Why Am I So Single? - Garrick

[blamerobots]

I'll have to try and catch this before it closes but that won't be hard; so many sales and ticket discounts I'm assuming because this is doing horribly.

I never thought to mention this but I genuinely saw a poster for this plastered on a motorway underpass... is this where the marketing budget is going??

[ladidah]

It was marketed really poorly

[summerstock]

I'm not really sure why there is so much animosity towards the writers here it's not like this show is the only one that's closing early recently, it seems like a pretty precarious time for any new original musical not tied to an massive existing pop star or a very well known movie.

[PineappleForYou]

"A Good Product (Mostly) Sells Itself". Look at Mincemeat (and Six funnily enough). It's a bit of a get out of jail free card to say it's the market which both this and Opening Night used in their closing statements.

[matthew90]

Oct 25, 2024 14:02:46 GMT PineappleForYou said:

"A Good Product (Mostly) Sells Itself". Look at Mincemeat (and Six funnily enough). It's a bit of a get out of jail free card to say it's the market which both this and Opening Night used in their closing statements.

Giving me traumatic flashbacks to the two times I sat through Opening Night. At least in Why Am I So Single they had a pleasing tap number and didn't use an IKEA lamp to beat a ghost to death...

[ThereWillBeSun]

It gave me the ick just from the marketing and seemed try hard.

[JJShaw]

I am surprised this is closing early, I thought to save face it would have limped along to its initial booking period.

Mickey Jo has already put up a video about it, he doesn't go into it very deeply but it was an interesting watch to hear someones perspective on it. He echoes most people sentiments though that it shouldn't have opened cold in the west end and that the marketing wasn't really right for the show. (An interesting point he made was that it wasn't the same PR team that are looking after Six, and while that show does run itself almost they really do a great job of marketing that show yet not seeming cringe which is a tough line WAISS was always going to have to walk).

[Rory]

I'm interested to hear why people didn't like their marketing. I quite liked their artwork and poster.

[PineappleForYou]

I do find it interesting that Wendy & Andy Barnes were the only producers to not come onto this after Six. Feels like they are the only ones who understand the slow and gentle approach to new musicals like they are doing with 42 Balloons rather than the straight to the West End approach Kenny Wax and Co have gone with.

What ever you think of the show, the cold opening in London was a act of self-sabotage. The creatives found a successful path to creating new a show with Six and then ignored everything they learnt. It's frustrating.

[nancycunard]

Oct 25, 2024 21:26:49 GMT Rory said:

I'm interested to hear why people didn't like their marketing. I quite liked their artwork and poster.

I’m square in their target market (woman in her mid 20s) and just found it incredibly cringe and patronising, like those videos of old people doing Gen Z speak on TikTok, except they weren’t in on the joke. Every time I passed the marquee I felt like someone was going to ask me if I was enjoying my Brat summer. It’s the perfect example of a show being zeitgeisty without ever feeling authentic

[oxfordsimon]

None of us like it when casts, crews and FOH teams lose work when a show closes.

But the writing was on the wall from the start with this one.

Inexperienced writers need support

Inexperienced directors shouldn't be given the gig particularly when they are also one of the writers.

Longer and lower profile development time with an experienced directing team would have been the right approach. And given the money that Six has generated worldwide then surely some of that could have properly funded the development process.

[kit66]

BIG mistake not having an "outside" director to give a critical eye on the show.After all even ALW doesn't direct his own stuff (As much as he'd like to!)

[Jon]

One of the mistakes was the producers accepting a West End theatre before the show was ready and Kenny Wax mentioned that he thought perhaps they should have done a run in Edinburgh but I think the timescale of getting the show ready for the West End was not enough to do any sort of short run.

Aside from Wendy and Andy Barnes not being part of WAISS, James Armitage who co-directed Six wasn't involved either.

