Jeffrey Richards, the lead producer of “China Doll,” starring Al Pacino, recently announced that the Broadway production of the new David Mamet drama had recouped its $3.7 million investment, even though it opened to dismal reviews, which would have consigned most other plays to the flop column.What powered the box-office, of course, was Pacino, who at the age of 75 took on the marathon role of Mickey Ross, an arrogant billionaire whose fortunes take a downward spiral in the course of the two-character drama. Christopher Denham was featured as Ross’s long-suffering but canny assistant, who knows when it’s time to bail out of a sticky situation.The production began previews on October 21 and delayed the opening of its limited run because the star had problems mastering the complicated text, much of it a virtual monologue. The press had a field day reporting on walkouts by mystified audience members and the numerous prompting aids to help Pacino, who was bedeviled by the voluminous memorization.Nonetheless, the actor’s fans flocked to the show during previews and even after the damning reviews dampened business at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, especially during the traditional post-holiday lull. More remarkably, the show has been able to move into the black despite the fact that Pacino played only six or seven performances a week instead of the usual eight.“David continued to work on the play, changed the ending, and Al became much stronger,” observed Richards, who noted that after the rocky start, all concerned were “very happy” with the changes. Indeed, he suggested that Pacino might be induced to tour with the play in selected markets after the run ends on January 31. Richards also said that the play had generated enormous interest in the regional and international markets.The success of “China Doll” points to the continuing strength of Mamet, at least commercially if not critically. He is one of the few, if only, contemporary playwrights who has had ten Broadway productions — original as well revival — in as many years. That is thanks to a large extent to the commitment of Richards, who has produced eight of those plays, scoring hits with six of them: two revivals of “Glengarry Glen Ross,” a revival of “Speed-the-Plow,” and the original productions of “Race,” “November,” and now “China Doll.” Only his productions of Mamet’s “A Life in the Theatre” and “The Anarchist” (which featured Debra Winger’s Broadway debut) failed to recoup. (The two other Mamet plays which did not involve Richards were revivals of “Oleanna” and “American Buffalo,” neither of which recouped.)Since only 20 to 25% of all Broadway productions show a profit, Richards’s track record vis-à-vis Mamet of 75% success is nearly unprecedented. (Richards noted that Neil Simon might have been equally prolific and commercial in the same time span on Broadway.) Moreover, Mamet himself is batting .600 on his last ten Broadway productions. So there’s little wonder that the producer’s loyalty to Mamet, one of America’s most controversial writers, is well placed. When asked if he had more Mamet plays in the hopper, Richards responded, “I hope to continue to produce David’s work soon and often. I love his plays. He never repeats himself. He’s one of our greatest playwrights.”
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