Clueless The Musical - Churchill Bromley / Trafalgar

[unseaworthy]

A musical based on a film set in a high school? Where have I heard that idea before?

[mrbarnaby]

It’s a truly terrible poster.

Still, something for the Heathers crowd I suppose.

[ladidah]

That is the cheapest poster ever, looks like AI did it.

[anthony40]

“My plastic surgeon doesn’t want me doing any activity where balls are flying at my nose.”

[mkb]

Just looked at the second Saturday, and it's £99.50 for the cheapest half-decent seat, and that assumes there isn't a high stage. I think that's a pass from me at those prices. It's hardly a must-see.

[singingbird]

Whether or not this show is any good, it just gets me down that it is yet another musical based on a film about teenage girls at an American high school. They all feel interchangeable to me. I realise that it's a case of 'this sells, so let's do another.'

I was having a conversation the other day about who the predominant audience is for new musical theatre, and was saying that I always assumed the main theatre-going audience was older people who had disposable income, and I was wondering why there were so few new 'adult' shows in the vein of classics like My Fair Lady, South Pacific, Fiddler, Company, Evita etc etc. My friend responded that the cost of mortgages, childcare etc is so high these days that theatre is largely the preserve now of younger people who are working but have no dependents. But then another friend disagreed and said that most theatre audiences are older people whose children have left home and that producers ae desperate to try and attract a young demographic to something that is still seen as a relatively elitist and privileged pastime.

I wondered what other people thought about this, and if they can explain the overwhelming plethora of youth-orientated musicals.

Or... is the audience for this people who were young in the nineties and now just want nostalgia???

[longinthetooth]

Along with Heathers, Mean Girls and anything of that ilk, this leaves me stone cold.

[westendcub]

Shall be going to see this but going to hold out on booking as the prices are a tad steep, shall look to nab these in the new year sale!!

[Phantom of London]

Let’s see with this one. I really like Glenn Slater as a lyricist he is one of the best in the business.

[Steve]

Hilariously, you pay MORE for previews!

From September 24th, midweek shows are cheaper, so, for example, you can get Row B Stalls for £69.50.

When I saw this at the end of the run in Bromley, KT Tunstall said it was a "workshop" and was "changing every day," and that a new song had just been added.

I felt it was in pretty good shape, but that the first half needed more choreography, and the second half needed a better climactic number.

Some spoilers follow. . .

As an adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma," I think this show earns its place as a little different from other teen shows.

At Bromley, Annie Southall was hilarious as Tai, but I imagine she's stuck assistant dance-captaining "Mean Girls" now, though her comic skills are evident even there in a few brief scenes. The other performer I really liked at the "workshop" was Keelan McAuley as Josh, who was outstanding.

There was a "Legally Blonde" type number, at the beginning of the second half, called "Reasonable Doubt," that melded the doubts in a legal case with the doubts of a young romantic, and which was, for me, the show's highlight. As a consequence, the conclusion of the show all fell down a bit after that as it couldn't top it.

Anyhow, I'd love to see it again in a final version.

[capybara]

Don’t get all the negativity. This was really good in Bromley, memorable score and captured the spirit of the original film perfectly.

Streets ahead of the West End production of Mean Girls, even in its workshop phase. Can’t wait for this but will wait for offers and rush tickets nearer the time.

[singingbird]

Sept 9, 2024 11:51:18 GMT capybara said:

Don’t get all the negativity. This was really good in Bromley, memorable score and captured the spirit of the original film perfectly.

Streets ahead of the West End production of Mean Girls, even in its workshop phase. Can’t wait for this but will wait for offers and rush tickets nearer the time.

I'm not doubting it's good. I'll probably really enjoy it. It's just that it feels like there's a bit of a production line at the moment of nineties/noughties high school films being musicalized, coupled with a wider trend for shows with teen/early twenties protagonists generally talking about identity, dating etc. and I wondered why that was the current zeitgeist, and wishing there was a bit more of a broad selection of new musicals to choose from. 

[Phantom of London]

Is it ripe now to revive Grease?

[singingbird]

Sept 9, 2024 12:06:29 GMT Phantom of London said:

Is it ripe now to revive Grease?

I'd love a small theatre do either the original Chicago Grease or, more plausibly, the original Broadway version. It would obviously have to be marketed carefully, because some of the most familiar songs would be missing!

