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Post by viserys on May 17, 2024 4:38:37 GMT
Even if 80% don't recoup on Broadway, many will recoup later on the road and through international productions or with the rights being sold endlessly to amdram and school productions. It's not THAT dire.
And while this season is unusually crammed due to the Covid backlog, at least Broadway is getting all these new big shows (and many of them do well; some even without a single Tony nod, like Great Gatsby) thanks to theatre availability and the higher churn rate.
London seems to be incredible stale with far too many long-runners clogging up too many theatres. If something new comes, it's usually safe bets like MJ - the Musical. New stuff is small and cheap, like Mincemeat and Two Strangers. If it was that much easier to recoup in London, why aren't there more new big shows?
And why is everyone so shocked that Cabaret has had a luke-warm reception in New York? The last revival is only ten years ago, no one has been waiting for another one. And I personally didn't like this new revival all that much in London, so I'm actually relieved about the reception in New York, confirming that I wasn't alone in my feelings. I have absolutely no idea why this keeps doing well in London and a lot of that certainly rests on the churn rate of stars in the leads who all bring their fans in - in that it's very similar to Little Shop of Horrors off-Broadway.
And it's not like London doesn't close mega flops earlier than planned - Opening Night being the latest example; last year it was Aspects of Love. The producers of Standing at the Sky's Edge had probably also anticipated a longer run at the Gillian Lynne after the hype from Sheffield and at the National Theatre. If there were more new shows opening, we'd also have more premature closings I'm sure. But when you open for a limited run anyway, it's easier to drag that along to the planned closing date.
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Post by viserys on May 13, 2024 13:08:18 GMT
I would like for someone to buy me something if it's available and not too expensive. I could paypal the money on the spot while you're there, so you can be sure you will be reimbursed. If you're sure to go david or if you have the time anthony40, PM me (but if not, that's fine too)
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Post by viserys on May 13, 2024 11:46:56 GMT
could anyone who's going potentially do me a huge favour?
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Post by viserys on May 12, 2024 15:47:49 GMT
actually when you look closely at that still, you can see a few barriers in place. They might be examples or the part that are permanently up during the show, while others will only be raised for the races.
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Post by viserys on May 12, 2024 10:37:09 GMT
Why do we even have to have a jury vote? Back in the day, before the ability to have public voting yes, of course. But now? Get rid! When it was all public vote, there was LOTS of complaining about neighbouring countries helping each other with points, no matter how bad the songs were. So they brought back the jury vote to count! I like crowblack 's theory though that it was another conscious rigging of the jury vote to steer it towards neutral, calm and rich Switzerland (last year's vote was rigged in favour of Sweden, that's a hill I will die on)
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Post by viserys on May 12, 2024 8:05:59 GMT
I thought Croatia was robbed, but not mad at Switzerland winning. Same here - interestingly the second year in a row with a disconnect between the juries and the public vote - last year Finland was the audience favourite and would have won if the juries hadn't pushed Sweden's bland ditty, this year Croatia would have won, but at least Nemo was a worthy winner overall. I ended up watching with a Croatian friend and she commented that it was the best-possible outcome, Baby Lasagna king of the hearts, but Switzerland has to fork out to host the thing next year which Croatia was too broke for.
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Post by viserys on May 12, 2024 7:27:33 GMT
(For what it's worth) are you all familiar with Kristina? It was Benny & Bjorn's next musical after Chess. Ignored this thread so far since I don't care much for Chess, but can't resist a brag - I did see Kristina (twice) when it first ran in Malmö and made Helen Sjöholm and Peter Jöback superstars in Sweden. I still have the Swedish 3-CD-Set and later got the English 2-CD-Set from Carnegie Hall. I was learning Swedish at the time and plugged through the four books of Vilhelm Moberg's "The Emigrants" books before seeing the show, so it was fairly easy to follow. The show tried to attach itself to the big weepies of the period (Les Mis and all) with big ballads and a good dose of Swedish folk music. Kristina's song at the end of Act One (when they finally reach Minnesota and settle down) is one of the very few songs that has always and will always reduce me to a blubbering mess because it captures the longing for a lost homeland so beautifully in a simple image. On the other hand, I could never get on board with her supposed big ballad "Du maste finnas" where she has an existential crisis because the doctor told her she mustn't get pregnant anymore (thus no more nookie) because another pregnancy would kill her and she's basically like "Okay, God, if you exist, you will protect me and let me live" (and of course he doesn't, she gets pregnant and dies). I wonder if that why the show seems to have died completely, because in today's society her thinking seems completely idiotic (and I find it hard to believe that even in 19th century, with a former whore for a best friend, Kristina wouldn't have known that there are many other ways of intimacy that wouldn't risk her getting pregnant anymore). Anyway, apparently Kristina will have a German-language production in 2024 in Koblenz, I'm keeping my eyes out for it. Now as you were - back to Chess Would see it on Broadway if Lena Hall gets to sing Florence again.
