Classic Rant #1,096 (December 4, 2013): Week of Woe Continues

My week of woe continues.

Yesterday, I told you about an exploding toilet, today I will tell you about something more of a disappointment than anything else.

My family and I had planned to go to see a Broadway show this holiday season, but our plans were thrown out the window.

During its original run on Broadway, we had wanted to see "The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream," which featured the reunion of the four original (Young) Rascals on stage, but we never had the money to do so.

When the show started to tour, and it came to Long Island at Jones Beach, money was still an issue, so we did not go.

Finally, we had the money, and we decided to go and see the show as it returned to Broadway during holiday time.

Well, evidently, that is not going to happen, because of the recent announcement that the latest run has been lock, stock and barrel canceled.

Evidently, musical director and creator Steve Van Zandt, yes, the same guy who was on "The Sopranos" and is in the E Street Band, has a busy schedule, and there were conflicts, so they decided to close the whole several week run down.

Baloney.

I would say that ticket sales were probably pretty bad, and that is the reason that they closed down. You don't just close a show down--especially during holiday season--because your musical director has too many fingers in various pots.

I heard from someone that ticket prices for this run were way above what they were during the original run, and it probably turned a lot of people off seeing the show again--which is the magic of the success of "The Jersey Boys," the Four Seasons show--or for the first time.

And to add insult to injury, I heard about the cancellation through Facebook.

Ticketmaster did not send out a cancellation notice themselves, which I thought it was incumbent for them to do if you order tickets through them and an event is canceled.

I called Ticketmaster, and they said we would get a full refund within a few days. I did not question them about why they did not send out a notice.

My family is disappointed. I saw the Rascals in concert about 25 years ago, during another reunion, and they were quite good. I even interviewed them, had dinner with them in some East Village Chinese restaurant, and they are nice guys.

But I guess the money wasn't there, so they aren't going to be, either.

Anyway, at least I can live with my memories of the band. My son was just getting into their music, and now we have nothing, less our refund.

But again, I do have my memories, and they are contained on the many Rascals records that I own.

Yes, I am bummed out, and I don't expect the show to return to Broadway any time soon.

So I will just have to spin those records, and think of what could have been ...

And also think about what will befall me next in this week of woe.