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Post by jamb0r on Mar 24, 2018 11:15:27 GMT
Well I'm going for the first time this year, and your post has made me even more excited. Wasn't really sure what to expect but it sounds like a lot of fun! 😀
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 24, 2018 9:11:18 GMT
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 23, 2018 11:37:03 GMT
Just received my ticket for the ceremony in the post, and notice it says black tie dress code. Does anyone who has been before know how strictly they enforce this dress code? I'm surprised there's a dress code even for the commoners up in the circle!
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 22, 2018 13:02:30 GMT
It's not that it's impossible, it's that they have not given permission. It's literally just a matter of consent at this point - Grinning Man say it's fine, so do it. Ruthless do not, so don't. It doesn't really matter what their reasoning is, or if you think the Ruthless producers/Arts Theatre are doing themselves out of an absolute ton of publicity, it's simply the polite thing to do to adhere to what the individual shows/theatres have asked you to do or not do. I know that "because I said so" is an infuriating response to receive to a "why" question, but sometimes that's all there is to it. OK yeah I know the response at this moment is 'because I said so', was just trying to find out if there was a valid reason this the the answer, and it looks like there isn't one that I can see. So I've got my answer, I just think it's an absolutely crazy one that makes no sense to me 😀 Sorry for diverting the conversation, though it was somewhat relevant.
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 22, 2018 12:52:20 GMT
It still makes absolutely no sense to me, when this show is obviously struggling they are limiting the free marketing they can get. If poor quality images was that much of an issue, why would Hamilton actively encourage it? Hamilton's whole brand is centred around absolute excellence and the pinnacle of theatre, yet they allow photos from the public which they haven't vetted. Whenever someone's posted a photo of the Grinning Man set (which is encouraged by the producers) on the theatre Facebook groups I am a member of the reactions are always positive and you can see comments from people saying how it looks interesting and they might consider going. Surely the positive reactions would significantly outweigh the negative. Your idea of "free marketing" is a bit different from how others see it, I guess. While working in theatre comms I noticed, that people who are so sure that things they are posting on social media are definitely "free marketing" and "helping the show" - these very people are often the those who are not doing the show any justice by what they are posting. just saying. (I won't even going into the details of difference of what is allowed to post from Hamilton/Grinning Man etc... I guess my idea of free marketing just comes from personal anecdotal experience. I remember seeing a photo posted by a friend of the Jesus Christ Superstar stage last year and booking a ticket off the back of it. And recently booking to see Witness for the Prosecution based on a photo from a friend of the inside of that beautiful chamber (the taking of photos again is encouraged here). I must have also seen at least 20 photos of the stage of Grinning Man on a theatre Facebook group, accompanied by hundreds of likes, comments saying how good the stage looked and how much they enjoyed the show or were now considering booking. I don't remember any of those photos being of poor quality or having anything negative associated with them. And even if 1 or 2 of them were of bad quality, the other 18 will reach thousands of potential ticket buyers that wouldn't otherwise have been exposed to this show, or even stopped to read the accompanying post if it didn't have a picture attached to it. I guess context also comes into play here - this show is struggling to sell tickets - they need to do something to get the word out there, and it just seems to me that this is such an easy way of doing it. It's a well designed stage! Show it off to as many people as possible! That one Ticketmaster photo isn't going to go very far - I haven't seen it come up on my Facebook yet and Im a member of every theatre group and page going! I'm not trying to have an argument or anything and am genuinely trying to learn if there is a valid reason I am missing as to why producers wouldn't want pictures of the stage shared on social media 😀 I hadn't considered a possible exclusivity deal with Ticketmaster - so I've learnt about that, but still can't see how this would be beneficial to the production at all (unless Ticketmaster paid them a hefty sum) Could you please share what the difference between this and Grinning Man would be? They are both similar size shows - at Grinning Man there was an announcement when I went that specifically asked people to take photos of the set and share them on social media. I am not sure why it would be impossible for Ruthless to do similar? Thank you 😀
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 22, 2018 9:52:27 GMT
