ALW's Cinderella - Gillian Lynne / U.K. Tour (rumour)

Either way, they found out the show was closing and... what? It's not the nicest way to find out, but having read many books by performers of yesteryear it seems an abrupt and unexpected closing notice isn't new.

Can't ever forgive what he has done to "Phantom" and he is, most of us agree, woefully incompetent at producing theatre - but three of his shows are in my top 5 ever, so I respect his brilliance at composing a book musical.

I think it's only repetition because what ALW does when hyping up each show excessively with hyperbolic - and sometimes nonsensical - statements has become so tired, repetitive and predictable itself.

We've seen this play out show after the show since Sunset, including before the age of social media. He writes a score and then hands it to a lyricist who will take orders but he won't collaborate with (so forget about changing any note of the score). He says it is the best thing he's ever done. The marketing/producing aspect post-Cameron is a bit dodge. People query/question it, and ALW gets defensive and lashes out. Then it opens cold in the West End without a proper try-out or series of workshops to improve the material, because ALW or someone at RUG is still convinced he's at the peak of his career and the 90s/00s/10s didn't happen and he still has the Midas touch of the 70s/80s. So then it opens cold in the West End and it's weak. People say so. ALW sulks and then does a rewrite and a re-opening and says that he was never happy with it to begin with. But the damage is done and the changes are superficial and don't address core structural problems. ALW says it's amazing and will go to Broadway and open everywhere in the world at once. The show closes a few months later. ALW gives a ridiculous hyperbolic statement and blames ever y single thing it is possible to blame (potentially including other creatives/cast) other than himself. ALW says Broadway is going to happen. It doesn't. Eventually it's forgotten about. Then 2-3 years pass and ALW says he was never happy with the show and he shouldn't have produced it and should have stuck to being the composer. Then the entire experience is forgotten and we go through this drama all over again. Nothing is learned.

Evita, Phantom, and Sunset by any chance? In my all-time top 5 too.

While I don't know ALW as a person, I understand that the way his company managed the closing of Cinderella paints him in a bad light. That being said, theatre has kind of always been this way. Nowadays though I'm guessing a closing notice has to get out as rapidly as possible to prevent the inevitable social media leaks, which is probably what they feared would happen if cast found out first.

Either way, they found out the show was closing and... what? It's not the nicest way to find out, but having read many books by performers of yesteryear it seems an abrupt and unexpected closing notice isn't new. In New York closings are even more cut throat. Some shows literally die during out-of-town tryouts and everyone is let go.

It's not exactly the industry to be putting yourself in if you're looking for a stable, long-term job. Surely people know going in to a brand new musical that it might fail and that getting a new show up and running from scratch is incredibly stressful and draining for everyone involved? It's not like jumping into the chorus of Phantom or Les Mis which has been around for decades and has everything neatly in place.

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It’s been a blast! Hope they have a great final show.