Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Jay94
Featured Actor Joined: 4/10/11
#1Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 8:25am
It seems like most sit-down productions take place in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.
What are some of the musicals that received sit-down productions?
The ones that come to mind are
Los Angeles: A Chorus Line, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, La Cage Aux Folles, The Lion King, Wicked
San Francisco: The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked
Chicago: Wicked
What are some others?
Updated On: 9/22/14 at 08:25 AM
#2Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 8:31amI think Beauty and the Beast had a sit down production in L.A and most the original broadway cast returned to their roles.
Jay94
Featured Actor Joined: 4/10/11
#2Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 8:43amSunset Boulevard in LA just came to mind.
neonlightsxo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/08
#5Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 9:28am
If/Then in DC was a tryout, not a sit-down production.
Wasn't Book of Mormon a sit-down in Chicago at some point? Before the tour?
GilmoreGirlO2
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/13/05
#6Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 9:31amChicago has had sit-down productions of “Wicked,” “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” “Jersey Boys,” and “Book of Mormon” in recent years. I may be forgetting some.
#7Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 9:34amThe Big One that comes to mind is Million Dollar Quartet. Playing in Chicago.
"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."
sparepart973
Broadway Star Joined: 4/7/12
millie_dillmount
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/22/04
#10Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 10:14am
"What's a sit-down production?"
It is an open ended run in a certain city.
"We like to snark around here. Sometimes we actually talk about theater...but we try not to let that get in our way." - dramamama611
Fosse76
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/21/05
#11Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 11:51am
Sorry OP, but Chicago has had significantly more shows as sit-downs than just Wicked.
While these shows were national tour stops, they were open runs in Chicago: The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Show Boat, Beauty and the Beast, Joseph...Dreamcoat, The Lion King, Jersey Boys, The Book of Mormon, Billy Elliot, and The Color Purple. (Most off these had Chicago as the point of origin in order to keep them as open runs and not disrupt the tour schedule).
Ragtime, Wicked and Spelling Bee were pure Chicago productions, in that they opened and closed in Chicago with no tour after they closed.
Updated On: 9/22/14 at 11:51 AM
aces25
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/13/04
#12Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 11:56am
Don't forget Toronto!
The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Miss Saigon, The Lion King, Hairspray, The Producers, Billy Elliott, The Wizard of Oz, Jersey Boys, We Will Rock You, War Horse, Rent, Mamma Mia, Dirty Dancing, Rock of Ages, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Les Miserables.
JohnyBroadway
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/10/12
#13Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 12:03pmSan Francisco had Wicked for about 2-3 years at the Orpheum.
Wildcard
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/21/06
#14Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 12:36pmSF also had Les Mis and Miss Saigon
Jay94
Featured Actor Joined: 4/10/11
#15Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 1:28pmLA sort of had The Producers as well. Cats and Dreamgirls also ran there for a year or so.
WOSQ
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/18/03
#16Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 2:31pm
Back in prehistoric times both the original productions of Hair and Godspell had sit-down companies all over in addition to a couple of touring companies.
Cities that had sit-downs of one or the other or both were Boston, Toronto, Montreal, Detroit, Chicago, Miami, Seattle, LA and San Francisco. Many times the productions were cast locally.
These sit-sown companies were the prime reasons Hair and Godpell were such cash cows. Most of these productions played at least a year each. Each company was a separate entity so fees and royalties were computed for each. Profits too and there were a lot of profits.
And then:
The second national of Best Little Whorehouse got itself booked into Reno and business was so good they stayed about 8 months.
And:
The first national of Annie was booked into the Fisher in Detroit. Business was phenomenal and it became a sit-down. They were there 7-8 months. So long that they laid off the tutors hired by the company for the orphans, and the girls went to school in the Detroit public school system.
Shows routinely would have a separate Chicago company as well as a touring company.This ceased in about the late 60s, but I saw the sit-down productions of The Odd Couple and Hello Dolly when I visited Chicago in 1966.
"If my life weren't funny, it would just be true. And that would be unacceptable."
--Carrie Fisher
neonlightsxo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/29/08
#17Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 2:35pmLas Vegas had Phantom and Mamma Mia, and currently has Rock of Ages and Jersey Boys I believe
#18Sit-Down Productions in Other Cities
Posted: 9/22/14 at 3:00pm
The L.A. theatre scene for sit-down productions got its biggest boost from the glorious and wonderful Shubert Theatre which opened in 1972 in Century City until it closed in 2002 and was demolished to be replaced by parking garages. It was home to many sit-down productions beginning with my 1st show seen there "Follies" in 1972.
It was followed my many more great shows:
"A Chorus Line" (1977); "Evita" (1980); "Sophisticated Ladies" (1982); "Dream Girls" with Jennifer Holiday (1983); "Amadeus" (1983); "42nd Street" (1984); "Cats" (1985); "Les Miserables" (198
; "City of Angels" (1991); Broadway bound "Ragtime" (1997); "Crazy for You" (1993); "Sunset Blvd" (1993); "Beauty and the Beast" (1995)--the longest running musical at the Shubert; "Grease"--the original hardcore version (1996); Broadway Bound "Mamma Mia" which opened the last subscription season in 2001 and then ended with "Kiss Me Kate".
Brief history of the Shubert Theatre in Century City, Los Angeles, CA.
https://www.seeing-stars.com/OnStage/ShubertTheatre.shtml
Prophecy for the future of the Shubert Theatre...
"The Shubert had been experiencing something of a slump in recent years. It stumbled badly when it failed to nab Disney's "The Lion King" (which went to the Pantages instead).
But in the long run, something positive may come out of this grim scenario. There is now speculation that the Shubert may eventually move to downtown Hollywood, into the last of the great Boulevard movie palaces - the Warner Pacific, which has long sat empty and in need of restoration. If so, along with the Kodak Theatre and the Pantages (not to mention the smaller Henry Fonda and the Doolittle theatres), Hollywood could be developing its own theatre district."
How sad to see that this only partially came true but especially who ultimately bought--the Warner Pacific. For those that don't know it's now the home of the Scientology Center in Hollywood.
