A scene from Hands On a Hard Body
The first casualty of the spring musical theatre season on Broadway is Hands On a Hard Body. This tale of down-on-their-luck folks going through a gruelling competition to win a new truck will be riding into the sunset on April 13 after 28 previews and 28 regular performances.
The show may not have had the flash, glitz, stars or instant name recognition that many feel are needed to make it these days on high-stakes Broadway.
In the first week of April, it posted an audience of less than 59 per cent capacity. A score chockful of appealing songs by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green, an affecting story in the book by Doug Wright, told with clever direction by Neil Pepe and musical staging by Sergio Trujillo, not to mention a great cast, just didn’t do it. Of course, you may argue, Once doesn’t have much in the way of flash and big name recognition (unless you take in consideration the cultish fans of the movie of the same on which its based), but it did manage to win a batch of Tony Awards last year, including Best Musical, and continues to pull in the ticket buyers. Maybe it’s a matter of marketing. Or maybe, as some people say, it’s all a crapshoot.
Ron Cohen
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