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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2022 22:25:42 GMT
Anything Goes has a terrible plot and is a dreadfully dated show that is really only worth seeing for the dancing and a couple of the songs.
It isn't a show that is going to appeal to many of the younger generations as frankly there is little that is likeable or relatable about most of the characters or the plot, and what was clever and funny when the show was written isn't so much now.
I'm not convinced the Barbican run sold well purely because of Sutton Foster - she isn't really a name outside MT circles. Judging by the demographic of the audience when I saw it, it sold well because many of those likely to buy tickets for Barbican productions are the same people for whom "classic" musicals are nostalgia and hold appeal. Then add some good word of mouth on top of that to round off the sales. It was 42nd Street all over again.
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Post by richey on Apr 26, 2022 22:30:55 GMT
I saw it in Liverpool on the last tour (7 or 8 years ago?) There were no star names in it then yet I recall the theatre being pretty full then.
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Post by sph on Apr 26, 2022 22:35:20 GMT
I saw it in Liverpool on the last tour (7 or 8 years ago?) There were no star names in it then yet I recall the theatre being pretty full then. That tour closed early though due to poor sales.
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Post by FairyGodmother on Apr 26, 2022 23:12:15 GMT
I can't say the advertising has appealed to me much. It wouldn't surprise me if I enjoyed it (I really like Top Hat), but the poster hasn't really nudged me into thinking I should look at tickets.
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Post by shady23 on Apr 27, 2022 2:29:04 GMT
I think they have spoilt themselves by showing it on TV at Christmas.
Plus, let's be honest, we are in a cost of living crisis and bills are going through the roof. A lot less people are going to have that spare fifty or sixty pound they once did. The ticket prices are high!
Looking online Manchester is having the same issue as Liverpool.
Older people certainly are still going to the theatre. I was at the Beautiful matinee in Newcastle last week and I was the youngest there by a long way. That was very full.
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Post by viserys on Apr 27, 2022 4:35:38 GMT
I don't subscribe to this idea that the pre 1960s musicals will die off. They get revived less often but if Shakespeare is still being performed centuries after his work debuted and likewise Restoration Comedies then the likes of Rodgers and Hmmerstein and Lerner and Loewe will be performed long after we've all left this mortal coil. But can we compare drama to musicals? Plays can be staged in numerous different fashions and many are updated and made to look contemporary and I am sure that there are many school classes being dragged into Shakespeare whether they want to or not. The problem with musicals is that they contain music that has limited generational appeal. To how many younger people does the kind of classic "American songbook" music of Cole Porter and the likes still appeal? Would they ever have heard the big tunes from Anything Goes that were major draws 1-2 generations ago? They flock to the likes of Six and Jamie now that brings "their" music to the stage and if they branch out, it would probably be more to the likes of Bonnie & Clyde with its 80s blockbuster power ballads, since those still feel contemporary. The elder ones who do appreciate this kind of music have probably seen Anything Goes before at some point, this particular production is available to stream for free and the casting is clearly no major draw either. So what's left to shift tickets? And maybe I just never noticed before, but personally I feel like there's also a glut of touring productions at the moment - shows that have come from the West End (like Joseph), shows that have not yet made it to the West End (Cher Show), shows that seem to have toured forever (WWRY, Les Mis), so clearly something's gotta give somewhere when funds are limited.
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Post by ladidah on Apr 27, 2022 6:51:17 GMT
I think they have spoilt themselves by showing it on TV at Christmas. Plus, let's be honest, we are in a cost of living crisis and bills are going through the roof. A lot less people are going to have that spare fifty or sixty pound they once did. The ticket prices are high! Looking online Manchester is having the same issue as Liverpool. Older people certainly are still going to the theatre. I was at the Beautiful matinee in Newcastle last week and I was the youngest there by a long way. That was very full. Yes, it's been free on Iplayer for months. It's hard for most people to warrant spending £££ to see it live.
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Post by FairyGodmother on Apr 27, 2022 9:17:38 GMT
Six is really a take off of late 90s and 00s songs though. More modern than Anything Goes, I grant you but I'm not convinced it's necessarily what teens today are listening to.
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Post by inthenose on Apr 27, 2022 15:34:56 GMT
The other thing is that younger people want to be "represented" with what they see on the stage. This is why Wicked, Jamie, Spring Awakening, Six and its ilk gained such huge fan followings very quickly. Teenage girls and teenage gay males in particular, who can identify and emotionally invest in characters. Prior to this Rent filled the same niche, Next to Normal, Bare.
These musicals are very carefully crafted for a specific audience.
Younger audiences want to see "issues" on stage (themes of being an outsider, loneliness, finding their sexuality, confusing feelings etc) along with a modern style of music. Teenage years can be very challenging, and it's getting worse since social media, the use of labels and terms which Gen Z invented, essentially.
