Oh, the places Seussical has gone since it made its premiere in August at the Colonial Theater. I question whether the musical I saw in Boston has any similarities to the current production in New York, which has undergone quite an extensive facelift. When the musical, written and conceived by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (the creative team behind Once on this Island and Ragtime) debuted in Boston, it seemed to be right on its way to becoming the next Lion King, a creative, fun show that adults and children could both enjoy. Audrey Geisel, the widow of Theodore Geisel, the infamous and beloved Dr. Seuss, had given the show her blessing. The buzz after workshops in Toronto had been hopeful and exciting.
But boy, did it fall flat on its face in Boston. It wasn't exactly the critical success everyone behind the show had hoped it would be. Everyone seemed to agree that even though it had potential, it desperately needed some work. Major critics like Boston Globe reviewer Ed Siegel said "Seussical the Musical is not the Cat in the Hat's meow," and Joyce Kulhawik of WBZ-TV, called the show a "confusing, moralistic brew."
The Boston disaster was just the beginning of the show's troubles. By the time the show left Beantown and headed to New York, the producers, Fran and Barry Weissler, decided it was up to them to save the show from the vulturous critics in New York, only waiting for the chance to pan the show. The choice, at least in their mind, was rather simple. Either shape up or ship out. They decided to shape up, and in a matter of days had fired the original costume designer, set designer, and director.
But did the Weisslers go too far? Sure, it's a dog-eat-dog world in the theater business, but getting rid of practically the entire original creative team was rather harsh, and, one can imagine, traumatic for the cast and all involved. It's amazing they didn't get rid of Ahrens and Flaherty. The dramatic move could hardly have been a morale booster for the troubled production.
With the director Frank Galati out and the new director Rob Marshall in, the show underwent extensive rewriting and re-envisioning. But still, Seussical managed to open to equally negative reviews in New York. Ben Brantley of the Times panned it in a searing review in which he called the show a "flavorless broth."
The show, which had only been making $40,000 a day, seemed to be on the way to the rather extensive Broadway graveyard of failed musicals with the onset of the cold January weather. Without shedding a tear, the entire New York theatre world seemed prepared to bury the musical.
Rest in peace? Not exactly. Seussical proved itself to be the little show that could. Somehow, the show still managed to hang on, even though it was chugging along at a snail's pace. "I think I can, I think I can," it seemed to be saying. "Oh, I know I can," said Rosie O'Donnell in her characteristically thick Long Island accent when she entered the scene to save the day.
O'Donnell, who has become somewhat of an overbearing mother to the Broadway theatre world, was determined not to let this show fail. In fact, she loved the show so much that she decided to take on the role of the Cat in the Hat from David Shiner.
And another one bites the dust. The fun-loving and goofy Shiner, whose performance was hailed as one of the saving graces of the Boston production, went off to take a "vacation" for four weeks while O'Donnell doctored the show, did her shtick, and endlessly promoted her exclusive musical engagement on her talk show.
One knows something is a bit off with Broadway when Rosie O'Donnell becomes the be all and end all of a musical's ultimate survival. It was no shock that ticket sales went up when O'Donnell entered the show. But perhaps they went up for the wrong reasons. Audiences are now flocking to see Seussical not because it's Seussical, but because their beloved O'Donnell is on the stage.
Shows on Broadway these days are becoming simply too dependent on major stars to stay afloat. Whenever a show starts having financial problems, the original stars are booted and a glamorous replacement is found. Who can forget Susan Lucci singing "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun," in Annie Get a Gun or Kathie Lee Gifford belting out Stephen Sondheim songs in the revue Putting It Together. These all are embarrassing and painful moments that we would like to forget, but nonetheless, they are hard to ignore. One must ask the question: Is there room any more on Broadway for leads in shows that are not already big names?
As Broadway budgets for shows are becoming exorbitant, a show's financial success becomes more and more important. The Weisslers may have loved David Shiner's performance in Seussical, but they love making back their $10.5 million investment in the musical even more. O'Donnell is not just a replacement for four weeks... she is the show's financial savior.
This vicious cycle of big stars shoving aside the lesser-known actors seems to be inevitable these days. According to the producers, David Shiner is taking a vacation for four weeks. But who knows when he'll come back?
There is already a buzz on Broadway that once O'Donnell leaves the show, yet another famous actor might replace her. Chevy Chase, Whoopi Goldberg, Tim Allen, and Tommy Tune have supposedly all been approached by the Weisslers about playing the role of the Cat in the Hat. Barry Weissler has even mentioned trying to get Brooke Shields to take over the role of Mazie the Bird, currently played by Michelle Pawk, who would be bought out of her contract if the producers were able to cut a deal.
It seems that on Broadway these days, the only way to become a star is to be a movie/television star first. Even though Shiner is supposed to return to the show in a few weeks, I wouldn't exactly hold my breath.