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Post by viserys on May 11, 2024 20:11:51 GMT
Definitely Spain so far
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Post by viserys on May 10, 2024 7:42:18 GMT
That video doesn’t show the set. It shows the model of the venue. 🤣 I think what people mean is that it shows the layout of the stage - and the fact that there will be actual race tracks going through and around the audience, just like it used to be at the AV - which we could only assume so far, but couldn't be sure about. I've just watched the model section of the video repeatedly to try and work out the view from my seats! Gone for £77 front row locomotive and it looks fine. Obviously a railing in front but I don't really mind that. So fingers crossed it's all good. Won't be too long to hopefully find out. I worry a little that the "platform" section isn't raked at all. That's quite a few rows of heads in front blocking the view to the main stage. Although we'll be in Row H (second to last) which does seem slightly higher than those in front. Still hoping that as this is only a model, they will remember to build a little rake into that section.
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Post by viserys on May 9, 2024 17:41:05 GMT
The cast recording is SO beautiful. It makes me cry how much general pop music has gone downhill since that kind of sound was prevalent. I really hope the show keeps going until my trip in September.
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Post by viserys on May 9, 2024 12:13:52 GMT
I'll be in New York at the right time, so I think I'll try my luck. Stupidly booking opens at 6pm only which is midnight here, so I'll probably be asleep when it's my time in the queue and by the time I wake up, it'll be sold out. But sleep > Downey
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Post by viserys on May 8, 2024 8:14:28 GMT
Yea, the live chat function was what I was thinking of, as it makes for quicker conversation.
But if people prefer to just chat in the thread, that's okay too.
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Post by viserys on May 7, 2024 11:23:34 GMT
Would people be interested in a live chat for the finale on Saturday? My usual companions have flaked out this year and watching alone without snarking about the performances will be boring.
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Post by viserys on May 6, 2024 12:02:08 GMT
Charlie Stemp is the only charismatic "triple treat" performer I can think of. There haven't really been many shows recently that called for a classic leading man.
Robbie Williams might actually be an inspired choice, he has charisma galore.
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Post by viserys on May 4, 2024 5:36:55 GMT
Oh no worries, not condescending at all... just a "duh" moment for me especially since the three different Hadestown albums are such a nice way to chart the development of the show (along with Anais Mitchell's book). And yea, right now Hadestown and Lempicka are across from each other, they even named that stretch of 48th Street Rachel Chavkin Way, though not sure if it's permanent or just a marketing gag for the time being. She does have more pressure now to deliver on the A.R.T. Gatsby in Boston.
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Post by viserys on May 3, 2024 19:42:19 GMT
True, it's crazy how I keep forgetting that about my favourite show When it was announced for London (back then at the National Theatre), it was an American friend who told me I should go and see it and check out the existing recording (not the very first one, the NYTW one that was still fairly new at the time). I listened to it, fell in love and the rest is history, as they say. So, yea, you may be right, Hadestown DID have that starting advantage (and tickets in NY have been selling like hot cakes since Ani DiFranco joined as Persephone) that may well helped them a little on Broadway. Though I don't think it's comparable to just how HUGE "Don't cry for me Argentina" had been back then.
