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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Sept 2, 2022 10:20:17 GMT
Weren't they producing Something Rotten? I wonder if that has been shelved. Nothing on their website :-( Don't know much about this one but would love to see Gavin Lee. He was the best thing about B&TB imo.
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Post by TallPaul on Sept 2, 2022 10:22:03 GMT
Weren't they producing Something Rotten? That was the Rep. This is the Hippodrome.
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Post by ThereWillBeSun on Sept 2, 2022 17:54:39 GMT
Weren't they producing Something Rotten? That was the Rep. This is the Hippodrome. I stand corrected ;-)
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Sept 2, 2022 20:16:22 GMT
Weren't they producing Something Rotten? I wonder if that has been shelved. Nothing on their website :-( Don't know much about this one but would love to see Gavin Lee. He was the best thing about B&TB imo. I would LOVE to see him reprise his role as Squidward. I don’t know if he’d do another UK tour so soon after Beauty and the Beast as he has been away from his family in America (which is why he’s leaving Beauty after London, to go back home). But he has gone on the record saying he would reprise the role on the West End, so maybe if the tour is successful…?
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Post by squidward on Sept 2, 2022 20:30:43 GMT
I absolutely loved the show on Broadway, but would imagine that there will be a lot that would need to be changed for the tour, especially the design in the auditorium that made the audience feel like they’d stepped into the world of Bikini Bottom before the show had even started.
Similarly there may be some of the fabulous stage design that may be difficult to rig for a tour.
The Broadway cast were wonderful. Then the non-Equity cast tour that followed really weren’t of the same quality, thus making the whole enterprise feel much more like a kid’s show to me.
As others on here have said, this is a very difficult show to market, possibly made even harder by another version of a SpongeBob show ( of the big cartoon suit variety) that toured the UK some years ago. It was a very poor affair, not well received and absolutely aimed at kids.
I’m sceptical about how successful a UK tour will be. If it’s coming here, I do wish that that it was the original Broadway version in a West End Theatre, but I guess that’s way too big a financial risk for any producer to want to take.
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Sept 2, 2022 21:46:53 GMT
I absolutely loved the show on Broadway, but would imagine that there will be a lot that would need to be changed for the tour, especially the design in the auditorium that made the audience feel like they’d stepped into the world of Bikini Bottom before the show had even started. Similarly there may be some of the fabulous stage design that may be difficult to rig for a tour. The Broadway cast were wonderful. Then the non-Equity cast tour that followed really weren’t of the same quality, thus making the whole enterprise feel much more like a kid’s show to me. As others on here have said, this is a very difficult show to market, possibly made even harder by another version of a SpongeBob show ( of the big cartoon suit variety) that toured the UK some years ago. It was a very poor affair, not well received and absolutely aimed at kids. I’m sceptical about how successful a UK tour will be. If it’s coming here, I do wish that that it was the original Broadway version in a West End Theatre, but I guess that’s way too big a financial risk for any producer to want to take. Whatever they do with it, it’ll be using the props and costumes from the Pro-Shot they filmed in Plymouth in 2019. The Broadway sets and costumes were used for the non-equity tour, so they had to have new ones made and shipped to the UK for filming - and it’s been sat in storage ever since waiting for a UK or European tour. Unless they get another director (and not Tina Landau, who I hope will have input if not in complete control) who wants to make major changes, hopefully it’ll be the same as the Broadway version. The pro-shot set was made to be like the non-equity tour (i.e smaller scale) for transport and filming reasons (they also removed some lines and scenes to cut down the run time for broadcast) so the set won’t be as lavish for the tour - but the cut lines should remain in the shoe and I hope they keep the big SQUIDWARD sign for Not A Loser, a projection like the tour has just won’t be the same…
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Post by squidward on Sept 2, 2022 22:10:54 GMT
I was at the recording of the first day of the Plymouth pro-shot. I thought it really failed to capture the absolute joy and innovation of the Broadway show. The biggest problem for me and a decision I couldn’t understand, is why they filled the theatre up with children who didn’t get any of the subtler comedy or metaphorical material at all. I’m pretty sure there was canned laughter on it too, which didn’t help.
Perhaps the only way to get a full-ish audience in Plymouth in the afternoon was to invite school groups in, but personally I thought that was a mistake and did nothing to persuade anyone I raved about the show to that it was anything other than a show for kids.
I wish they’d shot it in the evening and had a more mixed age of audience there. This show is very dear to my heart and I’d hate to see it go pear shaped on an underperforming tour here. I may be completely wrong about the concerns I have about it. I hope I am ( and I also hope they can find a triple threat actor as charismatic as Ethan Slater to take on the main role).
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Post by QueerTheatre on Sept 2, 2022 22:19:49 GMT
its described as a brand new production, so i was expecting a new designer and director... i hope im wrong though?
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Post by squidward on Sept 2, 2022 23:29:16 GMT
Ooo, I hope you’re wrong too. I can’t believe that Tina Landau & David Zinn’s work could be bettered on this project.
