Hot, cold & warm

The season’s notable musical flop proved to be Almost Famous, which after a starburst of publicity and anticipation nevertheless closed on January 8 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, after barely a hundred performances including previews. A massive $18 million investment went the way of Keith Moon and Janis Joplin, and even though the production was grossing three-quarters of a million dollars a week (much more than the sleek and lean Chicago, which continues everlastingly), it wasn’t even typically covering its running costs, according to industry reports. Thanks to a huge cast, intricately complex sets amid which dozens of bodies frantically compete to entertain (one critic compared the spectacle to an “ant farm”), and the high cost of licensing rock classics such as “Tiny Dancer” and...