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Post by dontdreamit on Sept 30, 2018 16:10:03 GMT
I asked the merch guy when I was there this week. He said there was a meeting on Monday and they were supposed to have been told then but weren’t. I don’t know how reliable that is, but I have noticed that it seems to be sellling a little better when looking at the seating plans. I’m still hoping for an extension, but I kind of think we would have heard by now, especially as there’s only 3 months left of the booking period. No idea whether it will extend or not but the last extension from Oct to Jan was announced at the end of July when there was a similar 3 months left of the booking period. Fingers crossed then we hear something positive soon 🙂 |
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Post by danb on Sept 30, 2018 18:32:52 GMT
They have launched a fan ticket selling ‘system’ where you can earn rewards & tickets to free shows by flogging tickets to your mates. It is either genius or a sign of desperation. As someone has said it does appear to be selling slightly better so maybe it has found a bit more of a weekday audience?
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Post by l0islane on Sept 30, 2018 18:51:05 GMT
They have launched a fan ticket selling ‘system’ where you can earn rewards & tickets to free shows by flogging tickets to your mates. It is either genius or a sign of desperation. As someone has said it does appear to be selling slightly better so maybe it has found a bit more of a weekday audience? That Ambassador thing is so weird, you only earn rewards for taking friends on Fridays! Surely if they want to encourage sales you should earn rewards for bringing friends whenever or only on less popular weekdays?! They also do very few deals for a show that isn't selling that well and have actually put ticket prices up! Their strange ticket strategies make it difficult to assess whether it's doing OK or not!! |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2018 18:52:06 GMT
Well there is only one way to find out, check next weeks sales. Monday is only about half sold whilst Tuesday to Thursday appears to be around 60% full. Thursday and Friday verge onto the 70% full with the opening of the whole Dress on the Friday which is half closed on weekdays. Both Saturday shows then sit somewhere in the 70% to 80% full. For a show this big, with a large cast and production, its not great but we must remember it is quiet all over the West End at the mo with the exception of the likes of Hamilton and Potter, as well as the shows soon closing like Kinky Boots which appeared on social media to enjoy sold out weekends. It has to do something.
Could any of the roles be star cast do we think? The annoying thing is the two parents and Danielle are amazing, and the guy currently playing the lead is great too. I don't want any of them to leave but they are the only roles really a star could replace unless they give Christina the boot.
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Post by l0islane on Sept 30, 2018 19:22:39 GMT
Well there is only one way to find out, check next weeks sales. Monday is only about half sold whilst Tuesday to Thursday appears to be around 60% full. Thursday and Friday verge onto the 70% full with the opening of the whole Dress on the Friday which is half closed on weekdays. Both Saturday shows then sit somewhere in the 70% to 80% full. For a show this big, with a large cast and production, its not great but we must remember it is quiet all over the West End at the mo with the exception of the likes of Hamilton and Potter, as well as the shows soon closing like Kinky Boots which appeared on social media to enjoy sold out weekends. It has to do something. Could any of the roles be star cast do we think? The annoying thing is the two parents and Danielle are amazing, and the guy currently playing the lead is great too. I don't want any of them to leave but they are the only roles really a star could replace unless they give Christina the boot. Is it that straightforward though? I know very little about such things but the Dominion has a pretty big capacity so it is difficult to compare with other shows in general? Also if they are refusing to discount much and so the majority of tickets they're selling are at full price, they could be making more than other shows that are selling out at discounted prices? I'm biased though because I want it to extend so I'm probably looking at it too positively!  |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2018 19:29:03 GMT
Well there is only one way to find out, check next weeks sales. Monday is only about half sold whilst Tuesday to Thursday appears to be around 60% full. Thursday and Friday verge onto the 70% full with the opening of the whole Dress on the Friday which is half closed on weekdays. Both Saturday shows then sit somewhere in the 70% to 80% full. For a show this big, with a large cast and production, its not great but we must remember it is quiet all over the West End at the mo with the exception of the likes of Hamilton and Potter, as well as the shows soon closing like Kinky Boots which appeared on social media to enjoy sold out weekends. It has to do something. Could any of the roles be star cast do we think? The annoying thing is the two parents and Danielle are amazing, and the guy currently playing the lead is great too. I don't want any of them to leave but they are the only roles really a star could replace unless they give Christina the boot. Is it that straightforward though? I know very little about such things but the Dominion has a pretty big capacity so it is difficult to compare with other shows in general? Also if they are refusing to discount much and so the majority of tickets they're selling are at full price, they could be making more than other shows that are selling out at discounted prices? I'm biased though because I want it to extend so I'm probably looking at it too positively! I want it to extend too, like I said in my reviews, there are some very good things about it and heaven knows the Dominion needs a hit. It's always a tough one with venues this size because you never know how expensive shows are, how many people they have to get in etc. If the Dominion is say half full, that is still capacity of say a smaller West End house. However, the venue itself costs more because of its size, and the production costs more because of its size of show. Also, their promo budget must be huge too with the amount there is about. I think it's a tough one to judge. I can see one of two things happening based on its current state of affairs. Either it will close shortly after the winter to get the final tourists in, or it will do one more Summer and close this time next year. We shall see. Kinda wanna see a cast change happen to see also if the avid fans will be so welcome to new cast members etc*. *but keep Danielle. Forever and always. |
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Post by dontdreamit on Sept 30, 2018 19:39:28 GMT
You see for me, it’s keep Rob and Sharon. They’ve been phenomenal every single time I’ve seen the show, and I probably connect more with their characters in the show than Raven and Strat- but that’s probably more to do with having been with the other half for what seems forever at times!
