By Nestor U. Torre Philippine Daily Inquirer <\/p>\n
DOLPHY. Viewers didnt want him to stop playing the clown and fool. <\/p>\n
What makes one production hit it big, and another show bites the dust of ignominywith great alacrity? A producer once intimated to us that the difference between a hit and a flop can be quite slight. Not all the judicious planning and money in the world can assure the creation of a blockbuster. On the other hand, a movie produced for just peanuts some years ago ended up making over a hundred million dollars! <\/p>\n
Will the presence of big stars do the trick? Much of the time, but definitely not always. Sex and violence? Theyre compelling attractionsbut could also end up as major turnoffs. <\/p>\n
An unusual story, beautifully told? Ditto. Film awards and triumphs at international festivals. Yesup to a point. <\/p>\n
Perhaps we can learn valuable lessons from the sad experiences of some musical-theater producers, who invested a lot of money in some exciting projectsbut got only pain (no gain!) in exchange: <\/p>\n
Financier <\/p>\n
Take, for instance, the financier behind the 1986 musical, Into the Light, which was aboutthe Shroud of Turin! Now, why would anybody in his right mind think that there would be a huge audience for such esoteric and quasi-religious hoo-hah? <\/p>\n
What about Bring Back Birdie? We loved the original musical, Bye Bye Birdie, but not enough to want to see the production of a new show that updated the story and showed us what happened to its lead characters, two decades later! Alas, the new production cravenly bit the dust after only four performances. <\/p>\n
One Night Stand similarly failed to interest let alone excite theatergoers with its story abouta suicide! Not exactly a fun evening, huh? The show was so dismally dark that it never even got to the Great White Way, and literally died during its trial run. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
See the rest here: By Nestor U. Torre Philippine Daily Inquirer DOLPHY. Viewers didnt want him to stop playing the clown and fool. Continue reading
\nAnatomy of a flop<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"