[showtoones]

I hear the producers is going into the theater after the menier run

[aloysius]

I was quite surprised after watching the workshop last summer to find so little had changed between then and the Garrick version, despite them requesting detailed feedback from those who saw it. I certainly provided some and I'd assume many others did as well - there's clearly a good idea in there but it's buried behind so much chaos. As for the marketing, I think they can start with the title. It hardly screams 'feel-good night out' to the non-MT crowd that would be required to sustain more than a two-week run in the West End. Fundamentally it still feels like a chamber piece, designed to be admired by Moss and Marlow's friends, and not the 'big fancy musical' that people who weren't in on the joke would get and spread the word about. I really liked it and could see it having another life in a slimmed-down form. But I think this will end up as a mere footnote in M&M's career, a curiosity in amongst the barnstormers that they'll need to quickly go back to writing to get past the difficult second musical syndrome.

[lotster]

Oct 26, 2024 4:10:17 GMT showtoones said:

I hear the producers is going into the theater after the menier run

That's at the menier until 1st March so there could be another 6 weeks to fill?

[oxfordsimon]

There is an argument to say that this was their first musical

Given that Six is essentially a concert with no substantial plot and no character development, that does not really give any sense as to whether they are more than talented songwriters.

This is not to take anything away from the success of Six. It has been a phenomenon. There are hundreds of thousands of loyal fans for Six round the world. But it is a series of songs and a musical is usually more than that.

Perhaps their future is as songwriters rather than musical creators.

Maybe they will get a call from Disney to write catchy tunes for a future animated movie.

They will find success.

But maybe not creating book musicals. Unless they collaborate with a book writer and a director who can give the supportive but critical feedback that will deliver a better overall show.

[unseaworthy]

Oct 26, 2024 12:19:26 GMT oxfordsimon said:

There is an argument to say that this was their first musical

Given that Six is essentially a concert with no substantial plot and no character development, that does not really give any sense as to whether they are more than talented songwriters.

This is not to take anything away from the success of Six. It has been a phenomenon. There are hundreds of thousands of loyal fans for Six round the world. But it is a series of songs and a musical is usually more than that.

Perhaps their future is as songwriters rather than musical creators.

Maybe they will get a call from Disney to write catchy tunes for a future animated movie.

They will find success.

But maybe not creating book musicals. Unless they collaborate with a book writer and a director who can give the supportive but critical feedback that will deliver a better overall show.

I agree with every word of this

[westendboy]

Having not seen this show, but after reading through the comments here since the closing date announcement, 'Why Am I So Single?' reminds me of 'I Can't Sing! - The X Factor Musical' from 10 years back!

Both had established names attached; are light hearted crowd pleasers that don't take themselves too seriously; opened straight onto the West End, before even making much of a name for itself; plays in a venue that was too big for it(sure the Garrick is smaller than the Palladium, but it's still big for this show!); close early, despite (mostly) positive reviews; everyone comes to the same clonclusion of "It wasn't ready for the West End, it should've toured/fringed!"

Despite what people's opinions are on the show (can't speak much for myself, as I haven't seen it myself), the ones at fault for it's early closure falls directly on the producer's feet. I wouldn't be surprised if they thought the 'Six' association would garner more bums on seats that what they actually got, but obviously ended up backfiring.

I'm 50/50 on the reasoning being that the current climate in the West End making it difficult for new, original work to be successful, for causing 'WAISS?' to close early. One the one hand, yes, it is extremely diffucult for new work, or even revivals on classics, to get noticed in a post-Covid world, unless they feature celebrity stunt castings, or are pop culture staples; but on the other hand, we've seen shows like 'Operation Mincemeat' and 'Shifters' become surpise successes and all because they were given time to establish themselves outside the West End, resulting in them selling well! This is why getting your work noticed in fringe circles can potentially do wonders!

My heart goes out to all the cast, crew and FOH staff at the Garrick. It's tough when a show closes and wish them all the best in future endeavors. Really, the ones affected the most by these sorts of things are these guys.

[mattnyc]

Saw the matinee today. I'll go back and read through this thread because I'm curious others thoughts although just looking at the ratings (of which I gave it a two star), I feel my thoughts will be shared.

