2,452 posts
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Post by theatremadness on Aug 25, 2016 22:57:48 GMT
Are we also slightly overestimating the power of Gary Barlow as the composer regarding tickets at the box office? I mean, the musical Never Forget was the most obvious Gary Barlow musical project and (correct me if I am wrong) it only ran for 6 months in London. So unless it was always meant to be a limited run, it really didn't do that well. I don't think Gary Barlow actually had any involvement with Never Forget (other than writing the music and lyrics for the Take That songs used!), hence why he is now creating his own one - Let It Shine. In fact, from Wikipedia: "In April 2006, EMI licensed the Take That songs to be used in Never Forget. At the time, Take That had not performed together since the 1990s. Soon thereafter, however, the band re-formed. In 2007, Take That posted the following statement on their website: "The band would like to state categorically that this production is being undertaken with neither their involvement nor their endorsement. They would wish their fans and the general public to know that this production is absolutely and 100 per cent nothing to do with Take That." As for how The Girls does, who knows. Out of the two, I'd be much more inclined to see Finding Neverland - I really, really love the OBCR (minus Matthew Morrison's horrendous Scottish accent!). Elaine Paige has played Yorkshire from The Girls a couple of times on EPOS. All it keeps reminding me of is Mr Blue Sky by ELO. Nice enough song, but doesn't get me rushing to see it. Then again, I don't particularly think I'm the main demographic the show aims at. And I've not seen the film or play of The Calendar Girls, either!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2016 23:01:37 GMT
Are we also slightly overestimating the power of Gary Barlow as the composer regarding tickets at the box office? I mean, the musical Never Forget was the most obvious Gary Barlow musical project and (correct me if I am wrong) it only ran for 6 months in London. So unless it was always meant to be a limited run, it really didn't do that well. I think you're probably right. It's not like Sting managed to sell The Last Ship or Steve Martin managed to sell Bright Star. I would guess then that these two shows aren't going to be long runners at all. I know some people here are fans of Finding Neverland but it was received disastrously on Broadway, with the worst reviews of that season and not even a single Tony nomination. Similarly, The Girls seems to have had a rather lukewarm reception from the theatre fans that saw it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2016 23:02:30 GMT
Are we also slightly overestimating the power of Gary Barlow as the composer regarding tickets at the box office? I mean, the musical Never Forget was the most obvious Gary Barlow musical project and (correct me if I am wrong) it only ran for 6 months in London. So unless it was always meant to be a limited run, it really didn't do that well. I don't think Gary Barlow actually had any involvement with Never Forget (other than writing the music and lyrics for the Take That songs used!), hence why he is now creating his own one - Let It Shine. In fact, from Wikipedia: "In April 2006, EMI licensed the Take That songs to be used in Never Forget. At the time, Take That had not performed together since the 1990s. Soon thereafter, however, the band re-formed. In 2007, Take That posted the following statement on their website: "The band would like to state categorically that this production is being undertaken with neither their involvement nor their endorsement. They would wish their fans and the general public to know that this production is absolutely and 100 per cent nothing to do with Take That." As for how The Girls does, who knows. Out of the two, I'd be much more inclined to see Finding Neverland - I really, really love the OBCR (minus Matthew Morrison's horrendous Scottish accent!). Elaine Paige has played Yorkshire from The Girls a couple of times on EPOS. All it keeps reminding me of is Mr Blue Sky by ELO. Nice enough song, but doesn't get me rushing to see it. Then again, I don't particularly think I'm the main demographic the show aims at. And I've not seen the film or play of The Calendar Girls, either! I know he didn't have direct connections to Never Forget, I was referring to the name and brand of Gary Barlow as an individual when it comes to Box Office and getting people in the seats rather than his direct links to the shows.
