March 29, 2005-From Broadway.com
"Springbok Announces Last Dance, Dates For New Productions"
It has been made official, after months of rumors. Jim Steinman's Dance of the Vampires will bow out from the Minskoff Theatre this summer. Despite statements to the contrary from Springbok Productions, the musical is going to give its final performance on June 15. The reason for this sudden about face? Walt Disney Theatrical wants to move its production of The Lion King to a bigger space, and the operating staff at the Minskoff made the decision. "Believe us, this is not the outcome that we wanted," Leonard Soloway, head of Springbok's musical theatre division, replied in a statement. "This show has been so beloved, and we were fully committed to entertaining the audiences for quite some time yet. But, with our other productions of the show elsewhere, including plenty of choices right here in the States (a North American tour and various regional productions in the likes of Atlanta, St. Louis, Denver, Houston and Fort Lauderdale), the fans won't be missing out on chances to see it. And we did have quite a healthy run on the Great White Way, so we can be proud of it."
Not that Springbok will be merely twiddling its thumbs after Vampires closes. Springbok's highest forthcoming priority is Lestat, the much ballyhooed musical adaptation of Anne Rice's popular novels, and the first notable stage musical composed by the legendary partnership of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. It will also reunite much of the talent responsible for Disney's highly successful stage version of Beauty and the Beast, including librettist Linda Woolverton, choreographer Matt West, makeup designer Angelina Avellone, fight director Rick Sordelet, and director Robert Jess Roth. It will also feature sound design by Jonathan Deans, lighting design by Kenneth Posner, costumes by Susan Hilferty, and set design by Derek McLane and Dave McKean. "The production is basically the retelling of Lestat's story, especially the first two books in the series, Interview with the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. It's the story of how a mortal man has to come to terms with immortality, a gift that comes with a terrible price of having to kill to live, and how he comes to develop his moral compass, grapple with the question of whether or not he is evil. Anne's books have always been so powerfully evocative with their imagery and flowing language, and Elton and Bernie's score is incredibly strong, possibly the best work they've done yet." The show will begin a tryout at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco on December 17, with a transfer to the Palace Theatre the following spring.
At the moment, a second reading for the Disney/Springbok transfer of Tarzan will be held on April 2 at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square, of all places, followed by four successive workshop productions; Milwaukee on April 18-20, Calgary on May 5-9, Boston on July 11-14, and Providence on September 23-26. The show will then begin official previews at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, the largest of all Broadway theaters, on March 24, 2006, and will open on May 10. The show will be directed by Bob Crowley, who also is the set designer, choreographed by Meryl Tankard, with lighting by Natasha Katz, a score by Phil Collins, and a book by David Henry Hwang and David Ives. When queried about the production, Soloway had this to say. "I can't give too much away, but I do want people to know that the ending will be quite memorable, and certainly be much closer to Edgar Rice Burroughs' novels in its execution. I think we've got a truly kinetic, fast-paced, exciting rush for the audiences, and it will pay off handsomely."
Springbok is also hard at work on helping Disney transfer The Little Mermaid and Mary Poppins (which premiered to a rave reception in London last September, with Springbok helping tweak the show for American audiences), as well as an English-language version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Soloway was quite terse and matter of fact about these productions. "We have no official dates set for these shows, because they're still in the process of development. I do know that The Little Mermaid was originally set to come out around this time, but Disney wasn't happy with David Ives' book for that production, so it's back to the drawing board there. I can't speak for David, but I'm sure he's grateful he at least got the chance to be involved with Tarzan as a consolation prize." In addition, Soloway admits that part of the reason that Hunchback is slow to come to the States is because of an unexpected bit of litigation. "Dennis DeYoung of Styx did a version of Hunchback in Nashville back in '97, and he's a little miffed, to say the least, about the Disney version. He's saying that all his investors for a New York run were scared off and that he had a lot of his own money in that, so he's threatening to sue us and Disney for money lost in that venture."
Regardless of how that turns out, Springbok still has plenty of irons in the fire. Buoyed by the success of the recent film version of The Phantom of the Opera, a revamped stage tour, incorporating certain elements of the movie, is officially opening at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta on April 19, and is expected to run for quite some time. Also, a Las Vegas spectacular will be staged at The Venetian starting next June, with "updated technology and effects, and plenty of exciting surprises." Springbok is also at work helping bring Andrew Lloyd Webber's latest musical, The Woman in White, to Broadway, where it will premiere at the Marquis Theatre this November. Alas, it will have to make do without Michael Crawford, the original actor who portrayed the villainous Count Fosco, as he recently collapsed after a performance from intense dehydration caused by the fat suit he was wearing. Michael Ball has taken his place, and is likely to do so when the show arrives in New York. Springbok has a massive North American tour for Whistle Down the Wind, Lloyd Webber's collaboration with Jim Steinman, starting in Providence at Christmastime. "It will be very much based on the West End production," Soloway asserts. "There is precious little that needs to be changed, regarding staging and effects, though we certainly have helped brush up the book. If this succeeds like we think it can, there's no reason it can't move on to Broadway." And Springbok has entered a handshake deal with Lloyd Webber to help produce a long whispered about and gestating sequel to Phantom. "If this production comes about, then we want to help Andrew make it the best it can be, and hopefully temper some of his weaknesses."
This kind of workload would be enough for most organizations. But that's still not the end of Springbok's work in theater. Despite not fully producing it, they have ponied up considerable money in the forthcoming film version of the highly successful stage musical version of Mel Brooks' The Producers. The film, which will open this December, reunites the highly successful leading duo of Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom, which won the hearts of critics and the public during the show's run at the St. James Theatre. In addition, the film will host the likes of Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell in important roles, and despite rumors that Susan Strohman, the director of the stage version, taking over directing duties for the film, the honors have been split between Alan Parker (Angel Heart, Mississippi Burning, Evita) and an unexpected figure...Mel Brooks himself. "The whole thing is Mel's baby, starting when the original movie came out back in '68," Soloway explains. "There is no one better to assist with the job, and to further demonstrate that he still has the comedic chops that made him famous." Springbok is also hard at work producing a US touring production of the show, and plans to work with Brooks on stage transfers (and potential movie versions) of Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles.
And lastly, Springbok is also expanding with yet more impressive projects, such as a revival of Barry Keating's Starmites, an English version of Michael Kunze's Elisabeth, and planned film versions of Sweeney Todd and Les Miserables. When asked how Springbok can possibly manage all these potential ideas at once, Soloway merely shrugs. "Hope and faith go a long way."