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Post by Jon on Sept 29, 2023 14:27:39 GMT
You'd have to be incredibly pessimistic to suggest MJ will be a failure.
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Post by mattnyc on Sept 29, 2023 14:35:36 GMT
MJ has surpassed most expectations here. When it was announced, most people I know thought the controversy surrounding him would ensure the show not be a success but it’s an absolute hit that will be here for years.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Sept 29, 2023 16:19:48 GMT
Other than some clips on YouTube, no. But the Jackson brand is somewhat tarnished and UK audiences had Thriller Live as an option for a very long time. I remain unconvinced that MJ will capture the imagination of audiences. Yes, it has done well on Broadway but that is no guarantee. I don’t think you are in a position to say it will fail here when you haven’t actually seen it.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Sept 29, 2023 16:29:11 GMT
The overwhelming majority of people who book to see it will not have seen it before.
They make their decision to attend based on whatever is out there to sell the piece.
So it really is laughable to say that I am not entitled to be sceptical because I haven't seen the show.
London has been awash in biographical shows. And has had Thriller Live for a very long run.
I may well be proved wrong. But I just don't see this as a guaranteed long running hit.
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Post by Jon on Sept 29, 2023 17:03:13 GMT
MJ will likely be still be running in 2025, the idea it'll flop out of the gate is frankly ludicrous.
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Post by longinthetooth on Sept 29, 2023 17:40:58 GMT
MJ leaves me stone cold, but I'm very excited at the idea of Some Like It Hot, one of my favourite movies.
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Post by c4ndyc4ne on Sept 29, 2023 18:42:36 GMT
MJ will have a huge advance. Mean Girls may not last 18 months though. Lots of other long-runners may not last through to 2025.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Sept 30, 2023 9:30:20 GMT
The overwhelming majority of people who book to see it will not have seen it before. They make their decision to attend based on whatever is out there to sell the piece. So it really is laughable to say that I am not entitled to be sceptical because I haven't seen the show. London has been awash in biographical shows. And has had Thriller Live for a very long run. I may well be proved wrong. But I just don't see this as a guaranteed long running hit. Your point doesn’t make an ounce of sense. People booking it wouldn’t say it’s definitely going to fail- without having actually seen it… as you’ve done. Don’t underestimate the popularity of his music. Case in point/ the god awful Thriller running for years. The big difference is that this is a huge , and creatively impressive musical. Prepare yourself for disappointment when this runs and runs.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Sept 30, 2023 10:56:11 GMT
The overwhelming majority of people who book to see it will not have seen it before. They make their decision to attend based on whatever is out there to sell the piece. So it really is laughable to say that I am not entitled to be sceptical because I haven't seen the show. London has been awash in biographical shows. And has had Thriller Live for a very long run. I may well be proved wrong. But I just don't see this as a guaranteed long running hit. Your point doesn’t make an ounce of sense. People booking it wouldn’t say it’s definitely going to fail- without having actually seen it… as you’ve done. Don’t underestimate the popularity of his music. Case in point/ the god awful Thriller running for years. The big difference is that this is a huge , and creatively impressive musical. Prepare yourself for disappointment when this runs and runs. I never said it was going to fail just that I was sceptical about the prospect of success. The two are not the same. My only disappointment if this does run will be the clogging up of a theatre with a biographical jukebox show which is a genre that holds zero appeal for me. But I shall cease further comment as this is a thread about Some Like It Hot.
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Post by dlevi on Oct 1, 2023 9:25:34 GMT
Did Sugar! ever play a West End theatre? Because, it's from the same film and had more non-preview performances on Broadway than Some Like It Hot - Sugar had 505 performances (plus 14 previews) - Some Like It Hot should end with 483 performances (plus 43 previews). So, if you count previews, then Some Like It Hot wins 526 to 519. Well, if you count the extensive pre-Broadway tryout of "Sugar" - Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Toronto - then Sugar played many more performances than Some Like it Hot. Also, while their Broadway runs were much the same length of time, "Sugar" ended up showing a small profit, where as "Some Like it Hot" has probably lost its entire investment (close to 20 million dollars ) - If the US national tour does materialize it will no doubt be a non-equity scaled down production. As for a life here in the UK, I think it's doubtful though the hit status of "Mrs Doubtfire" over here has probably given the producers a reason to hope for an ongoing life.
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Post by theatrefan62 on Oct 1, 2023 11:04:53 GMT
I think the difference is with most flop broadway shows that are a hit here, they are more recent movies loved by slightly younger upcoming generations of theatregoers. There's a big nostalgia element. Some like it hot, not so much.
On the sunset thread people seem obsessed with silent movies being 'unknown', but I think way more people of various generations know the basic history of movies (silent to black and white to colour) than will know and love some like it hot.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2023 11:59:29 GMT
I'll be interested to see how this is received given how it fell short of expectations in NYC. Personally, I thought the show tried too hard (something that for me is common in Nicholaw's directorial efforts in general).
