In 2000, the $15 million Disney musical “Aida” received zero acclaim on Broadway.
The show, which starred Heather Headley and Sherri Renee Scott, was roundly panned by theater critics (the Post's Clive Barnes said so) and failed to earn a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical.
But, as Radamès sings, fortune favors the brave. “Aida” survived, sold a lot of tickets, and ran for four years at the Palace Theater thanks to two words written prominently on the marquee: Elton John.
Nearly a quarter century later, this world-famous name has become a liability.
On Tuesday, $25 million Crocodile Rock singer Tammy Faye, a mascara migraine with music, posted her closing notice just five days after opening night. The show – which has been well received in the UK, except for me – will have its final run on December 8th.
“Tammy Faye” is likely the biggest flop of the season.
“The shocking thing is,” he said playfully, “that he will have another three weeks to go!”
What a stunning decline for the composer of the hit song “The Lion King” and the Tony Award-winning hit “Billy Elliot: The Musical.”
Meanwhile, no one on Broadway is all that surprised.
Rocket Man keeps crashing over and over again.
Since “Billy” premiered in London's West End in 2005, John, 77, has been screaming in vain.
First, there was the $12 million vampire disaster Lestat, based on the Anne Rice novels, in 2006.
Musicals about the undead never work. Just ask “Dance the Vampire Star” Michael Crawford.
Lestat's best song, believe it or not, was when young Claudia sang “I Want More” about her newfound appetite for blood. The massive flop closed after 39 bids. (Ten times more “Tammy” for those scoring at home.)
Then in 2022, the face of “Devil Wears Prada” was put on the runway during its trial in Chicago. New York critics descended on the Windy City like Fashion Week. She described the wreck as “a hot mess” and said in The Times: “Nothing fits.”
The troubled show put the couture in a handbag and rushed to the relative safety of London where it was refurbished by Gerry Mitchell, the director of “Kinky Boots,” a new hire.
At a media event for “Tammy Faye” in March at Hudson Yards, John told me that he completely agreed with my one-star review of “Prada.”
Come to think of it, at that Tammy Faye press conference, he didn't have much to say about Tammy Faye. This should have been a red flag.
John has a well-known habit of handing over his tracks, then not being heavily involved in the demanding production process due to his touring schedule. He also lives in London with his wife (and “Tammy” producer) David Furnish and their two children.
Standing at arm's length – or the red devil's wing – is nothing new for Elton. He had only seen “Aida” a handful of times before its opening (and had dropped out of one preview), and saw “The Lion King” for the first time on opening night. John took the film “Prada” on August 3. It was released by critics on August 7.
“What is the author’s job in a sophisticated work of art? To work, shape, cut and polish,” said one industry source. “He has no sponsorship and no involvement.”
Another added: “Sir Elton is not a musical theater writer.”
Whether you like his presentations or not, John has three findings that prove that, at the very least, He was Musical playwright. The problem is that the most recent one closed here 12 years ago.
Last March, John told me that he had written several new songs for “Prada 2.0” in London, knew where the problems lay, and insisted on retooling the song from top to bottom.
It will open on December 5. And I'll be there at the Dominion Theater in three weeks to see the new version with star Vanessa Williams as Runway editor Miranda Priestly.
But here's a sneak preview. An unimpressed source on Broadway actually told me that “The Devil Wears Nada!”
