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Post by sleepflower on Jun 24, 2021 13:56:30 GMT
I am still a relative newcomer to the 'theatre world' but last night I was having a think after looking at some archive accounts of previous new shows from the mid 2000s that have never been revived since.
What are the most common reasons shows close for good ie. not for refurbishments etc? Is it always low ticket sales, or others?
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Post by Mark on Jun 24, 2021 14:01:34 GMT
Usually always comes down to sales, and I guess projected demand going forward. Most big musicals normally have a big cast change or two in them but once the "local" audience is used up and a show needs to start relying on tourists it can become tricky when many will just go and see the Lion King or something else familiar.
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Post by Jon on Jun 24, 2021 15:27:32 GMT
Not making running costs and/or making a profit is usually the biggest factor for closing a show. There are exceptions, I believe Blood Brothers closed because they failed to negotiate a new contract with ATG at the Phoenix or something along those lines.
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Post by craig on Jun 24, 2021 16:00:52 GMT
Many shows are also always intended as limited runs. Some might be built around a particular cast and others might just be booked for a set period in a theatre that is already booked for something else from a given date.
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Post by ncbears on Jun 24, 2021 17:47:43 GMT
I can't speak to West End theatres, but in NYC, most theatre leases have a "stop loss" clause. Simply, if at a specified time (usually two consecutive weeks), the show fails to sell a certain number of tickets or make a certain amount of revenue, the theatre can invoke the clause and evict the show. However, once invoked, as I understand it, the actual eviction date can change, be extended or even forgiven. Simply, as soon as the theatre can find a new tenant that the theatre feels will make more money for the theatre, the old show is out and a new show is in.
So, for example, on Broadway, Beetlejuice got off to a slow start and the theatre invoked the Stop clause after the first few weeks. Then, word of mouth increased sales to where Beetlejuice was, purportedly, making a weekly profit. But, the theatre was on the look out for a better deal/more profitable tenant. And there was The Music Man with Hugh Jackman just waiting. Out goes Beetlejuice - in comes The Music Man.
If you're asking about why some shows don't get revived - well, that is a producer issue. If someone wants to remount a closed show (especially if it was a flop financially), they can seek the rights. If someone wants to remount I Want To Sing, or Viva Forever or The GoBetween or even Stephen Ward, they can raise the money and negotiate for the rights and try to find a theatre that will rent to them. Simply, money talks.
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Post by inthenose on Jun 25, 2021 15:16:03 GMT
As others have said, bums on seats. Limited engagements are safer, with clear costs and expected revenue laid out. Relatively easy to forecast for, and "fear of missing out" guarantees a strong box office advance. Especially when featuring names in the cast, who only want a short run and the show relies on their presence to sell.
Often, if a theatre is going to be dark with a big show booked for the near future, they can get a better deal on the lease as the theatre was going to be empty anyway, and no open end runs can go in. One such example is the Dominion, which had Prince of Egypt for ages so could take temporary productions like The War of the Worlds. This is often why tours make a West End stop at the same handful of venues (the Playhouse, for example).
I know of a handful of shows which scrape(d) by on low overheads (small cast, band, crew) and a long-term "sweetheart" lease. Often, this means the shows can still run profitably even with 50% or even much lower house sales, particularly during the week. Shows such as Blood Brothers at the Phoenix, Chicago at the Adelphi and Cambridge, The Mousetrap at St Martin's are examples of these.
Taking the chat one step further, what can cause shows to stop selling well? As said above, there is a finite domestic market of theatre fans. Most will only see a show/play once. Tourism is the money, an endless supply of new patrons and a fantastic opportunity to trade on brand familiarity. Hence jukebox shows and screen to stage adaptations. "Popcorn theatre" carries the West End, with art being available if you look.
I posted similar in another thread, but sometimes it is very easy to actually identify key decisions /moments which harm a show's box office, but they tend to only affect theatre fans, not the wider tourism market. Decisions mostly like poor quality recasts. One such example was the Miss Saigon revival, which was ticking along very nicely until a disappointing second cast rather killed its momentum. Ticket sales began falling very fast and soon it was comping at all the usual places, discounted daily etc.
If the show had been Blood Brothers, it would've been fine at 50% penetration with an unspectacular cast, but the show cost several times more per week to operate.
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Post by Jon on Jun 25, 2021 15:26:50 GMT
The Mousetrap probably has the advantage that the St Martin's isn't the most desirable theatre and it would need a lot of work done to it.
I do wonder if long running shows are often at the peril of the theatre owner. If there is a hot new show like a Mormon or Matilda, the theatre owner has no qualms saying adios to the current tenant.
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