It is entertaining enough and has the ingredients many associate with a winsome musical, but it is lacks something that kept it from being a must see production and generating the corresponding word of mouth. Maybe they will figure that out before it is mounted in London.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Oct 3, 2023 12:27:22 GMT
Think the Prince of Wales would be ideal for this.I wonder if Book of Morman has got a couple of more years left in it's tank till 2025? I don’t think BOM has any chance of closing, it still does very good business. But I agree- SLIH would sit very nicely in there
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Post by panda on Oct 3, 2023 13:10:27 GMT
So much of the ticket sales in the west end is reliant on tourists visiting the city. Both Thriller Live and Stomp were immediately accessible to audiences for whom English was not their first language. Based on that, I can assume this will be popular with that crowd. Having watched clips of the show on you tube, this looks infinitely better than thriller live, though I do wonder how many of the UK public will assume they have already seen this when in fact it was Thriller live they had seen previously.
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Post by panda on Oct 3, 2023 15:20:13 GMT
[/quote]Sorry - are you talking about Some Like It Hot?[/quote] Applogies, I was talking about MJ and the discussion a little further up the thread. Sorry if that confused you.
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Post by jarnew on Oct 12, 2023 17:58:54 GMT
Might it arrive sooner than we think? I'm saying this because it already has a designated slot for it on the Todaytix app, although I'm not sure how much of a confirmation or indicator that is for anything.
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Post by c4ndyc4ne on Oct 13, 2023 7:24:54 GMT
Might it arrive sooner than we think? I'm saying this because it already has a designated slot for it on the Todaytix app, although I'm not sure how much of a confirmation or indicator that is for anything. i think they generate those slots when shows signal their intent to transfer. easy way to collect more sign-ups for those 'wanting to know more'
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Post by fluxcapacitor on Oct 13, 2023 12:49:37 GMT
I'll be interested to see how this is received given how it fell short of expectations in NYC. Personally, I thought the show tried too hard (something that for me is common in Nicholaw's directorial efforts in general). It is entertaining enough and has the ingredients many associate with a winsome musical, but it is lacks something that kept it from being a must see production and generating the corresponding word of mouth. Maybe they will figure that out before it is mounted in London. See, I really enjoyed this on Broadway. I always loved the movie and I thought this was an inspired reimagining. The cast worked well, the big numbers blew me away, and the new (current) twists felt tenderly thought through and genuinely added to the depth of the piece without taking away from the comedy. I think where it's missed the mark is that it tries - successfully! - to look and feel like a traditional, big budget, golden age Broadway musical. An impressive one, yes, but if something like Crazy For You can't thrive over here I just can't see how Some Like It Hot is going to bring people in. I know for musical theatre enthusiasts they're very different shows, but for much of the public they'll seem very similar in a 30 second trailer or a TV spot. So personally I think the bums on seats would enjoy it, but marketing will have to do something pretty special to actually get it off the ground.
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Post by theatrefan62 on Oct 26, 2023 6:44:41 GMT
I don't know if he can act or sing, but watching strictly I wondered if Johannes would be considered for this. His solo tours sell very well and could be the kind of name they'd need to sell tickets.
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Post by danb on Oct 26, 2023 10:02:49 GMT
The difference would be that many people have heard of ‘Some Like It Hot’ as a classic movie, and CFY is still a bit of a niche only known in musical circles.
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Post by theatrefan62 on Oct 26, 2023 10:41:38 GMT
The difference would be that many people have heard of ‘Some Like It Hot’ as a classic movie, and CFY is still a bit of a niche only known in musical circles. True, but even then its minor. The generations that know it and love it are dying out/going to theatre less. So you're left with only really movie buffs who will have heard of it. So it's still pretty niche, and isn't a classic in same way as sound of music or singin in the rain. It's also not known as a musical so no classic songs ingrained in pop culture. I think its definitely a more risky transfer. Its not the level of recognition that legally blonde or Mrs doubtfire have for modern audiences
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Post by LaLuPone on Oct 26, 2023 11:13:23 GMT
I don't know if he can act or sing, but watching strictly I wondered if Johannes would be considered for this. His solo tours sell very well and could be the kind of name they'd need to sell tickets. I think they’ll be going for a non-binary actor for the role of Jerry/Daphne to follow the Broadway trend, they’ll end up with quite a bit of backlash otherwise (just from the loud but ultimately small mob on twitter but I still think it’s something they’ll want to avoid).
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Post by danb on Oct 26, 2023 11:15:54 GMT
The difference would be that many people have heard of ‘Some Like It Hot’ as a classic movie, and CFY is still a bit of a niche only known in musical circles. True, but even then its minor. The generations that know it and love it are dying out/going to theatre less. So you're left with only really movie buffs who will have heard of it. So it's still pretty niche, and isn't a classic in same way as sound of music or singin in the rain. It's also not known as a musical so no classic songs ingrained in pop culture. I think its definitely a more risky transfer. Its not the level of recognition that legally blonde or Mrs doubtfire have for modern audiences I don’t think that coach trips from the provinces are full of teenagers. They’re full of people 50+ who remember SLIH being on tv every Christmas. That’s where its market lies.
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Post by rayc on Sept 16, 2024 13:48:46 GMT
Just as a matter of interest does anyone know what happened to the proposed transfer of Some Like It Hot?
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