Anyway, my point is - what is the difference between Ticketmaster sharing the image and someone from the general public sharing pretty much the exact same image? Someone from the general public could share the Ticketmaster image if they wanted, so posting their own one isn't any different, and the only thing that could possibly happen is it could be free (much needed) marketing for the show. As I said, obviously the producers can have any rules they want with regards to their own property - it just seems like it doesn't make any logical sense. If they were really that bothered about protecting their copyright they wouldn’t have allowed the image to be put on social media at all. The difference is huge. The company has full rights to approve the quality and quantity of the images. As an ex-comms theatre person I really hated blurry images taken by the members of public that were not doing our show any justice and could only make people NOT want to see the show, not the other way round. So yes, I would like social media only to use the photos I carefully chose for that purpose. It still makes absolutely no sense to me, when this show is obviously struggling they are limiting the free marketing they can get. If poor quality images was that much of an issue, why would Hamilton actively encourage it? Hamilton's whole brand is centred around absolute excellence and the pinnacle of theatre, yet they allow photos from the public which they haven't vetted. Whenever someone's posted a photo of the Grinning Man set (which is encouraged by the producers) on the theatre Facebook groups I am a member of the reactions are always positive and you can see comments from people saying how it looks interesting and they might consider going. Surely the positive reactions would significantly outweigh the negative.
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 22, 2018 9:37:54 GMT
That could be it - but if that's the case I would hope that Ticketmaster paid a significant amount for exclusivity, as by not allowing the public to do free marketing for them they are significantly reducing their reach. And even if the public did take photos and post them (which is still happening anyway) Ticketmaster or the show would have no way of knowing they are out there, and the show is getting free marketing - why would any producer want to stop that from happening?
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 22, 2018 9:17:00 GMT
If a company posts something on social media, they definitely have an expectation that it will be shared and copied around - that is the whole point of companies putting things on social media in the first place, so they get shared to various places and get them seen, this is how things go 'viral'. I can go on that image on on the Ticketmaster Instagram page right now and share it wherever I want (there's a 'share to Facebook' and 'copy link' button on the image for example - see screenshot) and not be breaking any copyright rules. If they didn't want it shared they wouldn't put it on social media - the reason they've put it on social media is so that it CAN be shared. Photos on social media and normal websites aren’t treated the same. Anyway, my point is - what is the difference between Ticketmaster sharing the image and someone from the general public sharing pretty much the exact same image? Someone from the general public could share the Ticketmaster image if they wanted, so posting their own one isn't any different, and the only thing that could possibly happen is it could be free (much needed) marketing for the show. As I said, obviously the producers can have any rules they want with regards to their own property - it just seems like it doesn't make any logical sense. If they were really that bothered about protecting their copyright they wouldn’t have allowed the image to be put on social media at all.
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 20, 2018 22:01:47 GMT
Oh I completely understand that - the owner of the artwork should be free to govern how it is shared (if at all). It just seems weird for this production it seems like they are VERY serious about protecting their intellectual property, however that image from Ticketmaster is now in the public domain and can be shared and copied freely. If someone was going to ‘steal’ their idea and copy the stage design, they can use that photo to do it.
It seems to me that now the only thing that could possibly happen by allowing audience members to take their own photo (which lets face it will all be pretty much identical to the one shared by Ticketmaster) and share them on social media is that it might actually entice others to buy a ticket if they see the photo on their social media timelines and like the look of it. And from looking at the poor ticket sales for this, they could use all the publicity they can get, and that would be free marketing.
In my opinion Hamilton and Grinning Man have the right idea - encourage the sharing of photos before the show starts to drum up interest. But then again I haven’t spent many hours and a lot of money designing a set, so it should definitely be down to the individual productions to decide what to do.
