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Post by BVM on Jan 5, 2024 9:25:03 GMT
Brass band Carousel at the OAT, sexy Oklahoma… not quite as convincing. I enjoyed both of them, though I disagree with the meddling of Carousel's plot. But these shows have been done several times in countless variations, even if rarely in such an edgy fashion. I for one would like to see more of the bloated monsters of 80s stripped down that worked well back then but seem ridiculous in today's far more sarcastic and cynic world. I'd be absolutely here for Jamie Lloyd stripping Phantom of the Opera down to some Film Noir, the opera's underground all black and white and filled with stage fog, showing the Phantom as the actual blood-thirsty obsessed predator he is. Of course the Phans would have conniptions (I'd be here for that too). Similarly, I'd quite like to see a modern dress version of Les Miserables, where the women are allowed to do more than whine and die. I had to google it but what a fabulous word! Anyway - I totally agree with you. Phantom and Les Mis have such insanely great scores that in a weird way it's a shame that their success has meant radical reinventions (in the UK at least) have not happened. I'd be absolutely here for a JL Phantom! |
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 5, 2024 9:40:24 GMT
I have to admit, I was shocked by the difference in how much to mount in London ($2.5 million) as opposed to Broadway ($17 million) If that's accurate, no wonder ALW was saying what he was about the costs on Broadway when Phantom closed Blame the unions! (among other things!) |
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Post by merrilywereadalong on Jan 5, 2024 9:42:31 GMT
They better take Hannah Chamberlain with them, I doubt they’ll find someone that similar to Nicole over there. I completely agree. And it's not just the fact that they look similar. I though Hannah was fantastic. She was very expressional, the way she moved, her entire aesthetic. I cannot see someone else doing it tbh. Btw, since this is premiering in November, do y'all think there's a chance that Nicole will also star in Death Becomes Her in April? Her scheduling allows this now, right? Have they officially announced the full cast for that? Also, at the risk of coming off as salacious and gossipy, brought up only because wouldn't this be even more of an incentive for her to move with the production, but it would seem from just glancing at both performer's social media (and I may or may not have seen them leaving stage door together) but I'm pretty sure Hannah Chamberlain is Tom Francis' real life partner. Either way I echo all of the above that I find her a perfect young Norma and the moments when she dances with Nicole always give me chills. Might just be wishful thinking but I hope they bring her! |
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 5, 2024 9:42:45 GMT
I hope that it is the impetus for others to find other ways of livening up old musicals and giving them a relevant fresh lick of paint (not for twenty copycat prods…Les Mis with no set…Wicked with no flying and no green, recreated on an etch a sketch). It really is the creative blueprint for moving forward both creatively & financially. Remove the expectations & shackles and find a different way to ‘stage’ these things. (No John Doyle/CRH, not you 🤣) I honestly couldn't agree more with this. Also not saying apply the no set/barefoot/white light model to everything - but just do something radically different and creative! Both this and Miss Saigon in Sheffield have made me so excited at the possibility of reinvention of musicals in totally different ways. I've also thought (for the very first time really) that I'd be indifferent to Phantom closing in London as it would give the opportunity to do something totally different with it. It's almost suffocated by it's own success. Anyway - my hunch is Starlight is gonna be radically different to what's gone before, so guess that's the next one..... We'll see how it goes! I wish they would completely reinvent Blood Brothers. A brilliant score and story cheapened by hopelessly dated production design, musical direction and cheap production values. |
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Post by BVM on Jan 5, 2024 9:52:01 GMT
I honestly couldn't agree more with this. Also not saying apply the no set/barefoot/white light model to everything - but just do something radically different and creative! Both this and Miss Saigon in Sheffield have made me so excited at the possibility of reinvention of musicals in totally different ways. I've also thought (for the very first time really) that I'd be indifferent to Phantom closing in London as it would give the opportunity to do something totally different with it. It's almost suffocated by it's own success. Anyway - my hunch is Starlight is gonna be radically different to what's gone before, so guess that's the next one..... We'll see how it goes! I wish they would completely reinvent Blood Brothers. A brilliant score and story cheapened by hopelessly dated production design, musical direction and cheap production values. God yes. Fantastic score. But production wise, the descent since the early days at The Albery has been quite depressing. Hopelessly dated and cheap are the right words. (What's more depressing is despite this it seems to remain a money making machine for BKL so there's not much incentive to do something with it). Re-invent it and stick Sheridan in it I say. They'd pay £89.50 for that! |
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 5, 2024 10:08:24 GMT
