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Post by blamerobots on Sept 24, 2024 7:51:36 GMT
Strange stuff. Maybe they've found somewhere off-Bway?
But yeah the chances of me seeing this again are not much unless it goes on tour or something.
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Post by usbuzzer on Sept 24, 2024 8:01:43 GMT
Is the lottery still an easy win? I remember signing up months ago with my partner and we both got it on the first try (but haven't bought it as we were only testing). Now I'm wondering, how to repeat that success when we actually want to come in a month 😅 If you have any tips, please share!
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 24, 2024 8:19:37 GMT
They want people to react in outrage at the suggestion that they might replace the original cast, talking about the show a lot and drumming up publicity. They just want attention, but they go about it in such stupid ways. |
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 24, 2024 8:22:18 GMT
Is the lottery still an easy win? I remember signing up months ago with my partner and we both got it on the first try (but haven't bought it as we were only testing). Now I'm wondering, how to repeat that success when we actually want to come in a month 😅 If you have any tips, please share! Not particularly easy, as when you enter once, you're in it for good so there's now a lot more people in it. Email addresses that are on their first drawing definitely have a much better chance of winning, though |
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Post by partytentdown on Sept 24, 2024 8:25:49 GMT
But WHO? Presumably the majority of people receiving these strange messages are folks who have seen the show already. Wouldn't it be better to spend the time/money telling everyone how good the original cast are, not sending these underwhelming stats?
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Post by usbuzzer on Sept 24, 2024 8:30:15 GMT
Is the lottery still an easy win? I remember signing up months ago with my partner and we both got it on the first try (but haven't bought it as we were only testing). Now I'm wondering, how to repeat that success when we actually want to come in a month 😅 If you have any tips, please share! Not particularly easy, as when you enter once, you're in it for good so there's now a lot more people in it. Email addresses that are on their first drawing definitely have a much better chance of winning, though Is the winning link connected to the email? I wonder if a friend with a new email can enter and in case of a win, share a link with me so I could buy them. |
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Post by partytentdown on Sept 24, 2024 8:36:25 GMT
It's quite hard to win now as the mailing list has grown so much, and the decent seats get snapped up in a few minutes
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Post by khiar on Sept 24, 2024 9:42:44 GMT
Not particularly easy, as when you enter once, you're in it for good so there's now a lot more people in it. Email addresses that are on their first drawing definitely have a much better chance of winning, though Is the winning link connected to the email? I wonder if a friend with a new email can enter and in case of a win, share a link with me so I could buy them. Yep, you and your friends can sign up on your various email addresses. The links aren't tied to a certain person, just each link can only be used once, and only as long as lottery seats are still available. Winning links also get passed around between fans. |
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Post by anywherespace on Sept 24, 2024 12:43:56 GMT
What is it that is holding back announcing the transfer? Is it casting? Is it confirming a theatre? It seems as though every week something new comes out to suggest an announcement will be any day now and then they just report another West End extension.
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Post by craigbowker on Sept 25, 2024 8:48:58 GMT
I honestly think the 'radical transparency' approach to producing a West End / Broadway show could 10000% work and be VERY interesting, especially if it was done sort of documentary/true BTS style.
The issue is that is seems so forced and cringe, especially with trying to get specific reactions.
I've seen this show six times. I loved the original cast. I'd love to see some of them move to Broadway. I ALSO think several of the original cast are not cut out for a Broadway audience, vocals wise. I would support stunt casting. I would also strongly, strongly support bringing in a new director to freshen it. Whether it was the director or a resident director that worked with the West End Cast 2, they didn't do a great job. Lots of jokes that used to hit with OGs are delivered flat now. They're all very talented but I'm seeing a real lack of experienced leadership both creatively and producing wise.
I went from telling everyone about this, seeing it multiple times over several months, to literally being sort of meh about it. And it's because of decisions made at the top.