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Post by viserys on May 3, 2024 17:28:46 GMT
Funny you mention how unknown the figure of Lempicka is; I heard someone compare this to Evita in terms of it covering a less than known figure in the West. The difference with Evita is that it was the work of a duo who'd just made the BIGGEST thing to hit the theatres in the early 70's, and Evita was an ALBUM beforehand, which promoted the show prior. And not just that; "Don't cry for me Argentina" was an absolute smash in the regular charts, beloved by countless people who didn't even know it was from a musical and who were then ready to see the show just to hear that song live on stage. Same thing happened a few years later with "Memory". Would Evita have been a success today, when musicals barely exist in the public perception and without a mega hit? I doubt it. I also can't remember the last time a new musical had an album/concept cast recording out that had already become a big hit on its own and was making people itch to see it live on stage. Given how endlessly fractured the music scene is these days I don't think it will ever happen again. I even doubt we'll see jukebox musicals with music by artists popular after the 90s because so many people are lost in their own little niches these days. Except for the inevitable Taylor Swift musical where we'll follow some young lost female around her relationships and affairs and moans about them all later (yawn). Anyway, much much harder these days to establish a musical not based on a book/movie/existing music, although shows like Hadestown prove it can still be done.
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Post by viserys on May 3, 2024 14:18:36 GMT
It did get three nominations.
I don't think the Tonys are to blame here. I've rarely seen so many divided opinions on the new shows that arrived this spring but virtually everyone agreed that Lempicka suffers from a terrible book. And the average person on the street has no idea who or what Lempicka even means, no wonder they spend their dollars on something with at least some familiarity of which there is ALOT to choose from - Gatsby as a household name (selling well despite bad WOM from Paper Mill and almost complete Tony snub, btw), The Outsiders and The Notebook as very popular novels and movies, and not quite so well-known Water for Elephants and so on.
I would have loved to see Lempicka and it has some great songs, but this is not on the Tonys. They shouldn't have tried to push a totally unknown IP into such an overstuffed spring and with such a terrible book. Much like with Harmony, which failed almost as badly in autumn, perhaps at some point creatives need to realize after several years of work that some things just aren't meant to be.
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Post by viserys on May 2, 2024 8:43:51 GMT
People about to underestimate Japanese arts and culture popularity again I'm a big supporter of Japanese arts and culture and have written before how happy I was/am to see things like My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away turn up in London and the Death Note concerts. Your Lie in April may be a popular manga/anime, but nowhere near the cult status of Death Note or the Ghibli Movies. The concerts didn't cause half the stir and attention that the Death Note concerts did. So I think it's not wrong to question how this is supposed to sustain a longer run or why they chose this above the much better known Death Note. They might hope to ride the coat tails of Spirited Away, which will indubitably draw many fans of Japanese anime to London this summer. But I'm not convinced this has legs for 12 weeks.
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Post by viserys on Apr 29, 2024 18:21:15 GMT
Having suffered through the Australia version live, I would NOT want to see that again. And it wasn't selling out by a mile in Sydney, despite the show being brand-new there and a one-off tour stop. So it would never fill arenas in the UK where it's already done a round.
I'd rather see it gone forever and just live with the memories of the glorious spectacle at the Dominion.
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Post by viserys on Apr 28, 2024 19:01:21 GMT
...and giving all Bat fans a collective heart attack, thinking there were news about the show coming back.
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Post by viserys on Apr 24, 2024 16:34:20 GMT
A composer, high on MDMA, reads a chapter of Tolstoy's War & Peace, tells everyone "Hold my beer" and comes up with a crazy electropop adaptation that fuses synthizers with Russian folk music and the audience gets to eat Russian dumplings.
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Post by viserys on Apr 24, 2024 16:19:23 GMT
For those of us who haven’t seen it, how would you describe the show? Completely insane.
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Post by viserys on Apr 24, 2024 15:09:55 GMT
OMG
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Post by viserys on Apr 23, 2024 7:05:28 GMT
Without knowing your tastes it's hard to recommend anything!
Quite a few of the new shows are struggling already and are likely to close in June if they can't haul in some major Tonys that will extend their lifespan. Which also (probably) means they won't come to London.
Personally I'm sorry to see that Lempicka is shaping up to be a flop, I'm a major fan of Rachel Chavkin's work (Comet, Hadestown) and it should have been the tale of a fascinating, strong and unconventional (real) woman, but apparently the book is a major mess. Still, might be one of those "rarities" you'll someday be glad to have seen.
