"This summer, the proudly campy comedy Shear Madness, which has run at the Kennedy Center since 1987, will close when the arts complex shuts for renovations the President has ordered. Producer Bruce Jordan confirms to Washingtonian that the local institution will end-at least for a couple of years-in July. Efforts to find an alternate venue didn't pan out, which means its long streak of performances will finally be broken."
""We just don't know at this point," says Jordan. "I'm sure they'd like to have us back," he adds. "We've made a lot of money for them over the years." Indeed, former Kennedy Center president Michael Kaiser once said, "The profits from Shear Madness provide the Kennedy Center with more resources and allows us to offer more adventuresome theater." Roma Daravi, the center's current spokesperson, tells Washingtonian in an email: "We look forward to welcoming Shear Madness back upon reopening!""
"Jordan says he and the show's other producer, Marilyn Abrams, found out about the Kennedy Center's closure "the same way you did"-via a news report. They heard from the center's management about a month later. "They were sorry they had forgotten to call us," says Abrams. That's perhaps a testament to how smoothly Shear Madness has run over the past four decades. Tens of thousands of students have seen the play in the last year, Jordan notes."
"Jordan and Abrams have steered the franchise over the last 39 years. Each production-there are around 20 worldwide-is torqued to local standards. The Washington version is set in a Georgetown hair salon, and every night there are new jokes drawn from current events. The formula works: Shear Madness 's Boston production was the longest running non-musical play in American theater history. It lasted three weeks short of 40"
Shear Madness, a comedy running at the Kennedy Center since 1987, will close in July for renovations ordered by the President. Efforts to secure an alternate venue did not succeed, so the long performance streak will end at least for a couple of years. Producers Bruce Jordan and Marilyn Abrams learned about the closure first through a news report, then later heard from center management. The show’s profitability has historically supported the Kennedy Center’s programming, and the center expects to welcome the production back after reopening. The franchise has operated for 39 years with about 20 worldwide productions, each adapted to local standards. The Washington version is set in a Georgetown hair salon and updates jokes nightly using current events.
Read at Washingtonian - The website that Washington lives by.
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