I wish they would completely reinvent Blood Brothers. A brilliant score and story cheapened by hopelessly dated production design, musical direction and cheap production values. God yes. Fantastic score. But production wise, the descent since the early days at The Albery has been quite depressing. Hopelessly dated and cheap are the right words. (What's more depressing is despite this it seems to remain a money making machine for BKL so there's not much incentive to do something with it). Re-invent it and stick Sheridan in it I say. They'd pay £89.50 for that! I actually have an entire vision of how they should reimagine it!! And Sheridan would fit perfectly into that, come to think of it. |
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Post by BVM on Jan 5, 2024 10:15:27 GMT
God yes. Fantastic score. But production wise, the descent since the early days at The Albery has been quite depressing. Hopelessly dated and cheap are the right words. (What's more depressing is despite this it seems to remain a money making machine for BKL so there's not much incentive to do something with it). Re-invent it and stick Sheridan in it I say. They'd pay £89.50 for that! I actually have an entire vision of how they should reimagine it!! And Sheridan would fit perfectly into that, come to think of it. She really would! And at least we know she could do the accent. |
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Post by ceebee on Jan 5, 2024 10:17:04 GMT
I see that they showed the Broadway trailer at yesterday’s matinee. Was anyone there and know how it worked? Did they show it before the show began? At the interval? After curtain call? It's not really a trailer - more like a TV sizzle / teaser. Very cinematic - almost like an Easter egg to folk who stay behind. They ran the final credits, screen went black, then it kicked in with Nicole standing arms straight in her pensive eyeline to the grand circle pose saying "I'm ready for my close up". I recorded it on my phone. |
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Post by toomasj on Jan 5, 2024 10:30:16 GMT
I actually have an entire vision of how they should reimagine it!! And Sheridan would fit perfectly into that, come to think of it. She really would! And at least we know she could do the accent. Her accent work is always impeccable in fairness. She would be phenomenal - take my money. |
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Post by AddisonMizner on Jan 5, 2024 10:32:34 GMT
Broadway teaser here:
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Post by A.Ham on Jan 5, 2024 10:47:59 GMT
I see that they showed the Broadway trailer at yesterday’s matinee. Was anyone there and know how it worked? Did they show it before the show began? At the interval? After curtain call? I was there - They just showed the trailer at the end of credits. A lot of people had left, but it got a big reaction from everyone who had stayed! Note to self to stay right to the very end tomorrow night then! Thank you. |
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Post by danb on Jan 5, 2024 11:07:30 GMT
God yes. Fantastic score. But production wise, the descent since the early days at The Albery has been quite depressing. Hopelessly dated and cheap are the right words. (What's more depressing is despite this it seems to remain a money making machine for BKL so there's not much incentive to do something with it). Re-invent it and stick Sheridan in it I say. They'd pay £89.50 for that! I actually have an entire vision of how they should reimagine it!! And Sheridan would fit perfectly into that, come to think of it. Why don’t we have a ‘love’ button? She would be the ultimate ‘now’ Mrs J…and set it now too. |
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Post by distantcousin on Jan 5, 2024 11:13:28 GMT
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Post by erik24601 on Jan 5, 2024 12:48:39 GMT
I have to admit, I was shocked by the difference in how much to mount in London ($2.5 million) as opposed to Broadway ($17 million) If that's accurate, no wonder ALW was saying what he was about the costs on Broadway when Phantom closed It's always been like this sadly. That's why Broadway tickets cost so much more. Theatre rent is a lot more expensive and the pay for performers, crew and creatives are much higher than in the UK... The minimum salary for an Equity performer on Broadway is $2,439 (£1925) a week as opposed to £770 ($975) for West End. Huge difference when you're paying a cast this size! |
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Post by shownut on Jan 5, 2024 12:58:12 GMT
I have to admit, I was shocked by the difference in how much to mount in London ($2.5 million) as opposed to Broadway ($17 million) If that's accurate, no wonder ALW was saying what he was about the costs on Broadway when Phantom closed It's always been like this sadly. That's why Broadway tickets cost so much more. Theatre rent is a lot more expensive and the pay for performers, crew and creatives are much higher than in the UK... The minimum salary for an Equity performer on Broadway is $2,439 (£1925) a week as opposed to £770 ($975) for West End. Huge difference when you're paying a cast this size! The other factor is the outrageously high union costs. While unions, in theory, are a good idea, on Broadway they are often a problem to be solved/worked around rather than a contributing and worthwhile factor. For example, the musicians union demands minumums of musicians for musicals at certain theatres. If you are doing RENT or WHOREHOUSE which requires only 6-7 musicians and the minumum is 20, you still have to pay for 13-14 musicians that you don't need. That is unheard of in the West End. Advertising costs are also quite outrageous. A full page ad in the Arts section of the NYT can set you back 1 million dollars. |