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 20, 2018 17:17:38 GMT
I find it weird that the ushers were constantly screaming (and I mean screaming - I’ve never seen enforcement like it before) at people taking photos of the stage when I saw it, yet they’ve allowed Ticketmaster to post a photo of the stage on Instagram
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 19, 2018 10:03:43 GMT
The most recent 'Hamildrop' has been released and it is STUNNING. A mashup of The Story of Tonight (Hamilton) and You Will Be Found (Dear Evan Hansen) sung by Lin & Ben Platt. Can be found on most music services here
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 19, 2018 9:55:03 GMT
I booked about 6 tickets for the first performance for me and some friends during members booking before the ticket limit notice was on the site. YV haven’t contacted me to say I can’t have all those tickets and the bookings are all on my account so I’m hoping it’s ok? I’m too scared to ask in case they take some of my tickets back and I have to disappoint my friends! I have a similar quandary in that I bought 2 tickets through TodayTix before they went on sale and I don’t think the limit was even mentioned then and so I bought 2 Lucky Dips when public booking opened. They can try and take two away from me but I will FIGHT THEM IF THEY TRY I was in the same quandary and emailed them about this. I already have 2 tickets booked through todaytix, and the response they gave me was: "Thank you for getting in touch. Yes you will be able to purchase 2 extra tickets through our website if you so wish"
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 19, 2018 8:05:47 GMT
I sat in the middle of the front row of the stalls. Yes the stage is high, but I wouldn’t say the view was restricted - I could still see everything just fine (apart from the lighting on the floor). I think it was well worth the £20 I paid in the Friday rush (the whole front row was reserved for Friday rush when I got my ticket).
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 18, 2018 22:12:01 GMT
I wish they had used a real lantern though Not one with an electric light and a balloon inside it You mean a real PAPER lantern with a FLAME in it? Sent floating up into the lighting rig? It really isn't difficult to see why they couldn't do that.
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 18, 2018 22:09:46 GMT
I saw this on Saturday night and thought overall it was just a bit 'meh'. I was expecting a real laugh out loud show, but I could probably count the number of times I laughed on 2 hands. The cast are all good - Jason Gardiner plays the part well (completely over the top, which is what the role needed), and his voice surprised me. Tracie Bennett was the standout , but she only really has 1 song (that I can remember) and isn't on stage for very long at all, which was a real shame. I'm not sure which of the kids was on on Saturday, but she was great.
For me I'd say this is a 4 star production of a 2 star show.
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 13, 2018 22:24:19 GMT
Well I really enjoyed this tonight! Took around 20 minutes to draw me in, but then I was hooked right through to the end. Excellent cast (especially the 2 sisters) and I thought the staging and use of video was really effective. There was a partial standing ovation at the end, and the audience seemed to love it based on comments I heard on my way out.
They were filming audience reactions tonight in the interval at the end too, I presume for social media promotion.
The stage for this is pretty high, so those in the front row ‘rush’ seats might get a sore neck, but you don’t miss a thing.
To answer an earlier question - British accents throughout
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 12, 2018 12:32:27 GMT
I got a front row centre ticket for tomorrow in the Friday rush. Not really seen any comments from the first preview yet, but the concept sounds really interesting! (There is already a thread for this)
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Post by jamb0r on Mar 8, 2018 10:01:39 GMT
Well thank you for the tip off about the £10 previews! I'm not sure if it's dynamic pricing at work, but there were £10 tickets available throughout the stalls for this evening, not just the rear. Picked up row E (which it says should usually be £39.50) for tonight for £10.
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Post by jamb0r on Feb 28, 2018 20:53:33 GMT
I echo the above - absolutely LOVED this on Broadway. And for once the thought of re-staging doesn't fill me with dread - all you need is a few chairs and an outstanding cast, the story and music is what makes this show.
