Wrote The Post’s Clive Barnes: “Vampires have very difficult and unhappy lives. You really don’t want to be one. Especially if it involved music as loud and boring as old Lestat has to plow his way through. It’s not a life fit for a dog, let alone a bat.” The show lost $10 million.
My favorite was 2002’s “Dance of the Vampires,” with backstage shenanigans that made great column fodder. Based on the movie “The Fearless Vampire Killers,” the musical had a strong score by Jim Steinman, including his hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”
The show starred Michael Crawford, who hadn’t been on Broadway since “The Phantom of the Opera” in 1988. Crawford demanded creative control and even had a hand in designing his own costumes, which were a little too tight. Cast members called him “the fat rooster.”
Steinman thought the show was a train wreck in previews. When he complained — loudly — the producers barred him from the theater.
“Dance of the Vampires” lasted just 56 performances and lost more than $12 million, making it, at the time, one of the costliest flops ever.
More at the link. Ellen was apparently part of the workshop for the "True Blood" musical.
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