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Post by partytentdown on Sept 25, 2024 8:56:10 GMT
I honestly think the 'radical transparency' approach to producing a West End / Broadway show could 10000% work and be VERY interesting, especially if it was done sort of documentary/true BTS style. The issue is that is seems so forced and cringe, especially with trying to get specific reactions. I've seen this show six times. I loved the original cast. I'd love to see some of them move to Broadway. I ALSO think several of the original cast are not cut out for a Broadway audience, vocals wise. I would support stunt casting. I would also strongly, strongly support bringing in a new director to freshen it. Whether it was the director or a resident director that worked with the West End Cast 2, they didn't do a great job. Lots of jokes that used to hit with OGs are delivered flat now. They're all very talented but I'm seeing a real lack of experienced leadership both creatively and producing wise. I went from telling everyone about this, seeing it multiple times over several months, to literally being sort of meh about it. And it's because of decisions made at the top. I feel very similar, I saw various iterations of the original cast 5 times in the west end and at Southwark. I rarely see a show more than once but this tapped into my exact sense of humour - I agree that a couple of them weren't the strongest singers but their sense of comic timing and something about the fun they were all having on stage, and the scrappy nature of it all, swept me along. Albeit , half of these visits were at the lottery rate, on great stalls seats, when that still seemed achievable. A few months later I saw the new cast, and although they aren't bad, they just don't seem to have the same spark and a lot of the lines fell flat. Perhaps this is just naturally what happens with a West End show over time and cast changes (I'm sure if we compared, say, today's Book of Mormon with the original they wouldn't compare) but I'm also now in a place where I'm quite 'meh' about it and wouldn't rush back unless there was some interesting casting or something. |
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 25, 2024 9:37:52 GMT
I honestly think the 'radical transparency' approach to producing a West End / Broadway show could 10000% work and be VERY interesting, especially if it was done sort of documentary/true BTS style. That isn't what is going on here, though. They are not genuinely being transparent, they are trying to manipulate people into being very vocal about things on social media in order to provide them with more publicity. As has been said, the Broadway run is already planned. They know they're taking the original cast. I also think this show absolutely needs the original cast to work best on Broadway. Their vocals are far from bad and their chemistry and comic ability are unmatched, as seen by the second cast in the West End. Stunt casting would absolutely destroy this - I can't believe they could find a big enough name for it to be worth it who also has the necessarily skills in character acting to pull off any of the characters. |
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Post by westendgirl on Sept 25, 2024 10:19:53 GMT
I honestly think the 'radical transparency' approach to producing a West End / Broadway show could 10000% work and be VERY interesting, especially if it was done sort of documentary/true BTS style. The issue is that is seems so forced and cringe, especially with trying to get specific reactions. I've seen this show six times. I loved the original cast. I'd love to see some of them move to Broadway. I ALSO think several of the original cast are not cut out for a Broadway audience, vocals wise. I would support stunt casting. I would also strongly, strongly support bringing in a new director to freshen it. Whether it was the director or a resident director that worked with the West End Cast 2, they didn't do a great job. Lots of jokes that used to hit with OGs are delivered flat now. They're all very talented but I'm seeing a real lack of experienced leadership both creatively and producing wise. I went from telling everyone about this, seeing it multiple times over several months, to literally being sort of meh about it. And it's because of decisions made at the top. I feel very similar, I saw various iterations of the original cast 5 times in the west end and at Southwark. I rarely see a show more than once but this tapped into my exact sense of humour - I agree that a couple of them weren't the strongest singers but their sense of comic timing and something about the fun they were all having on stage, and the scrappy nature of it all, swept me along. Albeit , half of these visits were at the lottery rate, on great stalls seats, when that still seemed achievable. A few months later I saw the new cast, and although they aren't bad, they just don't seem to have the same spark and a lot of the lines fell flat. Perhaps this is just naturally what happens with a West End show over time and cast changes (I'm sure if we compared, say, today's Book of Mormon with the original they wouldn't compare) but I'm also now in a place where I'm quite 'meh' about it and wouldn't rush back unless there was some interesting casting or something. Same. I saw the show about 10 times with the original cast, went to see the new cast recently and have no plans to go back unless anything interesting happens. |
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Post by craigbowker on Sept 25, 2024 12:02:04 GMT
I honestly think the 'radical transparency' approach to producing a West End / Broadway show could 10000% work and be VERY interesting, especially if it was done sort of documentary/true BTS style. That isn't what is going on here, though. They are not genuinely being transparent, they are trying to manipulate people into being very vocal about things on social media in order to provide them with more publicity. As has been said, the Broadway run is already planned. They know they're taking the original cast. I also think this show absolutely needs the original cast to work best on Broadway. Their vocals are far from bad and their chemistry and comic ability are unmatched, as seen by the second cast in the West End. Stunt casting would absolutely destroy this - I can't believe they could find a big enough name for it to be worth it who also has the necessarily skills in character acting to pull off any of the characters. I don't think they could afford him but Daniel Radcliffe as Chumley I think would be great. There are folks out there with proper direction could do it. |
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Post by theatrebelle on Sept 25, 2024 13:19:47 GMT
I second everyone else with saying it’s lost a bit of sparkle since cast change. I went from seeing it every other month, to just not really being so bothered about it now.
