A bloody good showing
Despite
critical disdain, the public sank its teeth into the show. "Lestat" broke
the box-office record as the highest-grossing world premiere musical ever
in San Francisco, taking in $4.3 million. Audience reaction to the New
York previews has been "solid," according to a show rep, with 90 percent
of the house sold for the first week of previews and 80 percent the second
week.
If "Lestat" survives on Broadway long past its opening at the
Palace Tuesday, much of the credit will go to Taupin, who is responsible
for some of the most successful pop lyrics of the past 30 years, from
"Rocket Man" to "Candle in the Wind." John, his longtime collaborator, has
found success on the musical stage with "The Lion King" and "Aida," as
well as "Billy Elliot" on London's West End, but Taupin wanted to wait for
a stage debut until he could find something "satisfyingly dark." The two,
in their first teaming for the theater, have staged "Lestat" with book
writer Linda Woolverton ("Beauty and the Beast"), director Robert Jess
Roth ("Beauty," again) and - strictly on a consulting basis - "Vampire
Chronicles" author Rice.
The first act of "Lestat" loosely follows
the narrative of "The Vampire Lestat," written in 1985 as the second book
in Rice's "Chronicles." The second act is based on Rice's first book,
1976's "Interview With the Vampire." That story, set in 18th century New
Orleans, was the basis for the 1994 movie with Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and
Kirsten Dunst. The reversal allows the plot of "Lestat" to unfold in
chronological order.
In other simplifications, a few peripheral
vampires have been eliminated since the tryout to streamline the
narrative. Taupin wants the show to be as accessible as possible for
audience members unfamiliar with Rice's
books.