[normasturban]

Surely a large part of the “why now?” aspect of this particular genre of movie adaptation musicals seeing the light of the day is that the creatives involved were of an age when the originals were released.

Fans of these movies when they were first released are all in their 30s/early 40s now and in the industry. Heathers is significantly older than the rest of them which is why it was the first of this wave.

I’m not sure it’s much deeper than that.

[singingbird]

Sept 9, 2024 12:19:28 GMT normasturban said:

Surely a large part of the “why now?” aspect of this particular genre of movie adaptation musicals seeing the light of the day is that the creatives involved were of an age when the originals were released.

Fans of these movies when they were first released are all in their 30s/early 40s now and in the industry. Heathers is significantly older than the rest of them which is why it was the first of this wave.

I’m not sure it’s much deeper than that.

Good point well made.

[sph]

Sept 9, 2024 11:06:54 GMT singingbird said:

Whether or not this show is any good, it just gets me down that it is yet another musical based on a film about teenage girls at an American high school. They all feel interchangeable to me. I realise that it's a case of 'this sells, so let's do another.'

I was having a conversation the other day about who the predominant audience is for new musical theatre, and was saying that I always assumed the main theatre-going audience was older people who had disposable income, and I was wondering why there were so few new 'adult' shows in the vein of classics like My Fair Lady, South Pacific, Fiddler, Company, Evita etc etc. My friend responded that the cost of mortgages, childcare etc is so high these days that theatre is largely the preserve now of younger people who are working but have no dependents. But then another friend disagreed and said that most theatre audiences are older people whose children have left home and that producers ae desperate to try and attract a young demographic to something that is still seen as a relatively elitist and privileged pastime.

I wondered what other people thought about this, and if they can explain the overwhelming plethora of youth-orientated musicals.

Or... is the audience for this people who were young in the nineties and now just want nostalgia???

I think both your friends are right, but there's just two different audiences going to two different types of shows. It's just interesting how many shows of this specific genre have spawned in recent years. Not even just on a large scale though, but even smaller ones like Eugenius or Be More Chill. They seem to sell and they're a hit with the TikTok generation, so... which one will be next? 

Even something like Hercules seems to be more of a millennial-pleaser title rather than a beloved Disney Classic that appeals to everyone across the board.

[Jon]

Theatre is a business so producers look at trends on what works and what doesn't work. Serious musicals aren't in trend at the moment and I don't blame producers for relying on IP, big names and/or lighter fare.

[sph]

I can imagine something in the fantasy area of that genre being next. Like Teen Witch or The Craft or something.

[danb]

Whenever a classic musical has gone out either on tour on in London recently they have really struggled. ‘Anything Goes’ and ‘The King & I’ to name but two were comp-tastic throughout. It’s a bit reductive to generalise that old things are being brushed aside in favour of new for any reason other than they are less financially successful. Look at ‘Dolly’! Lovely idea, relatively well executed…comps & discounts all over the shop. A blend of the two is a healthy median.

[tcb]

Saw this in Bromley. My daughter is a big fan of the “teen high school” musicals but I’d put this at the bottom of the list compared to Heathers, Mean Girls and legally blonde.

I’d guessed it would be getting a transfer as the set was obviously not made just for a two week run in Bromley. Annoyingly they’d run out of programmes by day 5.

The market is definitely there for this kind of show but i think the pricing and probably the casting may play a large part in how well it does.

[nash16]

Sarna Lapine out as director.

Rachel Kavanaugh in.

Loved the performers in this at Bromley, but the show itself never lifted off.

Here's hoping..

[kyvai]

Sept 9, 2024 14:46:37 GMT sph said:

I can imagine something in the fantasy area of that genre being next. Like Teen Witch or The Craft or something.

Oooh, The Craft!!! I’d be all over that.

“We Are The Weirdos” would be the end of act 1 obvs

[properjob]

Sept 9, 2024 12:19:28 GMT normasturban said:

Surely a large part of the “why now?” aspect of this particular genre of movie adaptation musicals seeing the light of the day is that the creatives involved were of an age when the originals were released.

Fans of these movies when they were first released are all in their 30s/early 40s now and in the industry. Heathers is significantly older than the rest of them which is why it was the first of this wave.

I’m not sure it’s much deeper than that.

I read either in the program notes or an interview with the Heathers (musical) creators that they were expecting an audience demographic of people who remembered the film the first time round but what they actually ended up with is an audience much closer to high school age.

[unseaworthy]

They are releasing an EP of the soundtrack before it opens