But that aside, another summer would be really lovely, especially as they’d pick up quite a lot of the tourist crowd one would assume. I’ve also wondered if the fact that you have 3 other musicals closing in January may give it a bit of reprieve for a few months.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 30, 2018 19:44:14 GMT
What they should do is make a point of saying "final explosive Summer" or something, really drill it into people's heads this is it, the theatre will be packed with the fans and the tourists.
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Post by danb on Sept 30, 2018 19:44:29 GMT
Is it that straightforward though? I know very little about such things but the Dominion has a pretty big capacity so it is difficult to compare with other shows in general? Also if they are refusing to discount much and so the majority of tickets they're selling are at full price, they could be making more than other shows that are selling out at discounted prices? I'm biased though because I want it to extend so I'm probably looking at it too positively! I want it to extend too, like I said in my reviews, there are some very good things about it and heaven knows the Dominion needs a hit. It's always a tough one with venues this size because you never know how expensive shows are, how many people they have to get in etc. If the Dominion is say half full, that is still capacity of say a smaller West End house. However, the venue itself costs more because of its size, and the production costs more because of its size of show. Also, their promo budget must be huge too with the amount there is about. I think it's a tough one to judge. I can see one of two things happening based on its current state of affairs. Either it will close shortly after the winter to get the final tourists in, or it will do one more Summer and close this time next year. We shall see. Kinda wanna see a cast change happen to see also if the avid fans will be so welcome to new cast members etc*. *but keep Danielle. Forever and always. Let’s not forget ‘the Hillsong factor’, where the pressures to fill the Dominion are slightly offset by a massive chunk of rent from the Sunday worship crowd...and the producers seem to have very deep pockets. This is a global product and I can’t see them wanting to lose face on home territory. From what I gather, the recent price/layout changes bring the ‘average ticket price’ to one that helps them reach their break even more securely. |
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Post by viserys on Oct 1, 2018 5:10:40 GMT
Well, I'm just back from a weekend in London an did my bit of fan-ambassadoring, too, dragging @emicardiff along into the Batcave on Saturday evening (sorry about the beer-spilling lady!). The stalls looked pretty much full to me, bar the odd few seats here and there. Almost the whole first cast was on, except Danielle. If the Dominion is say half full, that is still capacity of say a smaller West End house That's actually my favorite argument - if Bat was playing at a regular 1400-1500 seater, it would often be sold-out in the weekends and doing okay business during the week. They don't discount all that much and seem to use TodayTix, TKTS, etc. to fill all these hard-to-shift seats in the back and side stalls and make money on sheer mass alone due to the theatre's size. I'd also suggest that as these are American producers, they just might do things a little differently - Broadway has this system of giving out discount codes (even for shows that do pretty well), which London doesn't to that extent. They've introduced the "singalong" performances (something Mamma mia could have done years ago but no one seems to have thought of it) and unlike every other show that just sells premium tickets at outrageous prices, Bat actually offers fan packages with extra value where you get a goodie bag, a signed poster and free drinks along with your premium ticket. So why not reward the hyper fans if they bring friends along as another creative new marketing tool? It also seems to be fairly normal for American producers to just extend in little chunks, Book of Mormon has been doing it for years. I’ve also wondered if the fact that you have 3 other musicals closing in January may give it a bit of reprieve for a few months. That and word getting around, I presume. It just takes a while for punters to see it, enjoy it, tell their mates, them booking tickets, spreading the word further, etc. And finally, they are now gearing up promotion for the US Tour and Germany will be opening soon, too. I'm sure the producers will want to be flogging it in the US as "is enjoying a successful run in London and now opening on the continent" and not in "folded in London after less than a year". Their pockets are deep, none more than Steinman's and it's a prestige thing for him to see "his Peter Pan Musical" enjoying a good run after decades of wanting this on stage. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2018 7:42:02 GMT
As above, I did indeed experience Bat on Saturday. Did also indeed have the lady behind me's beer spilled all over my bag....so I smelled like I'd been to a concert for a bit.
