I guess producer Scott Rudin doesn’t care if his very very expensive “Music Man” revival gets Tony Awards in 2021.
Rudin has set the date for the opening of “The Music Man” for May 20, 2021. If next year returns to normal, the Tony eligibility period will end on April 30th, 2021.
Whoops!
“The Music Man” starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster was supposed to open this October, but obviously had to be postponed because of coronavirus. Now Rudin says it will begin previews on April 7th at the Winter Garden Theater and open six weeks later.
Meanwhile, all the shows from this season that missed the Tonys will be chomping at the bit to have a regular awards schedule next spring. I can’t think they’re going to wait until “The Music Man” opens and then have the Tonys in when? July?
Rudin doesn’t care. He has his stars and wildly overpriced tickets. But wait– will even Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster merit the kind of price gouging Rudin pulled off for “Hello,Dolly!” and “To Kill a Mockingbird”? That model may be out the window by next spring. It’s hard to imagine that even the most devout theatergoer will want to spend $500 and up on premium seats.
Will there trouble in River City? Stay tuned!
PS One clear sign of trouble in Times Square: McDonald’s announced that they’re closing their four story flagship shop on 42nd St. in the heart of the district. Lit up with neon and glowing as a beacon of the Times Square redevelopment, that McDonald’s is a significant part of The Great White Way. Even though the food is inedible, the situation is dire.