Yes this could be that I’ve just exhausted my time with the show and it has lost its novelty to me, but I can’t help but think cast has played a big part. So much of Montagu’s humour has been lost with the new direction, and the chemistry between the cast doesn’t quite shine through as much.
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Post by partytentdown on Sept 26, 2024 8:30:55 GMT
Some interesting detail in the Broadway Journal email, hope it's ok to post the whole thing...
‘OPERATION MINCEMEAT’ TARGETS GOLDEN THEATRE
by Philip Boroff
EXCLUSIVE: Producers of Operation Mincemeat are raising at least $11.5 million to transfer the critically acclaimed, Olivier Award-winning musical to Broadway, according to financial documents. People familiar with the show said the plan is to open at the Golden Theatre early next year as part of the current, 2024/25, season.
The Golden is home to Stereophonic -- the Tony Award-winning play about a fractious rock band making an album -- which recently “extended by popular demand for a final time” to Jan. 12, 2025.
Created by four writer-performers, three of whom met as students at the University of Warwick, Mincemeat is based on an absurd, real-life World War II British intelligence scheme: outfitting a corpse as a Royal Marine with phony documents to dupe the Nazis about an upcoming Allied invasion.
Notwithstanding industry concerns that the new musical may be “too British” to conquer Broadway, the comedy charmed some high-profile stateside reviewers. Peter Marks, formerly chief drama critic of the Washington Post, called it the funniest show in London. The New Yorker‘s Helen Shaw wrote that “Mincemeat presents itself as pure up-from-the-Fringe wackadoodle merriment…. with silliness and with lickety-split lyrics in a Lin-Manuel Miranda-esque mode…All the time, though, it’s moving its key emotional artillery into line.”
One need not work for MI5 to recognize the challenge of opening an unfamiliar title on Broadway without an initial, attention-getting run off-Broadway or at a nonprofit theater. While the 800-seat Golden Theatre is one of Broadway’s smaller houses, it has nearly twice the capacity of London’s Fortune Theatre, where Mincemeat opened in May 2023 after four years of development at tiny venues.
At the Olivier Awards, Mincemeat author and actor Zoë Roberts thanked “our army of supporters who got us all the way to the West End.”
To achieve just 75 percent of its gross potential at the Golden and recoup its $11.5 million minimum capitalization within a year, Mincemeat tickets must average about $146. (I calculated that from a Mincemeat recoupment chart for an unnamed theater with 802 seats, which is the capacity of the Golden.) Only Hamilton, McNeal with Robert Downey Jr., Oh, Mary! and The Outsiders command a higher average price. (Cabaret did as well — until movie star Eddie Redmayne left the cast Sept. 14.)
Mincemeat will arrive after having set an unusual precedent. At the Fortune Theatre, every ticket for each performance is priced the same, from the equivalent of $53 on Mondays to $120 on weekends. The show has said it was produced for just $3 million in London.
Mincemeat producer Jon Thoday told The Stage that one-price-fits-all makes the best seats widely accessible, as long as theatergoers go early in the week. Thoday, whose company, Avalon, produces television and live comedy, criticized pricing “where you go and sit in the stalls and one seat is priced at X, and the other one next to it is priced at Y. I think that’s bollocks.”
No word on whether Thoday will pursue flat pricing at the Shubert-owned Golden.
