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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2016 16:50:28 GMT
I'm interested to hear what shows in London you think will close soon? I think Thriller will close soon but I'm not too sure what else?
Also, are there any new work/adaptions you want to see come to London? I would love to see the rumoured musical version of "Bridget Jones' Diary" finally see light!
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Post by infofreako on Apr 6, 2016 17:14:16 GMT
I've got to say I think thriller will hang around for a while yet. Much as I think it's run its course.
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Post by Michael on Apr 6, 2016 17:42:04 GMT
There are quite a few shows I wish that closed rather sooner than later, but I doubt they will.
How well are Mamma Mia and Jersey Boys doing? (just for the record: those two don't belong to the above mentioned shows)
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Post by anthony40 on Apr 6, 2016 17:55:47 GMT
I would love to see the rumoured musical version of "Bridget Jones' Diary" finally see light! With the third Bridget Jones film soon to be released, this is a project that may be revisited |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2016 20:24:46 GMT
I'm interested to hear what shows in London you think will close soon? I think Thriller will close soon but I'm not too sure what else? Also, are there any new work/adaptions you want to see come to London? I would love to see the rumoured musical version of "Bridget Jones' Diary" finally see light! Thriller is going nowhere. It's one of the few shows in the West End that sells out on a nightly basis. |
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Post by andrew on Apr 6, 2016 20:58:09 GMT
Thriller is going nowhere. It's one of the few shows in the West End that sells out on a nightly basis. It's just incredibly difficult to understand why. |
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Post by Seriously on Apr 6, 2016 21:07:25 GMT
Mamma Mia still seems to be doing great business too. I think it's their 17th birthday tonight or last night.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 6, 2016 22:53:59 GMT
Thriller is going nowhere. It's one of the few shows in the West End that sells out on a nightly basis. It's just incredibly difficult to understand why. Because there are nightly more people wanting to buy tickets than there are seats in the theatre. Almost continuous popular music and dancing with no dialogue. Thriller Live is box office gold. |
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Post by panda on Apr 7, 2016 5:24:40 GMT
Thriller is going nowhere. It's one of the few shows in the West End that sells out on a nightly basis. It's just incredibly difficult to understand why. It's one of those shows (like Stomp) that is accessible to people who speak any language - his songs are known around the world. Given the number of tourists in the theatre each night this must be the target audience, plus it heavily discounts for international and school groups. Whilst all of the Disney and most Cam Mack/ALW shows have been seen around the world they tend to be performed in that countries language and only the hard core international audiences who are familiar with the shows in their own language tend to book to see the show in English if they don't understand the lyrics. |
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Post by viserys on Apr 7, 2016 6:12:59 GMT
Hmmm, I'm quite sure that long-runs like Phantom and Les Mis also rely mostly on the (foreign) tourist audience. People who saw Phantom some years ago in their home country perhaps and would now like to see the original version or just revisit it, knowing the story well enough to follow it even with bad English, etc. Same as Disney stuff like Lion King where everyone knows the movie anyway.
But yes, I get your point that dance-based shows consisting solely of existing pop hits are even more accessible to foreign audiences and something like Thriller is also more appealing to the countless school groups in London than Phantom or some such.
I think Thriller wouldn't be half as annoying if it wasn't clogging up one of the theatres along Shaftesbury Avenue in such a prominent space and which we always pass. I find it easy to forget that Stomp exists for example, because it's tucked away in a little side street.
For some years I kept hoping that the whole jukebox thing would go away, but now I think it's established itself as a genre on its own firmly aimed at tourists, hen nights and other groups looking solely for some mindless entertainment. While I would like to see the theatres freed up for some "better" shows, considering the string of bland new musicals that pretty much flopped, I realize that I don't care all that much anymore. The most exciting stuff seems to be happening on the fringe in recent years anyway.
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Post by Steffi on Apr 7, 2016 6:30:46 GMT
There are quite a few shows I wish that closed rather sooner than later, but I doubt they will. How well are Mamma Mia and Jersey Boys doing? (just for the record: those two don't belong to the above mentioned shows) Jersey Boys is doing fine from what I've been told.  |
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Post by Michael on Apr 7, 2016 6:48:58 GMT
Jersey Boys is doing fine from what I've been told. Glad to hear. Jersey Boys isn't one of the shows I could see twice a day, but I really enjoy seeing it once every six months. I think the West End would lack something if Jersey Boys wasn't around anymore. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2016 7:10:30 GMT
Nothing wrong with a jukebox musical in principle, taking popular songs of the day, jamming them all together, and weaving a (usually flimsy) story around them. It's how musical theatre was in the early days, yet you never hear people complaining about Cole Porter shows in the way they complain about an Abba show. How soon they forget.....