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2,452 posts
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Post by theatremadness on Aug 25, 2016 23:09:00 GMT
I don't think Gary Barlow actually had any involvement with Never Forget (other than writing the music and lyrics for the Take That songs used!), hence why he is now creating his own one - Let It Shine. In fact, from Wikipedia: "In April 2006, EMI licensed the Take That songs to be used in Never Forget. At the time, Take That had not performed together since the 1990s. Soon thereafter, however, the band re-formed. In 2007, Take That posted the following statement on their website: "The band would like to state categorically that this production is being undertaken with neither their involvement nor their endorsement. They would wish their fans and the general public to know that this production is absolutely and 100 per cent nothing to do with Take That." As for how The Girls does, who knows. Out of the two, I'd be much more inclined to see Finding Neverland - I really, really love the OBCR (minus Matthew Morrison's horrendous Scottish accent!). Elaine Paige has played Yorkshire from The Girls a couple of times on EPOS. All it keeps reminding me of is Mr Blue Sky by ELO. Nice enough song, but doesn't get me rushing to see it. Then again, I don't particularly think I'm the main demographic the show aims at. And I've not seen the film or play of The Calendar Girls, either! I know he didn't have direct connections to Never Forget, I was referring to the name and brand of Gary Barlow as an individual when it comes to Box Office and getting people in the seats rather than his direct links to the shows. Gotcha! Hypothetical late-night ramblings from me: Could have possibly been the fact that Take That themselves released that statement saying they were't involved with or endorsing the show that could have stopped business from Take That fans, as it received generally favourable reviews yet the box office just dried up. If (completely hypothetically) he/they have that much influence on putting fans off seeing a show, the effect may be reversed if he is directly involved and endorsing it!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2016 23:21:49 GMT
I know he didn't have direct connections to Never Forget, I was referring to the name and brand of Gary Barlow as an individual when it comes to Box Office and getting people in the seats rather than his direct links to the shows. Gotcha! Hypothetical late-night ramblings from me: Could have possibly been the fact that Take That themselves released that statement saying they were't involved with or endorsing the show that could have stopped business from Take That fans, as it received generally favourable reviews yet the box office just dried up. If (completely hypothetically) he/they have that much influence on putting fans off seeing a show, the effect may be reversed if he is directly involved and endorsing it! Well that probably didn't help haha. I think it will just be a case of seeing where it goes. If both Finding Neverland and The Girls are around at the same time, it will be interesting to see which he puts more attention on, that's for sure!
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3,475 posts
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Post by showgirl on Aug 26, 2016 3:48:36 GMT
I think the success of this show will depend almost solely on how much appeal Barlow's name has in the UK. Same with Finding Neverland. That may be true for the majority which counts, but being older I don't know his work; I just like the sound of what I've heard re the regional production and would go on that basis.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 6:28:32 GMT
I don't think Gary Barlow actually had any involvement with Never Forget (other than writing the music and lyrics for the Take That songs used!), hence why he is now creating his own one - Let It Shine. In fact, from Wikipedia: "In April 2006, EMI licensed the Take That songs to be used in Never Forget. At the time, Take That had not performed together since the 1990s. Soon thereafter, however, the band re-formed. In 2007, Take That posted the following statement on their website: "The band would like to state categorically that this production is being undertaken with neither their involvement nor their endorsement. They would wish their fans and the general public to know that this production is absolutely and 100 per cent nothing to do with Take That." As for how The Girls does, who knows. Out of the two, I'd be much more inclined to see Finding Neverland - I really, really love the OBCR (minus Matthew Morrison's horrendous Scottish accent!). Elaine Paige has played Yorkshire from The Girls a couple of times on EPOS. All it keeps reminding me of is Mr Blue Sky by ELO. Nice enough song, but doesn't get me rushing to see it. Then again, I don't particularly think I'm the main demographic the show aims at. And I've not seen the film or play of The Calendar Girls, either! I know he didn't have direct connections to Never Forget, I was referring to the name and brand of Gary Barlow as an individual when it comes to Box Office and getting people in the seats rather than his direct links to the shows. Had Gary been a judge on the X-Factor or whatever it was by that point though? Because I think that kind of relaunched his career.
