2,812 posts
|
Post by couldileaveyou on May 28, 2019 11:31:21 GMT
Not West End, but Amour is closing earlier than expected, so it flopped
|
|
|
Post by mrmushnik on May 28, 2019 21:57:41 GMT
Quite sad really to think the last West End "Flop" was The Girls - will never understand how it didn't catch on. It seems producers have been playing it a lot safer with musicals in recent years. Wasn’t Strictly Ballroom the last musical flop in the West End?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 28, 2019 22:40:26 GMT
When i was younger i would go and see every show that opened, hence me seeing so many 90's flops, but now i am far more picky about what i see and haven't seen The Girls or Strictly Ballroom. So despite me having more available money now, why am i seeing less??
|
|
|
Post by oxfordsimon on May 28, 2019 22:54:01 GMT
Part of the issue might be that reviews and comments about shows are far easier to access these days and so it is, perhaps, easier to find a reason not to give a new show a try than it was pre-twitter and social media.
Is social media doing more harm than good in terms of allowing new work the space to find an audience?
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 29, 2019 12:09:39 GMT
When i was younger, i would see everything and would sit in the cheap seats (£7.50 for Miss Saigon in its first week of previews!) because i had no money as a student, and i would enjoy pretty much everything.
Now i refuse to sit in the balcony, but only see certain things. Why waste good money on something i might not like....
I guess i do a bit more research about things now.
We didnt have the internet back then! lol
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on May 29, 2019 12:19:42 GMT
My post above reminded me of two of the very few shows i have left at the interval.
Hard Times - The Musical. Haymarket Theatre Set in a circus and starring Roy Hudd. I couldnt stand any part of it. I just didnt understand the circus theme...
Tess of Durbervilles. Savoy Theatre What a stinking, steaming pile of.... rubbish. No word of a lie, there couldn't have been more than 40 people in the stalls when i went, most on comps. it was just dirge. Nothing could have saved it. Didnt last a month.
|
|
4,799 posts
|
Post by The Matthew on May 29, 2019 12:34:42 GMT
My post above reminded me of two of the very few shows i have left at the interval. Hard Times - The Musical. Haymarket Theatre Set in a circus and starring Roy Hudd. I couldnt stand any part of it. I just didnt understand the circus theme... I mentioned this last year, but I loved Hard Times. I wish there'd been a recording of it. I almost invested in it. Glad I didn't. However... One of the most excruciatingly boring productions I ever saw. Behind The Iron Mask outdid it in that respect, but not by much.
|
|
42 posts
|
Post by graham on May 29, 2019 14:29:27 GMT
Behind The Iron Mask outdid it in that respect, but not by much. Too Close To The Sun (from the same stable) probably beats this! (Just)
|
|
4,799 posts
|
Post by The Matthew on May 29, 2019 15:57:54 GMT
Behind The Iron Mask outdid it in that respect, but not by much. Too Close To The Sun (from the same stable) probably beats this! (Just) I never saw Too Close To The Sun. I still haven't decided whether that's a positive or a negative.
|
|
6,337 posts
|
Post by danb on May 29, 2019 18:53:35 GMT
despite me having more available money now, why am i seeing less When you are young you had time but no money, now it is the other way around? I had time and a credit card. Now I have no time and debt...but I saw a lot of stuff.
|
|
528 posts
|
Post by drowseychap on Jun 1, 2019 0:45:59 GMT
My post above reminded me of two of the very few shows i have left at the interval. Hard Times - The Musical. Haymarket Theatre Set in a circus and starring Roy Hudd. I couldnt stand any part of it. I just didnt understand the circus theme... Tess of Durbervilles. Savoy Theatre What a stinking, steaming pile of.... rubbish. No word of a lie, there couldn't have been more than 40 people in the stalls when i went, most on comps. it was just dirge. Nothing could have saved it. Didnt last a month. Awwww hard times I’ve got the cd love it ... I saw it was very slow but stayed until the end glad I did Roy Hudd. Anne emery and of course Brian blessed. We’re all fabulous ... I agree notvthe best show in the world but had its moments
|
|
749 posts
|
Post by horton on Jun 1, 2019 4:03:10 GMT
I have that CD somewhere- but isn't it only 6 tracks or something?
I also have the not-as-bad-as-all-that Fields of Ambrosia and the truly awful Bernadette OLC recordings.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2019 10:54:08 GMT
I have that CD somewhere- but isn't it only 6 tracks or something? I also have the not-as-bad-as-all-that Fields of Ambrosia and the truly awful Bernadette OLC recordings. Some of The Fields of Ambrosia is ok, but Christine Andreas' vibrato goes right through me and its hard to listen to.
Bernadette OLC? you mean the Demo recording? Is there a secret OLC recording i don't know about?? I hope not, my friends dad produced Bernadette lol
The demo recording is all electric guitars and power ballads. Apart from Ruthie Henshall's number, Whats not to love??
|
|
749 posts
|
Post by horton on Jun 1, 2019 15:59:16 GMT
It's a very old case- hand-drawn logo. Meredith Braun is def on the recording. I'll dig it out- I don't think it's a demo.
|
|
133 posts
|
Post by japhun on Jun 1, 2019 16:26:19 GMT
Lend Me a Tenor the musical was a flop...but I enjoyed it and was sad it failed.
|
|
|
Post by d'James on Jun 1, 2019 16:33:46 GMT
Lend Me a Tenor the musical was a flop...but I enjoyed it and was sad it failed. Agreed. A great little show. My friend was put off by the name.
|
|
133 posts
|
Post by japhun on Jun 1, 2019 16:45:35 GMT
I know the St. James Theatre (The Other Palace) isn't West End, but can we talk about Exposure the musical?!