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Post by stageyghost on Sept 3, 2022 11:48:56 GMT
I have a very sneaky suspicion that this is a new Selladoor Production.... So think along the lines of Madagascar....
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Sept 3, 2022 14:46:23 GMT
It 100% is a Selladoor production. You might get a bit of scaffolding for the set, if you're lucky.
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Post by squidward on Sept 3, 2022 15:51:24 GMT
No offence to Selladoor, but if that info is correct, it’s a heartbreaker. The innovation and unique outsize style of the design on Broadway, complete with an orchestra, calypso band and live foley artist was a big part of its overall charm. Also the size of the cast and spectacle of the dance numbers were pretty breathtaking at times.
If it’s going to be a stripped down,very low budget affair, it’ll be a completely different beast ( best avoided for anyone who adored the original production I would of thought). Maybe Selladoor will pull something surprising out of the bag? I really hope so, but not holding my breath.
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Post by TallPaul on Sept 3, 2022 16:32:58 GMT
There's a company called Showpath Spongebob UK Limited, that was registered with Companies House in October 2021.
Three directors - Hunter Arnold, David Hutchinson and Gavin Kalin. It's David Hutchinson, I think, who is the Selladoor connection.
Of course this could be for something else. All three of them seem to be involved in interactive experiences.
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Post by thistimetomorrow on Sept 3, 2022 16:38:47 GMT
I will say that I saw ArtsEd's production of SpongeBob last year and that was obviously a much lower budget version than the Broadway one and I think it still came across very well - they didn't have any big lavish sets, but it still captured the vibe and joy of the show I think.
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Post by QueerTheatre on Sept 3, 2022 20:47:18 GMT
I will say that I saw ArtsEd's production of SpongeBob last year and that was obviously a much lower budget version than the Broadway one and I think it still came across very well - they didn't have any big lavish sets, but it still captured the vibe and joy of the show I think. I respectfully disagree - i dont think the show needs a huge set etc, but i thought that production was terrible (design/direction wise, the kids were great!)
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Post by djdan14 on Sept 3, 2022 20:49:21 GMT
Having seen this on Broadway the set was the whole theatre - so the one week run in Birmingham to me was is a give away this will be significantly paired down.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Sept 3, 2022 21:18:44 GMT
All three of them seem to be involved in interactive experiences. Yes Selladoor were contracted to deliver the interactive stuff, although its now managed by a seperate company within Selladoor. They run the 'Lifesize Monopoly' in Tottenham Court Road, the 'Saw Experience' in Tower Bridge and there's a third event, which is much more family friendly, opening in County Hall next year.
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Sept 3, 2022 22:58:54 GMT
I don’t know where people have got the Sellador connection but I sincerely hope that it’s mistaken.
Also the What’s On Stage article says “ A new production of the show, based on the much-loved Nickelodeon series of the same name, will run next year at venues across the nation.”
I don’t know enough about theatre lingo but ‘a new production’ doesn’t necessarily mean a reimagining of a show, just that a new production of it is being set up.
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Post by anxiousoctopus on Sept 3, 2022 23:34:23 GMT
I did some digging in Companies House as mentioned above and it seems the same 3 people have set up two different companies: GameTrack and ShowTrack as part of their larger Path Entertainment company, but the only productions that have had their own limited companies set up are the SAW experience and a Paddington experience (idk if that’s the Rockafella production or another thing). But all of their most recent company listings with websites (Labyrinth Productions and Path Entertainment) outline that theyre for immersive theatre experiences (live entertainment with dining and drinking experiences etc.) rather than musical stage productions.
I’m not an expert but it was a Selladoor production then wouldn’t it be listed as Selladoor rather than a brand new limited company? They didn’t set up one for the Selladoor Footloose Production, only the interactive experiences currently through Path Entertainment.
Either way, I just hope and pray that this isn’t some half-assed reimagining. The original production was perfect for what it was, they’d be mad to change it.
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Post by WireHangers on Sept 24, 2022 20:57:19 GMT
A poster has been released for the show featuring Pearce Barron as SpongeBob so it’s safe to assume he’s playing the role on tour.
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Post by Mark on Sept 24, 2022 21:33:13 GMT
A poster has been released for the show featuring Pearce Barron as SpongeBob so it’s safe to assume he’s playing the role on tour. Unless they're using the same marketing company as Waitress.
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Sept 24, 2022 23:24:06 GMT
If it even goes ahead that is. Ticket sales are abysmal. If they don't improve in the near future, its likely to be pulled.
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Post by QueerTheatre on Sept 25, 2022 9:58:25 GMT
A poster has been released for the show featuring Pearce Barron as SpongeBob so it’s safe to assume he’s playing the role on tour. where can one find said poster?
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Post by sophie92 on Sept 25, 2022 10:00:40 GMT
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Post by bobbievanhusen on Sept 25, 2022 16:51:22 GMT
Will be interesting to see how it sells in Southampton. It's reasonably priced at £19.50 - £49. In Brum they have probably sold 100 tickets, if that, for the weeks run so far.
It's definitely after my time and I don't think i've ever seen an episode of it. Does it have much name recognition in the UK? Probably within a certain age group?
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