Musical Moneymakers : ‘Into the Woods’ Set Record for Broadway Series at Center; ‘Elvis’ a King-Size Draw

If proof was needed that theatergoers will flock to see a quality musical, the national touring company of “Into the Woods” provided it at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. The Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine hit set a house record for the Center’s Broadway Series last month with its weeklong run.

The show purred past last season’s “Cats,” the previous series record holder, with a gross of $758,538 over eight performances in March and fell just short of the all-time house record for a 1-week stand set by New York City Opera in January with a mixed repertoire of “Rigoletto,” “The Magic Flute” and “The Merry Widow.”

The opera company drew $782,967 over seven performances, but it had a $52 top ticket and “Into the Woods” had a top of $40. Unless ticket prices go up for the Broadway series, the “Woods” record will be hard to beat. Center officials said the “pure paid attendance” came to 98.2% of capacity. (“Cats” did $753,795.)

Meanwhile, “Elvis: A Musical Celebration” clocked in with a gross of $710,111 and total attendance of 91%--including complimentary passes--over the week-long stand of eight performances that ended Sunday at the Center.

The crowd, which sat in awed silence on opening night as the show’s colossal tide of multimedia images washed over them, loosened up considerably during the run. By closing night, women were descending from the second tier for a touch of “Elvis” star Johnny Seaton.

Beth Henley’s “Abundance,” now in rehearsal at South Coast Repertory for its world premiere on April 21, will paint “a harrowing picture” of the Old West, says theater composer Michael Roth, who has arrived from New York to work with the playwright and director, Ron Lagomarsino.

“It speaks about the lie of how glorious the West was,” says Roth, who has read the script. “Even though it’s funny and crazy because Beth is a witty person, the portrait of the people out there is a pretty desperate one. It’s really interesting but very different from her other plays.”

He says his incidental music for “Abundance” will sound “something like Aaron Copland gone wrong.” The score will be recorded and edited next week. By then Roth will know whether he has won either or both of the two Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle awards for which he is nominated (sound design and music for “The Crucible” at SCR earlier this season).

Also at SCR, artistic director Martin Benson says the theater is looking to establish an “ongoing relationship” with several far-flung guest directors: Paul Marcus in London, who staged “The School for Scandal”; David Chambers in New York, who staged “Golden Girls,” and Norman Rene in New York, who has staged several of Craig Lucas’ plays.

SCR will formalize its relationship with Chambers as an East Coast scout “as soon as we figure out what he’ll be doing,” says Benson. “We don’t have a specific title for him because any title implies more than intended.” Chambers will be retained with a consultant’s fee but will not become a salaried staffer.

Chambers has been working on an updated, rock ‘n’ roll “Tartuffe” for a potential SCR production and will direct a show during SCR’s 1989-90 season. Marcus is also expected to direct in the future, “possibly next season,” Benson says. As for Rene, “we’ve taken him aside and told him we want to work with him, and we’ll definitely do so. He’s one of the hottest directors around.”

The Laguna Playhouse has announced its 1988-89 subscription season at the Moulton Theatre in Laguna Beach. It will open with Rupert Holmes’ “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” (Sept. 18), followed by Andrew Bergman’s “Social Security” (Oct. 10). Also penciled in but without dates: Maxwell Anderson’s “Elizabeth the Queen,” Lawrence Alexander’s and Arthur Lewis’ “A Night of Illusion” and a fifth show to be announced.

In addition, the Playhouse will stage a Christmas show--not part of the subscription season--called “A Wonderful Life” (Dec. 5). It is a musical adaptation of the Frank Capra movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” with book and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and music by Joe Raposo.