It was total rubbish from start to finish!
|
|
749 posts
|
Post by horton on Jun 1, 2019 17:37:12 GMT
I'm afraid I hated Lend Me a Tenor the musical: it ruined a very funny play. I truly pitied the talented cast.
|
|
|
Post by westendboy on Aug 24, 2019 11:55:29 GMT
I remember seeing 'I Can't Sing! The X-Factor Musical' a week before it closed and I honestly really liked it, and I'm someone who doesn't even like X-Factor!
|
|
225 posts
|
Post by ukpuppetboy on Aug 25, 2019 10:43:30 GMT
I’ve got to confess I loved quite a lot of Which Witch - mostly EVERYTHING Viviene Parry did, as well as Maria Kesselman’s operatic vocals over the rock score (I never did see Benedicte Adrienne live). Camp yes, but never dull. Leonardo, on the other hand had me pondering the lighting rig for two thirds of the show. Possible the most arduous two (plus change) hours I EVER spent in a theatre.
I’m also on board for the Robin Hood musical and Moby Dick at the Piccadilly. Singlehandedly tried to keep that theatre open in the early 2000s!
|
|
225 posts
|
Post by ukpuppetboy on Aug 25, 2019 11:01:06 GMT
I don’t know if it reached the West End but can anyone remember a musical version of Robin Hood? Bill Kenwright was involved and the cast were some of his version of Joseph. If it’s the one at the Piccadilly theatre in the era of Moby Dick then I saw this a few times. I remember it being a pretty cheap ticket and a lot of fun
|
|
225 posts
|
Post by ukpuppetboy on Aug 25, 2019 11:05:13 GMT
John Napier is an utter genius. I wish people could still afford his work and would beg him to design on the scale of TIME, LES MIS, CATS and STARLIGHT EXPRESS again for the West End (what a CV!)- though I know he still designs, nothing has matched the scale of those landmark shows. Only Lord of the Rings has come close to the spectacle of these shows. PS The TIME set was hugely reliable (unlike, say, Spiderman) and hardly ever malfunctioned. I don’t suppose anyone on the board went to John Napier’s exhibition in Eastbourne a few years ago? I just recently found out about it from his website but, yes such an amazing body of work - touched upon in this documentary from that event. Hope it has another life because he truly is a genius. And his work sorely missed these days. John Napier - Stages Exhibition
|
|
214 posts
|
Post by paulbrownsey on Aug 25, 2019 11:35:01 GMT
Hard Times - The Musical. Haymarket Theatre Set in a circus and starring Roy Hudd. I couldnt stand any part of it. I just didnt understand the circus theme... Presumably something to do with a contrast between Gradgrind's obsession with facts and nothing but facts and the life of the imagination and fancy.
|
|
|
Post by jennapatchell on Aug 25, 2019 11:41:37 GMT
I remember seeing 'I Can't Sing! The X-Factor Musical' a week before it closed and I honestly really liked it, and I'm someone who doesn't even like X-Factor! Same. Loved it !
|
|
7,509 posts
|
Post by alece10 on Aug 25, 2019 12:00:56 GMT
I remember seeing 'I Can't Sing! The X-Factor Musical' a week before it closed and I honestly really liked it, and I'm someone who doesn't even like X-Factor! Same. Loved it ! Me 2 and I'm not an X Factor fan. It was just plain bonkers and great fun plus it had Simon Lipkin and a puppet.
|
|
1,639 posts
|
Post by fiyero on Aug 26, 2019 12:37:22 GMT
Me 2 and I'm not an X Factor fan. It was just plain bonkers and great fun plus it had Simon Lipkin and a puppet. Me 3. It was fabulously crazy but was never going to sell in my opinion. Shame. I managed to see it twice in its short life (literally booking my second visit in the return home from my first)
|
|
243 posts
|
Post by musicallady on Aug 26, 2019 15:34:00 GMT
I’ve got to confess I loved quite a lot of Which Witch - mostly EVERYTHING Viviene Parry did, as well as Maria Kesselman’s operatic vocals over the rock score (I never did see Benedicte Adrienne live). Camp yes, but never dull. Leonardo, on the other hand had me pondering the lighting rig for two thirds of the show. Possible the most arduous two (plus change) hours I EVER spent in a theatre. I’m also on board for the Robin Hood musical and Moby Dick at the Piccadilly. Singlehandedly tried to keep that theatre open in the early 2000s! Maria Kesselman was the first Christine I saw in Phantom and nobody has come close to her in that role.
|
|
196 posts
|
Post by Peter on Aug 26, 2019 21:23:23 GMT
Anyone see Beautiful and Damned in 2004? It closed before I got a chance to go, but it seems a pro-shot copy of the complete show is on YouTube...
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2020 22:01:14 GMT
Dom mentioning Moby Dick sent me off an internet search for stuff about the show, see what was out there nowadays, any new footage etc, and i can't believe that it's on Spotify. I must be stupid. After all this time i have been getting out the physical CD and playing it, despite spotify being my main music platform. For some reason i assumed it was too obscure to be on there....I am officially stupid. Still love it. 'Obsession is not just a perfume!' I think that had the internet been around back then, it could have become a cult hit and lasted longer than the 3 months it did.
Teresa Kartell as Queequeg has such a distintive voice. I love it.
|
|
749 posts
|
Post by horton on Jan 21, 2020 16:03:58 GMT
'A Man Happens to a Woman' is an amazing song- and the score is constantly fun
|
|