'KPOP' Deserved Better
The cast of Broadway's 'KPOP' (Photo: MATTHEW MURPHY AND EVAN ZIMMERMAN)
by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder
If there is one fact that rings true with the business of Broadway nowadays, it’s that ambition is a risk. Sometimes it can pay off with awards(‘A Strange Loop’) but more than not, ambitious material doesn’t seem to be selling well on Broadway.
The latest victim of this trend is ‘KPOP’. This immersive production, playing in Circle in the Square, just announced its closing next week after just 44 previews and 17 regular performances. With numbers like these, ‘KPOP’ joins the ranks of Broadway’s biggest bombs. Which is a shame, because it’s a damn good show and deserved better.
As an Asian American, I was elated when I heard the news that the Helen Park and Max Vernon musical would be moving from off-Broadway, bringing an all-Asian cast to the Great White Way. Add to that the diversity among its creative team, it was refreshing to see these opportunities go to Asian theatrical professionals.
And as I said before, the show is great. I saw it off-Broadway and was planning on catching it while I was back in NYC. The show had gotten rave reviews when it was off-Broadway and lukewarm ones once it transferred. It also suffered from one of the worst treatments by the New York Times I’ve ever seen. But it was one of the more entertaining theatrical experiences I’ve witnessed in the past couple of years.
I’m sure there were a lot of contributing factors as to why the show is closing early. Beyond just trying to produce professional theatre in 2022, the show was expensive to run, especially with its larger-than-normal cast. And given that tickets were being offered at discounted rates early on, that wasn’t a good sign.
My hope is that the failure of ‘KPOP’ doesn’t deter producers and theatre owners from taking chances on shows like these, especially ones that give so many opportunities to Asian theatrical professionals. There was a rumor that a proshot might be filmed before its closing, I can only hope that’s the case.