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Post by viserys on Apr 22, 2024 17:59:28 GMT
Since there was interest in this show... the local paper published an article today wondering if Hercules was flopping due to bad ticket sales one month after opening: www.abendblatt.de/hamburg/kultur/article242154616/Disneys-Hercules-Wird-das-Musical-zum-Flop.htmlThe article is behind a paywall, but I ran it through Google Translate: Hamburg. The piece had its premiere four weeks ago at the Stage Theater in the Neue Flora, but there are still plenty of tickets available. “From zero to hero”: Four weeks ago, Hercules , the son of the gods , set out to fight for a place in Olympus – and in the hearts of musical fans. It was the first premiere of a Disney musical in Hamburg , so expectations were high for the stage adaptation of the animated film from 1997. “The stage production of the Disney sandal opera has a great ensemble and lots of show value, but struggles with weaknesses in the original film “, said the Abendblatt in its premiere review. And now advance ticket sales are also weakening. Although “Disney's Hercules” has only been running at the Stage Theater in the Neue Flora for a good month, there are still plenty of tickets available for all performances, both on the cheaper weekdays and for the weekend performances. And almost always in all price categories. If you take a look at the seating plans in the advance booking portal, “Hercules” is currently selling worse than the 23-year-old top dog “The Lion King”, but better than the newly released oldie “Dance of the Vampires” in the operetta house - and that's about equal the level of “Frozen” , which has been residing in the Stage Theater an der Elbe since November 2021. Anna and Elsa are currently celebrating their 1000th performance and will move to Stuttgart after the final curtain on September 29, 2024 to make way for “MJ – The Michael Jackson Musical”. Stage Theater Hamburg: Comparing “Hercules” musical with “Frozen” is difficult Stage Entertainment does not want to confirm that “Hercules”, like “Hamilton” before it, seems to fail due to its commercial demands: “'Hercules' has had a super start. We are absolutely satisfied with the demand," says Stage Entertainment spokesman Stephan Jaekel in response to an inquiry from Abendblatt, "in fact, booking behavior is almost at the level of 'Frozen' at the time of comparison, and this had a premiere in the run-up to Christmas , which usually provides additional incentive to buy.” However, it must be noted that “Frozen” premiered in the middle of the pandemic, that stricter access rules (only for vaccinated and convalescent people) came into force at the time of the opening performances in November 2021, and that tourism, going out and gastronomy were more reminiscent of the realm of the dead of Hercules -Enemy Hades remembered. So a comparison is difficult.
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Post by viserys on Apr 22, 2024 6:52:31 GMT
To be honest I think the broadway reviews are bit more spot on than the London raves. It was all very emperors new clothes to me. Agreed! Agreed, too! Were they really harsh towards Gayle Rankin though or more towards how Sally is being played here - which I didn't like either, especially the stupid shouty "Cabaret" at the end? I also feel Broadway is less receptive to the gimmickry of turning the theatre inside out and upside down for a semi 'immersive' experience. Somehow the reviews now make me feel more validated in not being thrilled by the show when I saw it in London (in its first months with Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley).
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Post by viserys on Apr 18, 2024 14:55:06 GMT
Nancy's song isn't a lesson to live by, it's tragic Sure, I know that, but personally I just don't want to see female characters anymore whose lives are entirely defined by men and/or whose only point in the show is to orbit around men. Much like the dreadful Miss Saigon gained a lot by casting a female Engineer and thereby redress the power balance somewhat, I think it may be a lot of fun to cast a female Fagin to offset the drippy Nancy. Anyway, don't mind me, I have very strong feelings about these issues On a selfish level I'm glad that this is another show I can happy give a miss, freeing me up for things I'd rather see or save a lot of money on shortening my London trips!
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Post by viserys on Apr 18, 2024 13:32:25 GMT
I guess Oliver is similar to Annie or Joseph in that many people have been part of am dram/school productions, so it was their intro to musical theatre and a new big revival every 20 years or so is the right time interval to haul the next generation into the theatre.
Personally I couldn't care less, it's even mildly amusing to me that Carousel keeps getting trashed for supposedly promoting domestic violence while nobody seems to have a problem with a character like Nancy, whose only raison d'etre in the show seems to be belt out a drippy song how she'll stick by her evil violent boyfriend, who beats her.
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Post by viserys on Apr 14, 2024 17:53:31 GMT
Love that for once being abroad is an advantage as I can comfortably watch on TV in Germany. No real surprises for me so far.
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