Shaun's Broadway Report #3: Saigon, Sailing Out and Salut!

To start with, several Broadway shows have played their final performances and made room for new shows to fill their old theatres. **DAMES AT SEA** starring Matilda alum Lesli Margherita played its final performance at the **Helen Hayes Theatre** on January 3rd to make way for the Broadway transfer of the off-Broadway smash hit play **THE HUMANS**. **THERESE RAQUIN** starring Keira Knightley and Judith Light also closed its doors at **Studio 54** on January 3rd to make way for the Roundabout revival of **SHE LOVES ME** starring Laura Benanti. Other shows that closed on January 3rd include the Broadway revival of **SYLVIA** starring Annaleigh Ashford and Matthew Broderick to make way for the new musical **BRIGHT STAR** at the **Cort**, and **HAND TO GOD** at the **Booth Theatre** (before [**Hand To God heads to London’s Vaudeville Theatre**](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/2155/Hand-To-God-tickets.aspx)) to make way for Forest Whitaker in Eugene O’Neill’s classic play **HUGHIE**. We also got a lot of news regarding London shows heading to Broadway, as well as Broadway revivals and new openings. It was announced that the production team behind [**CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY**](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/musical/1120/Charlie-and-the-Chocolate-Factory-tickets.aspx) here in London are aiming to take the show to Broadway for this Fall season, and Cameron Macintosh announced that [**MISS SAIGON**](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/musical/1451/Kinky-Boots-tickets.aspx) would be heading to a Shubert theatre on Broadway in Spring 2017 with the option of signing up to be notified about tickets now available. Rumours are also flying around about the possibility of a **SMOKEY JOE’S CAFE** revival this summer, which hasn’t been seen on Broadway since the show played its original Tony-nominated engagement in 1995 at the August Wilson (which was then known as the Virginia). A tonne of shows have also opened on Broadway since we last spoke and to save giving you reems and reems of notes on the shows themselves and boring you, here’s a complete and comprehensive list: **ALLEIGIANCE** at the **Longacre**, **THE COLOR PURPLE** at the **Bernard B Jacobs**, **FIDDLER ON THE ROOF** at **the Broadway**, **ON YOUR FEET** at the **Marquis**, **SCHOOL OF ROCK: THE MUSICAL** at the **Winter Garden**, **CHINA DOLL** at the **Gerald Schoenfeld**, **THE GIN GAME** at the **John Golden**, **KING CHARLES III** at the **Music Box**, **MISERY** at the **Broadhurst**, **NOISES OFF** at the **American Airlines**, **OUR MOTHER’S BRIEF AFFAIR** at the **Samuel J. Freidman**, and **A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE** at the **Lyceum**. Final bits of notable news surrounding the Great White Way include the fact that **AMERICAN PSYCHO: THE MUSICAL** have announced they will start performances at the **Gerald Schoenfeld** on March 24th, **SCHOOL OF ROCK** broke the record of highest grossing week ever at the **Winter Garden** with over $1.5M and confirmed that their hunt for British children will begin this year for the London transfer, the production team behind **GYSPY starring Imelda Staunton** have expressed interest in taking the production to New York in the coming year, and the 2014 revival of **LES MIZ** announced that they will shutter at the **Imperial Theatre** on September 4th. If you think I’ve missed out on any major Broadway news, tweet us! [**@shaunycat**](https://twitter.com/shaunycat) and [**@theatre_direct**](http://twitter.com/theatre_direct) to let me know – looks like Broadway’s going to have a fantastic 2016!