fantasy sequences. They return to each other bruised but enlightened, and they renew their vows with more maturity.
The show's original off-Broadway production ran a total of 42 years and 17,162 performances, making it the world's longest-running musical.[2] The musical was produced by Lore Noto. It was awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 1991. The poetic book and breezy, inventive score, including such familiar songs as "Try to Remember," helped make this show so durable. Many productions followed, as well as television and film versions. The Fantasticks has also become a staple of regional, community, and high school productions virtually since its premiere, with approximately 250 new productions each year. It is played with a small cast, two to three-person orchestra and minimalist set design. Among many revivals, the show re-opened off-Broadway in 2006. As of 2010, its original investors have earned 240 times their original investments.[3] The musical has played throughout the U.S. and in at least 67 foreign countries.[4]
Final note: There is probably still time to see "The Lion King" if you haven't already...
Mamma Mia! is a stage musical written by British playwright Catherine Johnson, based on the songs of ABBA, composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, former members of the band. The title of the musical is taken from the group's 1975 chart-topper "Mamma Mia". Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, who composed the original music for ABBA, were involved in the development of the show from the beginning. Anni-Frid Lyngstad has been involved financially in the production and she has also been present at many of the premieres around the world.
The musical includes such hits as "Super Trouper", "Lay All Your Love on Me", "Dancing Queen", "Knowing Me, Knowing You", "Take a Chance on Me", "Thank You for the Music", "Money, Money, Money", "The Winner Takes It All", "Voulez Vous" and "SOS". Over 42 million people have seen the show, which has grossed $2 billion dollars worldwide since its 1999 debut. A film adaptation starring Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Stellan Skarsgård and Julie Walters was released in July 2008.
Saving what may be the best for last, did you know that that hoary warhorse off Bway show, "The Fantasticks," is playing in a smaller Broadway house still today? I mean, your grandparents saw this show...maybe several times over twenty years or something..
he Fantasticks is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play "The Romancers" ("Les Romanesques") by Edmond Rostand,[1] concerning two neighboring fathers who trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into falling in love by pretending to feud. The fathers hire traveling actors to stage a mock abduction, so that Matt can heroically seem to save Luisa, ending the supposed feud. When the children discover the deception, they reject the arranged love match and separate. Each then gains disillusioning experiences of the real world, seen in parallel fantasy sequences. They return to each other bruised but enlightened, and they renew their vows with more maturity.
The show's original off-Broadway production ran a total of 42 years and 17,162 performances, making it the world's longest-running musical.[2] The musical was produced by Lore Noto. It was awarded Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre in 1991. The poetic book and breezy, inventive score, including such familiar songs as "Try to Remember," helped make this show so durable. Many productions followed, as well as television and film versions. The Fantasticks has also become a staple of regional, community, and high school productions virtually since its premiere, with approximately 250 new productions each year. It is played with a small cast, two to three-person orchestra and minimalist set design. Among many revivals, the show re-opened off-Broadway in 2006. As of 2010, its original investors have earned 240 times their original investments.[3] The musical has played throughout the U.S. and in at least 67 foreign countries.[4]
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