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Post by erik24601 on Jan 5, 2024 13:07:52 GMT
It's always been like this sadly. That's why Broadway tickets cost so much more. Theatre rent is a lot more expensive and the pay for performers, crew and creatives are much higher than in the UK... The minimum salary for an Equity performer on Broadway is $2,439 (£1925) a week as opposed to £770 ($975) for West End. Huge difference when you're paying a cast this size! The other factor is the outrageously high union costs. While unions, in theory, are a good idea, on Broadway they are often a problem to be solved/worked around rather than a contributing and worthwhile factor. For example, the musicians union demands minumums of musicians for musicals at certain theatres. If you are doing RENT or WHOREHOUSE which requires only 6-7 musicians and the minumum is 20, you still have to pay for 13-14 musicians that you don't need. That is unheard of in the West End. Advertising costs are also quite outrageous. A full page ad in the Arts section of the NYT can set you back 1 million dollars. Yes, as with the West End (and to some extent, regional), the sectors in both countries need complete overhauls - but of course that's the nature of 'business' and would never happen. Outdated rules that were probably put in place for a decent reason at some point are no longer relevant or constructive to anybody, yet remain. |
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Post by iamluisfelipe on Jan 5, 2024 14:13:12 GMT
I need that cast recording asap
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Post by traveller15 on Jan 5, 2024 14:27:23 GMT
They basically had a next to no set Les Mis and junked it for the top heavy new Disney sets. (Moan, moan, moan and scuttling back on topic now.) I wish I understood the lightning in this bottle... as I've said I came in expecting to be really disappointed by this approach and left remembering as one of the best theatre experiences I've ever had. The staging seemed so authentic for the story being told.
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Post by andrew on Jan 5, 2024 14:48:07 GMT
Bonus answer, the end of Betty’s script is the ending of the show, from approximately "May I say a few words, Mr. DeMille". This is my favourite detail I spotted on viewing 2, she types out THE END as if she's just written the show we're watching. I loved that. |
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Post by traveller15 on Jan 5, 2024 15:29:34 GMT
That's one of those bits that I think is a little too self-referential. As much as I respect and enjoyed the remount, I think this show needs to decide what it wants to be before it moves to New York. Veering toward a Glenn Close scenery chewing satire, with all the winks and nods and twerks, or a fairly straight retelling in a very stark, unexpected, powerful style. New York is always looking for something to hate. Especially when it comes from the UK and doubly with the letters ALW attached. Maybe I'm reading too much into the evolution of the show since press night and the early going, but it sounds like, for lack of a better phrase, they kept looking for new ways to ham it up. I'd be delighted to be wrong and only saw it once so happy to take incoming fire.
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Post by andrew on Jan 5, 2024 15:36:01 GMT
I think the show knows perfectly well what it is and doesn't need to change anything. If New York audiences don't get it or like it, then that's on them.
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Post by traveller15 on Jan 5, 2024 15:41:37 GMT
Well, sure, except for the not recouping its costs part.
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Post by A.Ham on Jan 5, 2024 17:00:49 GMT
Do big shows with a limited run (like this) tend to sell out on word of mouth/expectation/hype ahead of opening on Broadway?
Or are bookings more like we see in the West End now, with many waiting till much closer to show date/after the show has opened to book?
It’s crazy how with the show here, sales looked very sluggish between booking opening in June and the show opening at the end of September, and then even in the first month or so it wasn’t selling out in advance of show day - yet since late Nov/Dec it’s just taken off like a rocket and sold out every show!
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Post by ceebee on Jan 5, 2024 17:31:51 GMT
I need that cast recording asap I've just told my eldest daughter off for secretly recording the second half audio of last night's performance on her phone. But damn, it sounds good. The note hold goes on forever... |
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Post by Jon on Jan 5, 2024 17:35:08 GMT
I wish they would completely reinvent Blood Brothers. A brilliant score and story cheapened by hopelessly dated production design, musical direction and cheap production values. God yes. Fantastic score. But production wise, the descent since the early days at The Albery has been quite depressing. Hopelessly dated and cheap are the right words. (What's more depressing is despite this it seems to remain a money making machine for BKL so there's not much incentive to do something with it). Re-invent it and stick Sheridan in it I say. They'd pay £89.50 for that! I suspect they have to wait for BKL's rights to run out which could possibly happen now Bill's passed away although IIRC BKL don't have WE rights anymore so in theory someone might be able to do it. |
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