The first casualty of the Tony Awards has arrived.
“Redwood,” a musical starring Idina Menzel, will shutter on May 18th.
“Redwood” had mixed to poor reviews. It received not one Tony Award nomination, which is a death knell for an original musical.
“Redwood” will be the first of many to close up shop without awards recognition. “Old Friends,” the Stephen Sondheim revue, and “The Last Five Years,” with Adrienne Warren and Nick Jonas are on the chopping block as well.
Another show that didn’t get much love include “Smash,” which was based on the NBC TV show. No one knows how “Smash” even got to Broadway in the first place.
The big ticket shows “Othello” and “Glengarry Glen Ross” are set to close anyway. The former won’t even make it to the Tony Awards on June 8th. The latter goes to June 28th.
George Clooney’s “Good Night and Good Luck” also closes June 8th after the matinee.
Every year this happens, and it’s frustrating for all the people involved.
In the cases of these $900 a ticket shows, scheduling short runs that expire on the day of the Tony Awards certainly sends a message that the producers don’t care one way or another. The ticket price is also an affront to the Tony committee.