The idea that young people would voluntarily go and see this type of musical, instead of staying home on TikTok or YouTube is laughable. When I went I was comfortably the youngest person I saw and I'm in my mid-30's.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 27, 2022 16:19:40 GMT
There’s no way Spring Awakening could fill somewhere like the Op House or Palace Manchester though. They’re both 1900 seats and SA doesn’t have recognition or look particularly interesting on paper that it would attract a curious audience. I’m not sure that DEH is going to do that either, but given that Six and Jamie have done so well I could be wrong. Heathers bombed in Manchester if I recall. Waitress - same. I don’t really know what regional audiences do want, but whatever the problem is it’s going to get a hell of a lot worse when those leccy bills start kicking in. My direct debit has just doubled and we’re going into light usage period!
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Post by marob on Apr 27, 2022 16:49:01 GMT
When I went I was comfortably the youngest person I saw and I'm in my mid-30's. I don’t think it was that bad when I went. I was sat next to a group of people younger than me and I’m a similar age to you. No kids, which is a relief if anything, but certainly pretty mixed. But then I go to a lot of midweek matinees at my local theatre and some of those are like I’ve wondered into a care home by mistake, so maybe that’s altered my expectations slightly.
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Post by FairyGodmother on Apr 27, 2022 16:52:57 GMT
I know they won't, but the thing this regional theatre goer would like is cheaper prices.
I used to be able to get student standby tickets for £10 and I'd go to pretty much anything. But I'm not going to take a punt on something where the cheapest seats are £40+. £25/30 for a reasonable seat, and I'd go.
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Post by shady23 on Apr 27, 2022 17:03:50 GMT
People paying 10/20/30 pound isn't going to keep these shows running though.
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Post by hannechalk on Apr 27, 2022 17:17:34 GMT
I know they won't, but the thing this regional theatre goer would like is cheaper prices. I used to be able to get student standby tickets for £10 and I'd go to pretty much anything. But I'm not going to take a punt on something where the cheapest seats are £40+. £25/30 for a reasonable seat, and I'd go. I was in two minds about going, but bagged one of ATG's £13-seats. I will definitely check for that more often.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Apr 27, 2022 17:26:35 GMT
Is it better to have a 80% full house at 30 quid a ticket or a 40% full one at 60 quid a go?
I think most casts would much prefer a fuller auditorium
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Post by Dawnstar on Apr 27, 2022 20:06:08 GMT
Younger audiences want to see "issues" on stage (themes of being an outsider, loneliness, finding their sexuality, confusing feelings etc) along with a modern style of music. Teenage years can be very challenging, and it's getting worse since social media, the use of labels and terms which Gen Z invented, essentially. It feels as if all new musicals at the moment are doing this. Which is why I'm hardly seeing any musicals. I'm only 36 & already I feel too old for most new musicals. In the last year I've been to one musical: Singin' In The Rain (I wanted to see Anything Goes but it didn't work out with covid etc.).
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Post by FairyGodmother on Apr 27, 2022 21:27:05 GMT
People paying 10/20/30 pound isn't going to keep these shows running though. I know. But I'd probably end up paying more into theatre as a whole over the year because I'd go to more things. Multiply me up, and shows without an established or keen audience will struggle.
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Post by Jon on Apr 27, 2022 23:09:06 GMT
Running costs have increased for all shows so cheaper tickets would mean that shows would be making bigger losses if they're not selling at high capacity. It's a tricky balance.
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Post by hannechalk on Apr 28, 2022 11:37:17 GMT
Saw some comments now on Liverpool Empire's Facebook - people had booked for Friday, but have been offered tomorrow or Saturday, Manchester or a refund.
So it must not have sold enough tickets for tomorrow to warrant even opening the doors.
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Post by inthenose on Apr 28, 2022 11:52:14 GMT
Saw some comments now on Liverpool Empire's Facebook - people had booked for Friday, but have been offered tomorrow or Saturday, Manchester or a refund. So it must not have sold enough tickets for tomorrow to warrant even opening the doors. Do you mean for tonight? Because tomorrow is Friday.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 28, 2022 12:08:34 GMT
I can see Manchester getting pulled if they don’t shift some tickets this is the map for opening night where there were some offers And it’s even worse for the Saturday evening performance
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 28, 2022 12:11:58 GMT
And opening night at the Barbican aint looking too good either!
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Post by sph on Apr 28, 2022 12:16:12 GMT
Oh GAWD... What a spectacular misfire.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Apr 28, 2022 12:23:19 GMT
All the joy the Barbican will have experienced at their success with this will now be turning into stress and worry. Simply because they pushed their luck.
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Post by inthenose on Apr 28, 2022 12:34:23 GMT
Very sad to see it go this way. It's a great show but this is a classic case of saturation as others have rightly said. I think it's right to mention that I apportion no blame to this failing to the new cast. Whilst Sutton was a huge draw in town, it was the stars aligning which made it a hit - first show out of Covid, Sutton being available, some surprisingly good turns from supporting cast.
Under a hundred seats sold for a Saturday night performance is absolutely damning.
I can see the tour being cancelled imminently, which is awful for all involved.
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