It surprises me how silent former islander Kevin McCollum is about his prowess and proficiency on Broadway.
Like, he currently is producer of three musicals simultaneously running on the Great White Way. That’s quite an achievement.
But you won’t find his name on the bright theater marquees. You need to peruse the Playbills, to discover McCollum’s name – above the show title, in tiny print – as well as in his bio along with the cast and artistic team.
His three current shows:
- “The Notebook,” at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater, is his largest show based on the rom-com Nicholas Sparks’ book and consequent film, about Allie and Noah, a couple from different worlds, whose portrait of a lifetime of love is depicted in flashbacks tapping three sets of couples. The show earned Tonys for acting but failed to win a trophy.
- “Six” has been in production for several years at the Lena Horne Theatre; it’s a sprightly revue with a cast of six, in a modern retelling of the lives of King Henry VIII’s six wives, delivered as a sarcastic, pop-concert competition of who suffered the most. It finally closes at the end of September.
- “Oh Mary,” at the Lyceum Theatre, is a dark comedy about Mary Todd Lincoln’s life and dreams in the days preceding Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The play explores her personal conflicts, including alcoholism, and moved uptown to the Lyceum Theatre from the off-Broadway Lucille Lortel Theatre. It closes in November.
McCollum earns a Tony Award only if one of his shows becomes a Best Musical winner, which makes him somewhat invisible most of the time. As a producer, he’s instrumental in seeking funding for his shows. McCollum has won big, garnering three Tonys for “Rent” (1966), “Avenue Q” (2004) and “In the Heights” (2008).
Only the likes of the late prolific director Hal Prince (“The Phantom of the Opera,” “Merrily We Roll Along’) and the non-stop genius Andrew Lloyd Webber (“Phantom,” “Cats”) have had credits for simultaneous shows during a typical season…
‘Broadway in Hawaii’ to unveil season
“Broadway in Hawaii” will announce its season of island-bound shows next Wednesday (Sept. 18) at Blaisdell Concert Hall.
The season will include three touring productions, titles to be unveiled at a media event, with shows to be staged in April, June and December.
Details will be announced, and the roster surely will be all musicals…
Broadway grosses, for week ending Sept. 8
While there’s no change among the top three shows, a newbie has joined the million-dollar club: “Oh, Baby,” at the No. 9 slot.
Otherwise, the Top 10 is comprised of repeaters:
The Top 10:
1—”Wicked, “ $1,755 million
2—“The Lion King,” $1,690 million
3—” Hamilton” $1,645 million
4—“Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club,” $1,509 million
5—”Hell’s Kitchen,” $1,393 million
6—”MJ the Musical,” $1,375 million
7—”The Outsiders,” $`,307 million
8—”Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” $1,270 million
9—”Oh, Mary!” $1,105 million
10—”Aladdin,” $1,059 million
The full list, courtesy The Broadway League:
