Disney Closes ‘Frozen’ on Broadway, Citing Pandemic – The New York Times

“Frozen” had been the weakest of the three Disney musicals that had been working on Broadway — the others had been “The Lion King” and “Aladdin” — and the firm made it clear that it would no longer judge audiences will return in mountainous sufficient numbers to retain all of these reveals.

“This sophisticated resolution became as soon as made for a lot of reasons nevertheless essentially because we judge that three Disney productions will doubtless be one too many titles to scurry efficiently in Broadway’s original panorama,” Thomas Schumacher, the president of Disney Theatrical Productions, acknowledged in a letter to his workers.

Schumacher acknowledged the firm stays committed to “The Lion King” and “Aladdin” on Broadway, to “The Lion King” and “Mary Poppins” in London’s West Discontinue, and to touring productions of “The Lion King” and “Frozen” in North The US and “The Lion King” in Britain. The firm, which all the strategy thru the arena had 29 reveals both working or in preproduction earlier this year, has already nick short a North American touring production of “Aladdin” attributable to the pandemic, closing it six weeks early after a with regards to three-year, 41-metropolis scurry.

“Frozen,” which label an estimated $25 million to $30 million to glean, arrived on Broadway in 2018 with high hopes because it became as soon as tailored from an enormously in model though-provoking film. Nonetheless the stage adaptation acquired unenthusiastic opinions from key critics and became as soon as shut out at the Tony Awards; its weekly grosses peaked at $2.6 million, nevertheless by February had been averaging about $1 million.

The resolution to conclude “Frozen” sooner than anticipated is a reminder that the pandemic is more doubtless to change the theatrical panorama, forcing producers to reassess the financial viability of prolonged-planned initiatives attributable to expected challenges attracting audiences and investors.

Already two planned productions were scrapped: a brand original Martin McDonagh play called “Hangmen” and a revival of the Edward Albee traditional “Who’s Horrified of Virginia Woolf.” Both had begun previews, nevertheless neither had but opened, when Contemporary York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo banned gatherings of more than 500 folks, prompting the shuttering of all Broadway theaters, on March 12.

The “Frozen” closing is symbolically critical because Disney is no longer handiest deep-pocketed nevertheless additionally performs an outsize role in contemporary Broadway. The firm’s 1994 settlement to elevate over Broadway’s Contemporary Amsterdam Theater became as soon as a pivotal moment in the rebirth of Events Square; “The Lion King” is the tip-grossing Broadway demonstrate of all time, and Schumacher no longer handiest runs Disney Theatrical nevertheless additionally serves as chairman of the Broadway League, a exchange group representing producers and theater home owners.

Nonetheless the Walt Disney Co., with its heavy reliance on theme parks and portray studios, has taken a financial drubbing. The theatrical division, headquartered in Contemporary York, has furloughed many workers, as have many different divisions of the firm.

Schumacher, intent on demonstrating that Disney plans to cease in the theater exchange, acknowledged in his letter that “we stay committed to growing and producing stage musicals for a truly very prolonged time to come.”

He outlined a call of newish initiatives for the firm, none of them aimed at Broadway. A brand original production of “Beauty and the Beast,” with the identical artistic team that worked on the 1994 customary, is slated to start foreign next spring and in the US in 2022, and the firm is engaged on a brand original, smaller, touring production of “Aladdin.”

He acknowledged the firm has additionally begun work on two original musicals tailored from Disney movies: “The Jungle Book” will doubtless be directed by Christopher Gattelli with a book by Rajiv Joseph and original songs by Richard Sherman. And “Hercules,” directed by Lear deBessonet, will doubtless be written by Robert Horn, Alan Menken and David Zippel, expanded from a version that ran closing year at Contemporary York’s Delacorte Theater below the auspices of the Public Theater.

A brand original production of the musical “Aida,” directed by Schele Williams, objectives to start in Germany in the spring of 2022.

Schumacher additionally acknowledged Disney is growing musical adaptations of “The Princess Bride,” with a book by Bob Martin and Rick Elice and songs by David Yazbek, as successfully as “Bedknobs and Broomsticks,” directed by Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison, with a book by Brian Hill and original songs by Neil Bartram.

“Frozen,” loosely in step with a Hans Christian Andersen fairy memoir called “The Snow Queen,” is ready a princess, Elsa, with the magical energy to glean ice and snow, and her sister, Anna.

The musical, directed by Michael Grandage, performed 26 previews and 825 current performances thru what became out to be its last demonstrate on March 11 at the St. James Theater. Over the direction of its scurry, it grossed $155 million and became as soon as considered by 1.3 million patrons.

It became as soon as a tiny bit of revised earlier this year, and the firm believes that, fueled by the big recognition of the customary film and its sequel, this is in a position to per chance fare successfully outdoor Contemporary York.

No longer handiest does Disney idea to resume the North American tour of “Frozen” as soon as theaters start, nevertheless Schumacher additionally acknowledged he plans to start extra “Frozen” productions over the following year in London, Sydney, Hamburg and Tokyo. Disney acknowledged one clarification for asserting the Broadway closing now might well be that it might well allow the firm to reuse the costumes and scenic formula in these different productions.

Actors’ Fairness, the labor union representing performers and stage managers, expressed alarm concerning the closing. “At the present time’s news wishes to be an all hands on deck moment for Governor Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio and Congress,” Mary McColl, the union’s govt director, acknowledged in an announcement. “Public officials at all stages must judge important more boldly about supporting the arts or our entire economic system will doubtless be slower to improve.”