This was a very frustrating afternoon for me. I'm a huge fan of "Six", have adored it from the first time I walked into the Arts, knowing nothing about it. And you can hear traces of that in a bit of this new show which, to me, were really the only times musically that my ears perked up. The entire show seems like the first draft of a decent idea that needs at least a dozen more workshops before it's ready for a paying audience. Because there COULD be a good show in there. But like I have to believe I'll read from others when I skim through this, that act one closing is something I'll never understand how everyone involved didn't pull them aside and say "So.......just to bee real.......cut this immediately". If I remember there was a very nice moment right before that, that would have been perfect to just go to blackout and end the act.

The entire show plays very conventional, in that I could tell early on that they're best friends, they will get in a fight and will make up at some point. Tale as old as time. And that's what we got. I won't say I was every bored, I was too busy being frustrated. There were some funny bits I found, mostly in the dialogue. I couldn't remember a single tune from the entire show, if you put a gun to my head. The bit with the pizza was so stupid and out of nowhere that I had to really laugh. And I know that kind of toilet humor isn't for everyone (it is for me), but I kept wanting more of that. Not the cliche after cliche we got for two and a half hours - and there is no reason on this planet why this needs to be that long and not 90 minutes, straight through. Take a hacksaw to this script and score and you might be able to start making something out of it, then.

[greatauntedna]

I don’t know how you can bee a human beeing and not smile at the bee song!

It’s a shame this couldn’t make it to the end of the initial run.

[ladidah]

Oct 26, 2024 17:05:06 GMT mattnyc said:

Saw the matinee today. I'll go back and read through this thread because I'm curious others thoughts although just looking at the ratings (of which I gave it a two star), I feel my thoughts will be shared.

This was a very frustrating afternoon for me. I'm a huge fan of "Six", have adored it from the first time I walked into the Arts, knowing nothing about it. And you can hear traces of that in a bit of this new show which, to me, were really the only times musically that my ears perked up. The entire show seems like the first draft of a decent idea that needs at least a dozen more workshops before it's ready for a paying audience. Because there COULD be a good show in there. But like I have to believe I'll read from others when I skim through this, that act one closing is something I'll never understand how everyone involved didn't pull them aside and say "So.......just to bee real.......cut this immediately". If I remember there was a very nice moment right before that, that would have been perfect to just go to blackout and end the act.

The entire show plays very conventional, in that I could tell early on that they're best friends, they will get in a fight and will make up at some point. Tale as old as time. And that's what we got. I won't say I was every bored, I was too busy being frustrated. There were some funny bits I found, mostly in the dialogue. I couldn't remember a single tune from the entire show, if you put a gun to my head. The bit with the pizza was so stupid and out of nowhere that I had to really laugh. And I know that kind of toilet humor isn't for everyone (it is for me), but I kept wanting more of that. Not the cliche after cliche we got for two and a half hours - and there is no reason on this planet why this needs to be that long and not 90 minutes, straight through. Take a hacksaw to this script and score and you might be able to start making something out of it, then.

I agree with all of this. It seems to think it's being very meta and radical, but it's quite a normal show. 

[Paulw]

Having not been too keen on this when I saw it very early in previews but thanks to Today Tix’s recent price drops a decent Row A stalls seat came up for £22.50 for this yesterday and decided to give it another watch! Jo wasn’t on and got the alternate and it looked like a couple of the swings were on being furniture!

I don’t think I have ever gone to see anything and thought it was worse on a 2nd viewing than the 1st but that was the case for this so I am downgrading from 2 stars to 1 star! Whatever the joke is I am not getting it! I counted in Act 1 that the F word was used 58 times (yes I did count), That’s 58 times in an hour and ten minutes!!!!

There isn’t much point in going over what the majority of us have said before but will say that I was behind a group of girls on my way out at the end that really are the age range that they are trying to attract to the show and one said “That was ok but I really didn’t get it” If that is the comments coming from their target demographic they really do have a problem moving forward.

The only laugh of the night was outside during the interval when a Stage Truck was outside the front door (stuck in traffic sadly) when I came out for some fresh air!

[ladidah]

I only remember the Disco ball song, because it reminds me of Enough is Enough.

[mattnyc]

Speaking of people playing furniture - it was like a child’s school play where little Michael will be playing…the coat stand. That’s all I could think half the time.