Just got word from a pretty reliable source that
Rafta Rafta..., Ayub Khan-Din's intergenerational comedy about a South Asian family in Britain, which closed a successful New Group run at the Acorn last month, is prepping a move to Broadway. To the best of my knowledge (a.k.a., a quick IBDB search), this would be the first New Group move from Off- to Broadway, though the company is among the producers of
Avenue Q and Scott Elliott has helmed his share of Broadway productions. Maybe moving a hit will work better for Elliott than going directly to Broadway with ambitious fizzles (
Threepenny Opera) or shrugging revivals (
Barefoot in the Park).
WHY?! Granted, I'm in the minority about Rafta, Rafta . . . but man, someone should write a story about how "ethnic" shows are really helping to sell weak books. "In The Heights" has a terrible book, but is thriving. "West Side Story" is making a bilingual comeback (although I sense a flop). And now "Rafta, Rafta"? Is it actually any different from the 1968 play it's based on?
ReplyDeleteI think this is an awesome move - I simply loved the play and think it has great potential on Broadway.
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