Over the past several years I have seen the following "jukebox musicals" :- Smokey Joe's Cafe
- All Shook Up
- The Times They Are A Changin'
- Ring of Fire
- Jersey Boys
- Million Dollar Quartet
I enjoyed all of the above, but I am not the typical viewer of Broadway shows. Only Smokey Joe's Cafe and Jersey Boys were commercial successes. Certainly Elvis Presley has universal appeal, but All Shook Up closed after 33 previews and 213 performances. The weakness of this type of show is the lack of an in depth plot. Million Dollar Quartet relates how these 4 superstars performed a jam session on December 4, 1956. If you love the oldies, this show is for you. Most of the audience were people older that I. There were many empty seats in the theater, but the show is still in previews. The show is only 1 hour and 40 minutes, but I only paid $19.56 per ticket (this was a special deal advertised on WCBS-FM). I had to shell out $100/ticket for Jersey Boys two years ago.
I can not accurately predict how the professional critics will evaluate this show. It was successful in Chicago, but that is not Broadway. I would recommend that my oldies enthusiast friends see this before it closes. I hope it succeeds, but I am not optimisic. I loved the The Times They Are A Changin but it closed after 28 previews and 35 previews.
I suggest my readers see the Youtube Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjbCpXhTS00
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