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18,811 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Aug 26, 2016 6:50:25 GMT
As for how The Girls does, who knows. Out of the two, I'd be much more inclined to see Finding Neverland - I really, really love the OBCR (minus Matthew Morrison's horrendous Scottish accent!). Elaine Paige has played Yorkshire from The Girls a couple of times on EPOS. All it keeps reminding me of is Mr Blue Sky by ELO. Nice enough song, but doesn't get me rushing to see it. Then again, I don't particularly think I'm the main demographic the show aims at. And I've not seen the film or play of The Calendar Girls, either! Oh God, you're bringing it all back. The "Yorkshire" accents. Let's all stride about doing bad accents then get our knockers out. The audience will go mad for it. Ugh.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 6:52:27 GMT
If we have already had one take that musical that did not work do we really need another? Juke box musicals are getting a bit old and tired now we need new fresh shows ( possibly like the girls) . If Gary Barlow insists on writing musicals , then he should stick to new things.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 8:15:23 GMT
To be fair, I'd argue film adaptations are getting even more old and tired and common than jukebox musicals as of late. How about something completely original?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 8:21:55 GMT
To be fair, I'd argue film adaptations are getting even more old and tired and common than jukebox musicals as of late. How about something completely original? True. I can't remember the last big British musical that wasn't an adaptation of a film or novel.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 8:47:22 GMT
Gotcha! Hypothetical late-night ramblings from me: Could have possibly been the fact that Take That themselves released that statement saying they were't involved with or endorsing the show that could have stopped business from Take That fans, as it received generally favourable reviews yet the box office just dried up. If (completely hypothetically) he/they have that much influence on putting fans off seeing a show, the effect may be reversed if he is directly involved and endorsing it! Well that probably didn't help haha. I think it will just be a case of seeing where it goes. If both Finding Neverland and The Girls are around at the same time, it will be interesting to see which he puts more attention on, that's for sure! I'm sure he's already said which show he is more fond of….and it isn't Finding Neverland!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 11:07:36 GMT
I can't remember the last big British musical that wasn't an adaptation of a film or novel. Everything has to have a basis somewhere, I guess. As all the "period" novels are used up, and people forget the titles, films have to be next, maybe. The basis could be the writers' own imagination!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 11:15:32 GMT
Do you think that they will cast Musical Theatre names over celebrities?
I must admit I did like the look of the casts for the play version - they had some good names in there.
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4,369 posts
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Post by Michael on Aug 26, 2016 11:21:17 GMT
Do you think that they will cast Musical Theatre names over celebrities?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 11:24:02 GMT
I was asking for people's opinions.... Actually....
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 11:34:49 GMT
Do you think that they will cast Musical Theatre names over celebrities? I must admit I did like the look of the casts for the play version - they had some good names in there. I think they'll go for a mix. Celebs to bring in the bums on seats and MT names to be able to sing it properly. I don't think the show (especially the title) or Gary Barlow (as a musicals composer) are enough to sell it on it's own.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 11:50:01 GMT
I hope the casting is good, as it will otherwise be a show that keeps going down my list as more exciting projects are coming up unfortunately.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 11:50:15 GMT
I feel like the show can sell itself, if we're not all SICK TO THE BACK TEETH of Calendar Girls by now (though it's interesting that they're distancing it by calling it The Girls rather than picking up the established audience with a title like Calendar Girls The New Musical), and it calls for a less cookie-cutter selection of body types, so... hell, could go either way. Bet you 50p there's at least one Loose Woman in the cast.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 12:06:11 GMT
I feel like the show can sell itself, if we're not all SICK TO THE BACK TEETH of Calendar Girls by now (though it's interesting that they're distancing it by calling it The Girls rather than picking up the established audience with a title like Calendar Girls The New Musical), and it calls for a less cookie-cutter selection of body types, so... hell, could go either way. Bet you 50p there's at least one Loose Woman in the cast.Well one of them is primed and ready . . .
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2016 12:16:36 GMT
Yeah I do think the show could sell itself to be honest and Barlow will help.
I think they'd either go for a mix or just MT actors. When they did the play it was ALL celebrities but now it's a musical maybe they want the people best for the part who can sing it? Mind you, I've seen celebrities in shows who can sing very well so I'm 100% supportive for celebrities in any shows but I like the mix too.