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Post by freckles on Apr 7, 2016 7:24:08 GMT
Nothing wrong with a jukebox musical in principle, taking popular songs of the day, jamming them all together, and weaving a (usually flimsy) story around them. It's how musical theatre was in the early days, yet you never hear people complaining about Cole Porter shows in the way they complain about an Abba show. How soon they forget..... Very true, but sometimes this works better than others. I prefer the other sort of jukebox musical, that's a biography of an artist or group, rather than a made up narrative. I As a music fan, I find that interesting. Some are a clever mix of the two. But it has to be music I enjoy, I'd hate to sit through a whole evening of music by certain artists... But because of the familiarity of the material, jukebox musicals will always be steady sellers and I agree that Thriller will endure for longer. I think it's the more traditional musicals that struggle. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2016 10:11:12 GMT
I'd love to see the Cilla Black musical go into work, I've planned it and everything but to see it see light would be interesting.
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Post by stageyninja83 on Apr 7, 2016 11:37:37 GMT
Jersey Boys is doing fine from what I've been told. Glad to hear. Jersey Boys isn't one of the shows I could see twice a day, but I really enjoy seeing it once every six months. I think the West End would lack something if Jersey Boys wasn't around anymore. I believe they have only been given 6 month rather than 1 year contracts this time with a view to extend....could be due to uncertainty over such a big cast change, or could be due to sales. Some week night are very quiet. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2016 11:57:16 GMT
Glad to hear. Jersey Boys isn't one of the shows I could see twice a day, but I really enjoy seeing it once every six months. I think the West End would lack something if Jersey Boys wasn't around anymore. I believe they have only been given 6 month rather than 1 year contracts this time with a view to extend....could be due to uncertainty over such a big cast change, or could be due to sales. Some week night are very quiet. Or a change in theatres…..! |
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Post by andrew on Apr 7, 2016 12:02:38 GMT
Overall though I'd much rather the shows I dearly loved closed up shop to make way for something new than run for years and years, so I feel justified saying the same thing about Thriller, or Stomp. I love Miss Saigon a painful amount, but am quite happy for it to leave so we can have something different.
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Post by Steffi on Apr 7, 2016 12:28:43 GMT
Glad to hear. Jersey Boys isn't one of the shows I could see twice a day, but I really enjoy seeing it once every six months. I think the West End would lack something if Jersey Boys wasn't around anymore. I believe they have only been given 6 month rather than 1 year contracts this time with a view to extend....could be due to uncertainty over such a big cast change, or could be due to sales. Some week night are very quiet. I've just asked someone in the cast and have been told this isn't true. The cast is on 1 year contracts just like they always have been. And while the show is quiet on some evenings at the moment it's doing ok. This time of year has often been a bit quiet in the past, so nothing out of the ordinary happening. :-) |
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Post by Jon on Apr 7, 2016 12:32:12 GMT
My view is that too many long running shows is not good for the West End, theatre isn't a museum and new shows good or bad bring variety to the West End.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2016 13:19:01 GMT
Sunny Afternoon please...
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Post by jaqs on Apr 7, 2016 14:16:40 GMT
Things have been pretty fluid the last few years with many shows not hanging around, both due to failure and limited transfers like Gypsy.
We've lost chicago and Blood Brothers and Charlie and Billy will be off soon. Most of the biggest theatres have had a lot of movement.
I think the poor quality/unreadiness of new shows like Dagenham, Beckham, I can't sing etc has been more of an issue than the museum pieces sticking around.
We need a reasonable amount of long runners (and probably harry potter) to remind producers that theatre is still worth risking their money on.
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Post by ali973 on Apr 7, 2016 14:28:50 GMT
I'm really shocked by the success of Jersey Boys. I mean..why and how? How does this show not only cater to a certain age demographic, and do they really love The Four Seasons that much to keep it running for so long?
It's such an unremarkable show with songs that don't lend themselves well to a theatrical piece. I'd take the cheese of Mama Mia an day over Jersey Boys. I like several "book" jukebox musicals like Pricella and The Bodyguard, and can even tolerate the cheese of Mamma Mia (though I won't seek it), but I just can't fathom the interest or success of bio-jukebox musicals like Jersey Boys, Sunny Afternoon and Beautiful.
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Post by Steffi on Apr 7, 2016 14:40:28 GMT
Jersey Boys for me is a mix of songs I enjoy listening to combined with a - for a jukebox musical - tight and well delivered storyline. It works and appeals to not just the generation that grew up with listening to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.
I'm not saying it's in the same league as lets say Sondheim and such. But in my eyes it's definitely one of the good jukebox musicals and I'm glad it's still doing well.
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Post by mallardo on Apr 7, 2016 14:45:13 GMT
Jersey Boys is the crème de la creme of jukebox musicals in the way it integrates a genuinely compelling story into its parade of hits. Its book is innovative and strong in a way that few others are. I would also say that Beautiful, a more traditional piece, has a strong book, by turns funny and dramatic, which links the songs in an expert way. Neither show is making it on the songs alone.
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