Godspell May Be First Casualty Of Tonys

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Producer Ken Davenport has stated that unless ticket sales increase the Broadway revival of Stephen Schwartz's 'Godspell' will play its final performance on 24th Jun 2012.
The show has struggled recently, with house capacity last week at only 52%.
Davenport wrote, "Godspell has a heck of a lot riding on that Tony performance, as well as tourist traffic over the next couple of weeks. If I don’t see a sizable uptick in sales? Well, in that case . . . Godspell may close on Sunday, June 24th. Is that a definite? Nope."

It is mere speculation, but the show may make an ideal candidate for a transition from Broadway to Off-Broadway. 'Avenue Q,' 'Million Dollar Quartet' and 'The 39 steps' all had a continued existence Off-Broadway, after their Broadway run came to an end. Davenport, who is also a successful Off-Broadway producer, may well consider such an option.

'Godspell' opened at the Circle in the Square on 7 Nov 2011, following previews from 13 Oct 2011, where it is currently booking through to 6 Jan 2013.

The show opened to mixed reviews: It’s entertainment, not great theatre (newyorktheatreguide); Brightly colorful & sticky-sweet (NYP); The show's warm heart manages to glow through the glitz (Back Stage); A show for the ADD generation (Record); Surprisingly irresistible (NY1).

[Phantom of London]

******Finite******

The Broadway revival of Godspell, Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak's playful musical retelling of the Gospel of Matthew, will end its Broadway run June 24, lead producer Ken Davenport announced June 12.

Daniel Goldstein directed the first-ever Broadway revival of the funky, pop-rock musical that first played Broadway in 1976 (following a long Off-Broadway run that launched in 1971). The new, in-the-round production began previews Oct. 13, 2011, and officially opened Nov. 7 at the Circle in the Square Theatre. It is based on an original idea and concept by Tebelak, with music and lyrics by Academy Award winner Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, the upcoming Houdini).

While critics gave the new staging a mixed reception, audiences were charmed by the youthful cast, which originally featured Hunter Parrish, Lindsay Mendez and Telly Leung. The production has been struggling at the box office for several months, grossing only $156,437 in the week leading up to the June 10 Tony Awards.


Wallace Smith and Corbin Bleu
photo by Jeremy Daniel
When it closes June 24, Godspell will have played 30 preview performances and 264 regular performances. A previously announced national tour will launch during the 2013-14 season.