Let's not break out the black dresses and mourning attire just yet. It turns out the closing of one of the most innovative and hilarious musicals on Broadway was only "For Now." In a groundbreaking move, the producers of "Avenue Q" joined the cast on the stage for the final curtain call yesterday and announced that they will be moving the show Off-Broadway for an open-ended run, starting October 9! This will be the first time that a Broadway show will be taken Off-Broadway for a new life. And there couldn't be a more perfect show for this move.
This is a show that broke the mold for a successful Broadway musical. Who would have thought that a musical puppet show would last six years on Broadway, recoup it's investment (and then some--apparently, it cost $3.5 million to initially produce on Broadway and has grossed over $117 million!), and win the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2004, beating this little show? And while it played Broadway successfully, it can transfer to a smaller house Off-Broadway easily, as it has a small cast and a relatively simple set. Furthermore, they can drop the prices on the tickets because, obviously, Off-Broadway shows are not as costly as those on the Great White Way. So, everybody wins! The producers still get to make money on this show and audiences will still get to see what will essentially be the same product, but it won't cost as much.
I, for one, am very pleased by this. I think this show should always be running somewhere. Not only, is it painfully hilarious, but it speaks to all of us. We all look for our purpose in life and occasionally get lost along the way. And this show tells us that we are not alone. And if that is not something you want to see in a show, I would offer this: Puppets curse and have sex on stage. And that's just awesome.
Tickets and information are here.
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