I summed it up with 'I have no idea what just happened but I enjoyed it.' I'll come back later when I'm more awake with actual thoughts/review but my overall take was; you go to have fun and it delivers. Obviously if you loathe that style of music you'll hate it, I'm no Meatloaf super fan (ok, I knew 3 songs) but I enjoy rock music as a whole, and there's no denying that music is some of the highest quality. Also the songs themselves, being storytelling lend themselves to musicals.
You also can't deny the scale/scope/entertainment factor of the beast. Again, is it my natural habitat, not at all but that doesn't mean I don't have a damn good time when I do go to things like that. It's like if you usually go to local club gigs but then see a massive arena show, both of them serve different purposes but they're both bloody good fun.
Anyway I need more coffee before I venture further into bat analysis.
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Post by happytobehere on Oct 1, 2018 19:02:45 GMT
I’ve got tickets to this Friday’s show & I saw that Strat will be played by Simon (the alternate). Last time i saw the main Strat & he was great; does anyone know how good the cover Strat is?
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Post by sazzy on Oct 2, 2018 7:20:21 GMT
All of the alternates are very good. I saw Simon Gordon last week and he was great. They all have slightly different interpretations of the role. You'll enjoy the show just as much with the alternates, I wouldn't worry!
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Post by alison on Oct 5, 2018 20:14:17 GMT
Is it that straightforward though? I know very little about such things but the Dominion has a pretty big capacity so it is difficult to compare with other shows in general? Also if they are refusing to discount much and so the majority of tickets they're selling are at full price, they could be making more than other shows that are selling out at discounted prices? I'm biased though because I want it to extend so I'm probably looking at it too positively! I want it to extend too, like I said in my reviews, there are some very good things about it and heaven knows the Dominion needs a hit. It's always a tough one with venues this size because you never know how expensive shows are, how many people they have to get in etc. If the Dominion is say half full, that is still capacity of say a smaller West End house. However, the venue itself costs more because of its size, and the production costs more because of its size of show. Also, their promo budget must be huge too with the amount there is about. I think it's a tough one to judge. I can see one of two things happening based on its current state of affairs. Either it will close shortly after the winter to get the final tourists in, or it will do one more Summer and close this time next year. We shall see. Kinda wanna see a cast change happen to see also if the avid fans will be so welcome to new cast members etc*.*but keep Danielle. Forever and always. Bib - remember that those of us who have been avid fans since last year have already had a fairly major cast change. Some of those who were new to the show this year are definitely now fan favourites.
I'm really hoping the extension will happen, but it feels like it's starting to get to the point where if they don't announce it soon, there's no time. Fingers crossed!
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Post by theatreian on Oct 5, 2018 20:22:59 GMT
I just saw that Giovanni Spano is through to the Judges houses stage of X factor. I saw him in Bat out of Hell a few weeks ago, so I wonder how he gets on as he will have to come out of it if he gets through to the live shows! He was great in the show though and I remember seeing him in Footloose to years ago.
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Post by jamb0r on Oct 9, 2018 17:37:31 GMT
A few outlets are announcing on social media that this is closing on the 5th January
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Post by ensembleswings on Oct 9, 2018 17:38:52 GMT
Closing 5th Jan. Can’t say it comes as a huge shock to me but it’s disappointing to see
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2018 17:47:22 GMT
Shame
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Post by richey on Oct 9, 2018 17:49:19 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2018 17:53:50 GMT
It’s a shame but not a surprise. Perhaps Moulin Rouge can get fast tracked here before Broadway, or more likely, the Starlight Express revival.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2018 17:56:35 GMT
No real surprise but so much from its initial limited run with Toronto, a West End run and US Tour. I'm sure it's not the last we've seen of it!
I'm excited to see what happens next for the theatre and some cast members!
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Post by ensembleswings on Oct 9, 2018 18:02:58 GMT
Definitely going to have to go back once more before closing. Was debating between this and Jamie for next week, closing announcement means the decision has been made.
Interested to see what goes into this theatre. I just can’t picture any show coming over/transferring into town that’ll survive even a limited run given the capacity.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2018 18:16:44 GMT
'Fun Home' might get that transfer after all.
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Post by happytobehere on Oct 9, 2018 18:19:41 GMT
Ah that’s made me quite sad. It’s one of my personal favourites. I need to go and see it at least one more before it’s gone!
I really hope the cast go on to do great work in the West End, they’re all so great!
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Post by viserys on Oct 9, 2018 18:28:16 GMT
Well, not exactly a huge surprise or shock considering the weak advance sales, even though I kept hoping it would be "enough" to keep running. I'm now very glad that I went all-out crazy in summer with more frequent trips to London to cram a few Bats in and I'll see it at least once or twice more before it closes.
But I just fail to understand how this show with so many dedicated fans and such great audience reactions every time I saw it, didn't do better and couldn't even manage a full year when so much dross runs for years. I honestly don't think it was successful enough to justify a tour in the UK. They'll do the US Tour and hopefully sell decently over there and I guess that'll be it.
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