With a maximum capitalization of $14.5 million, Mincemeat isn’t expensive by current Broadway standards. According to Securities and Exchange Commission filings for this season, Maybe Happy Ending is being capitalized for as much as $18.25 million, Buena Vista Social Club is at $17 million, Tammy Faye is $25 million, Swept Away is $14.5 million, and the not-yet-announced Just in Time, starring Jonathan Groff as Bobby Darin, is raising $12.5 million.
Stereophonic — which is the subject of a New Yorker story by Michael Schulman about similarities with a memoir by a Fleetwood Mac engineer — has been selling particularly well since it won five Tonys in June. A person familiar with the production said that by November, it’s expected to recoup its capitalization — $4.8 million, according to an SEC filing. That’s before accounting for New York’s theatrical production tax credit.
Should its strong sales continue, Stereophonic‘s Broadway profits could be sizable, an encouraging sign for unconventional commercial theater without stars.
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Post by craigbowker on Sept 26, 2024 12:20:54 GMT
To achieve just 75 percent of its gross potential at the Golden and recoup its $11.5 million minimum capitalization within a year, Mincemeat tickets must average about $146. To achieve just 75 percent of its gross potential at the Golden and recoup its $11.5 million minimum capitalization within a year, Mincemeat tickets must average about $146. (I calculated that from a Mincemeat recoupment chart for an unnamed theater with 802 seats, which is the capacity of the Golden.) Only Hamilton, McNeal with Robert Downey Jr., Oh, Mary! and The Outsiders command a higher average price. (Cabaret did as well — until movie star Eddie Redmayne left the cast Sept. 14.) So this explains why they are prepping people for a potential stunt cast. Still firmly believe Daniel Radcliffe would make a great Chumley, not sure who I could envision in other roles, celeb casting-wise |
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 26, 2024 13:12:19 GMT
There is no plan to stunt cast this. It's literally all a marketing plot to drum up outrage.
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 26, 2024 13:13:22 GMT
While the 800-seat Golden Theatre This will kill the soul of the show. Without a doubt. They're pushing it at the moment from the back of the upper circle at the Fortune. Anything bigger and you are going to lose all the charm. |
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Post by ceebee on Sept 26, 2024 13:13:52 GMT
Yay, I won the ballot apparently... And am now in a queue of 1300 other lucky ballot winners to book seats between January and March - the prices had better be good otherwise this might feel like a marketing gimmick...
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 26, 2024 13:15:26 GMT
Mincemeat producer Jon Thoday told The Stage that one-price-fits-all makes the best seats widely accessible, Always makes me laugh - in a depressed kind of way - when they try to suggest their ticket pricing is accessible. Baffling if they actually believe that. |
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Post by fiyerorocher on Sept 26, 2024 13:16:19 GMT
Yay, I won the ballot apparently... And am now in a queue of 1300 other lucky ballot winners to book seats between January and March - the prices had better be good otherwise this might feel like a marketing gimmick... Prices are the same as always. They've just put all Monday, Tuesday and Saturday evening shows behind that ballot, indeed for a marketing gimmick. |
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Post by partytentdown on Sept 26, 2024 14:37:21 GMT
From what I can tell, everyone won the ballot...
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Post by Sam on Sept 26, 2024 14:47:18 GMT
From what I can tell, everyone won the ballot... I didn't. Not that I wanted to. |
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Post by shownut on Sept 26, 2024 16:28:59 GMT
To achieve just 75 percent of its gross potential at the Golden and recoup its $11.5 million minimum capitalization within a year, Mincemeat tickets must average about $146. To achieve just 75 percent of its gross potential at the Golden and recoup its $11.5 million minimum capitalization within a year, Mincemeat tickets must average about $146. (I calculated that from a Mincemeat recoupment chart for an unnamed theater with 802 seats, which is the capacity of the Golden.) Only Hamilton, McNeal with Robert Downey Jr., Oh, Mary! and The Outsiders command a higher average price. (Cabaret did as well — until movie star Eddie Redmayne left the cast Sept. 14.) So this explains why they are prepping people for a potential stunt cast. Still firmly believe Daniel Radcliffe would make a great Chumley, not sure who I could envision in other roles, celeb casting-wise Not unless Mr Radcliffe is looking for temp work. This show will close on page 4. |
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