Lestat: Broadway Monster Flops Week
By Leora Kanner, BROADWAY MAGAZINE
Contemporary pop-culture is replete with vampire characters, images, themes, and cult followings. While the now monstrous cultural obsession may appear to have come out of nowhere, vampire fans have actually been lurking around for years. One enduring and of popular vampire fad was Anne Rice’s series, The Vampire Chronicles, a set of novels about a French nobleman turned into a vampire. Since its first addition in the 1970s, the novels have had somewhat of a cult following. As is common, this popular fad was brought to the Broadway stage in 2006, forming the basis for the musical Lestat.
With a theatrical score by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and direction by Tony winner Robert Jess Roth, it seems surprising that the musical closed after only 1 month. The show initially debuted off-broadway and was widely successful, yet it changed radically for its transition to the big stage. Lestat was nominated for two Tony awards in 2006: Best Featured Actress in a musical and Best Costume Design.
Anne Rice had only positive things to say about the musical that brought her imagination to life. “In a word-magnificent,” she said in April 2006, “there’s no doubt in my mind that readers far and wide will love it and embrace it, no doubt that Lestat has moved from literature to legend in a divine theatrical incarnation in my own time.”
Although Rice seemed positive about its reception, the San Francisco Times among other critics were less enthused: “The creatures of Anne Rice’s “The Vampire Chronicles” have survived many things — fire, famine, dismemberment, even a couple of regrettable Hollywood movies. Whether they can survive “Lestat,” the Broadway-bound musical at the Curran Theatre, is more open to question…what we’re left with is pure bland schmaltz. For vampires, frankly, that sucks” (Robert Hurwitt.)
Enjoy other monster themed Broadway flops all week long on Broadway.tv, because not every monster is a Phantom. See the newest Broadway Magazine here. If you saw Lestat, join us on Twitter and tells us what you thought.
