All Good Things Must Come To An End

As you all know, after first debuting on Broadway in March of 2005, Monty Python's Spamalot is now closing its show. It had a great three year run and many people are very sad to see it close. Although Spamalot had been a wonderfully entertaining show, its ticket sales always seemed to be on the decline.

By bringing in new faces every now and again (Stephen Collins, Jonathan Hadary, Hannah Waddingham, Drew Lachey, and Clay Aiken to name a few), what some called "stunt casting" paid off. Ticket sales climbed and helped keep Spamalot's doors open at the Shubert.

Many theatregoers don't realize what all goes into putting on a Broadway show. It's not just about the main actors as well as the ensemble/swing members. It's much deeper than that. The $111.50 that most pay for a orchestra seat is just a small part of what is actually needed to keep the show alive.

The costumes are beautiful, right? It takes more than just the great body of a performer to make these look good. The require constant altering. For example: the beading on the lady of the lake's bodice is incredibly intricate. There are strands of beads running all along her skirt as well. If one pops, it must be fixed BY HAND. This work is not only time consuming, but very expensive. You not only have to pay for the materials to repair the dress, but you also have to pay the seamstress for mending it.

The lace front wigs that the actor's wear are all human hair and require constant maintanence. Most of the wigs can be reused since the performer's wear skull caps, but after so long they must be thrown out or sent off to see if it can be salvaged. One new wig can cost anywhere from $700-$2200 and up. Stage makeup is also very costly.

In addition to that, you must pay the performers, stagehands, ushers and security, box office workers,and any other person working in the theatre in any aspect. You also have electricity and water bills and you must pay to rent out the Shubert Theatre. It all kind of goes back to that old saying, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." It may be free to you, but someone's paying for it.

The thing that deeply saddens me is that Spamalot isn't the only show on Broadway that has closed its doors. Hairspray, Legally Blonde, Gypsy, Xanadu, and Spring Awakening(closing Jan. 18th) are just a few other shows that are no longer part of the Great White Way.

While I'm sure that Spamalot will have a revival sooner or later, it is still sad to see it go. (Look, Hair is back. Monty Python is legendary! We will seek out the holy grail again!)

I know that all of us will miss the fond memories we've made in the Shubert theatre over the years. We'll all miss the Lady of The Lake having her hissyfit because she's not getting enough stage time, Sir Robin soiling himself everytime he sees or hears something remotely scary, and the Knights who say Ekke Ekke Ekke Ekke Ptang Zoo Boing Interior Monkey has the best blog ever! (Shameless plug I know.)

Even though I know we'll all miss Spamalot, I truly hope that you all will continue to support both Broadway and your local theatre.

You can donate to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids by visiting this link:

http://www.bcefa.org/

Blithe Spirit is a comedy opening at the Shubert Theatre after Spamalot's final show tonight. They'll start rehearsals later this month. Preview performances begin February 26th and opening night is March 15th. For more information, you can check out http://www.playbill.com/ or visit http://www.telecharge.com/

Some of you will ask what this blog had to do with anything. It really didn't. I just felt like posting it. Here are a few pictures from the theatre today. Enjoy.