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Post by jamb0r on Feb 28, 2018 20:48:46 GMT
A few days ago I picked up a returned front row centre ticket for next week for £37.50, so I presumed that any front row tickets that get returned would stay at the old price, but looks like they are charging the new (£75) price for some front row tickets but not for others in this booking period? The exact same seat I just booked for £37.50 next week is £75 tomorrow
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Post by jamb0r on Feb 28, 2018 16:35:40 GMT
From the show's Wikipedia page: {Spoiler - click to view} Some newer productions of Pippin, including the 2013 Broadway revival, have featured an extension to the original ending. The "Theo ending" was originally conceived in 1998 by Mitch Sebastian. After the troupe shuns Pippin for not performing the grand finale, and he avers his contentment with a simple life with Catherine, Theo remains alone onstage, and sings a verse of "Corner of the Sky," after which the Leading Player and the troupe return, backed by the "Magic to Do" melody, implying that the existential crisis at the heart of the play is part of a cycle and will now continue, but with Theo as the troupe's replacement for Pippin. Really? I didnt get that from it at all. There was 1 line that kind of made it all make sense to me where the Leading Player says {Spoiler - click to view} "We're in your brain" made it feel like all the players represent those feelings you have in your head telling you you need to lead an extraordinary life, constantly nagging at you and pushing you to do things you don't necessarily want to do, just because you feel like you should. Pippin then comes to the realisation at the end that he is much happier with his more boring life with Catherine. The final scene with Theo (who is a kid) starts the whole process over again, with the players surrounding him and representing those feelings you get for wanting to lead an extraordinary life and have purpose.
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Post by jamb0r on Feb 28, 2018 15:13:56 GMT
So to all those that followed the plot, what was Theo meant to be doing on the stage at the very end? What was the point of the little bit of business?? From the show's Wikipedia page: {Spoiler - click to view} Some newer productions of Pippin, including the 2013 Broadway revival, have featured an extension to the original ending. The "Theo ending" was originally conceived in 1998 by Mitch Sebastian. After the troupe shuns Pippin for not performing the grand finale, and he avers his contentment with a simple life with Catherine, Theo remains alone onstage, and sings a verse of "Corner of the Sky," after which the Leading Player and the troupe return, backed by the "Magic to Do" melody, implying that the existential crisis at the heart of the play is part of a cycle and will now continue, but with Theo as the troupe's replacement for Pippin.
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Post by jamb0r on Feb 28, 2018 15:10:18 GMT
Also why was Pippin's costume from Topman but everyone else's wasn't?? This bugged me too - I hated his costume. In the trailer that's been released on Facebook today it looks like he's wearing a top made out of chain mail - maybe it was too noisy and they had to swap it for something that looked a bit similar?
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Post by jamb0r on Feb 27, 2018 22:48:18 GMT
I was also there tonight and really enjoyed it. Thought the performances were good on the whole, loved the staging and design and thought it was pretty easy to follow what was going on. Was much funnier than I was expecting too! Definitely feel like I got my £14 worth
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Post by jamb0r on Feb 23, 2018 11:56:44 GMT
Surely they’ll be able to find something sooner than that! Is anything going in the Piccadilly after Strictly Ballroom? I’m sure that would be a good size theatre for it?
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Post by jamb0r on Feb 23, 2018 11:53:42 GMT
There is already a thread for this (which you started in December) in the international section.
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Post by jamb0r on Feb 16, 2018 14:42:52 GMT
Just picked up an unsold dayseat for this on the website, front row centre for £15. If anyone's looking for a cheap ticket and doesn't fancy braving the cold looks like they were released online at 2:30pm today (I've been refreshing the page most of the day).
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Post by jamb0r on Feb 2, 2018 10:24:05 GMT
Well, today is Groundhog Day - I was secretly hoping I'd wake up to a post from Baz with an announcement of a London production, but my hopes were dashed ☹️ 6 more weeks of winter it is.
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Post by jamb0r on Jan 29, 2018 14:16:25 GMT
Not sure if anyone's already posted about this and I missed it, but it looks like they've also released tickets for 6th, 13th & 20th March today, each of those dates is showing pretty much full availability. Wonder why those dates weren't on sale previously?
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Post by jamb0r on Jan 29, 2018 12:37:52 GMT
Got my confirmation through at 12:07, centre aisle seats in the grand circle (marked as green by the Monkey!) . Was hoping to get a very front row stalls ticket for £37.50 too, but they are now £75!
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