They could get a great group of MT women in this show though. They've done the photo shoots by the looks of it so looks like all is cast
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1,718 posts
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Post by stevejohnson678 on Aug 26, 2016 13:51:32 GMT
I've seen celebrities in shows who can sing very well so I'm 100% supportive for celebrities in any shows. Surely it depends on the individual and the role whether it's good casting or not? Just because one celebrity does a great job doesn't mean the next will do the same. I mean, have you seen Michael Greco in Exposure?
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647 posts
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Post by ptwest on Aug 26, 2016 19:46:09 GMT
If the celebrity is up to the job then fine. Have seen many examples of those that are and those that shouldn't have been within a million miles of the stage...
I didn't see this in Leeds when it was there but I was impressed with the cast they assembled for it. Loads of my work colleagues went and unanimously raved about it - all would fall into the category of middle aged and female, not making any comment about this other than the show clearly struck a chord with them.
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18,811 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Aug 26, 2016 20:24:52 GMT
I didn't see this in Leeds when it was there but I was impressed with the cast they assembled for it. Loads of my work colleagues went and unanimously raved about it - all would fall into the category of middle aged and female, not making any comment about this other than the show clearly struck a chord with them. When I saw it at the Lowry there were lots of women wearing t-shirts declairing which branch of the WI they were in. It was like a huge hen party for women embarking on third marriages. Overall the majority of the audience were women, middle aged and upwards. I do get how this story chimes with a certain group of people. I just don't think making it into a musical added anything. The film was fine, didn't see the play because I was completely put off by the cast, and the musical is just the final sweepings up of the idea. It felt like the barrel being scraped in the most cynical of ways. I think Gary Barlow is quite good at pop songs.
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647 posts
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Post by ptwest on Aug 26, 2016 20:38:07 GMT
That is exactly why I didn't end up going. I was tempted by some of the names in the cast, but I figured that a) I was not one of its target audience and b) (more importantly) the story has been done to death and it no longer interested me.
Maybe after this it will be "Calendar Girls - On Ice"
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4,369 posts
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Post by Michael on Aug 26, 2016 21:06:01 GMT
I think Gary Barlow is quite good at pop songs. So hell can freeze over? Whoa.
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18,811 posts
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Aug 26, 2016 21:24:39 GMT
I think Gary Barlow is quite good at pop songs. So hell can freeze over? Whoa. Well, be fair to the fella. He's written some good pop. Im not sure this qualifies him for musicals though. I don't know Finding Neverland so can't comment on that. The problem with Gary is that he always seems a turn on a sixpence away from being back to his roots in a working men's club with a bontempi organ. He refers to bands as "four piece" and "three piece". He's just a bit naff.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2016 10:33:24 GMT
I think I said it before but Carley Stenson could be a good choice? Someone said she'd be too young but they had people like Kelly Brook and Gemma Atkinson in the play and they're the same as Carley? I would like to see her do another musical since she hasn't done one since DRS
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2016 10:40:06 GMT
But why would she be a good choice for this show specifically? Is it more that you'd just quite like to watch her in something?
As I've said before, from seeing the show in Leeds I really don't see a place for Carly in this show, except maybe as one of the lesser known ladies who is brought in to fill out calendar pages as they realise they don't have twelve yet. Who knows though. Perhaps they've completely rewritten the show beyond recognition?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2016 10:49:50 GMT
But why would she be a good choice for this show specifically? Is it more that you'd just quite like to watch her in something? As I've said before, from seeing the show in Leeds I really don't see a place for Carly in this show, except maybe as one of the lesser known ladies who is brought in to fill out calendar pages as they realise they don't have twelve yet. Who knows though. Perhaps they've completely rewritten the show beyond recognition? I dont know but I think she has good comic timing (she was very funny in DRS) which is needed for this show and also because she has a good voice. I agree with you on the fact she is quite young but then again in the play they had Kelly Brook as Cora and also Gemma Atkinson and they're around similar ages to Carley. I'm not sure if they are sticking by that though, they might just be trying to get middle aged women instead for all the roles of "the girls"?
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