Bonnie And Clyde - Drury Lane/Arts Theatre/Garrick/Tour

[Deleted]

It's sad as it was an enjoyable show and with a better marketing strategy may have done better. I feel for all those people that are now out of work

[Seriously]

It needed an established name to sell tickets.

[Deleted]

May 21, 2024 12:42:22 GMT Seriously said:

When something shuts this suddenly, it's usually because the producers only have enough cash left to pay the 2 weeks they legally have to pay everyone. At that point they just can't afford to move it again.

I guess the next two weeks would have cost more to run than not run especially as there would have been the cost of getting the set to Belfast for next week.

I always wonder how the contracts work with the likes of Paul Matthew Transport if they have the lorries booked to move set around.

[Deleted]

It isn't just the cast, crew, musicians etc but a lot of theatre staff will have lost shifts at very short notice and they are likely paid only when they work a shift.

Several big theatres have a free week in their schedules now. I wonder if a popular production might extend its current tour or a "crowdpleaser/jukebox musical" could be put on for a limited run. The dates until the end of July that B and C were going to play have probably gone. But there were 8 weeks in Sept and Oct that a show could take over and maybe run at some of the pre end of July venues either side of this if they were free. I'd imagine a few theatres would be available in August.

[distantcousin]

May 21, 2024 17:10:20 GMT sph said:

I'm always surprised by some of the shows that producers decide to take on tour. Maybe they thought this would attract the same crowd as Heathers?

I think we lose sight, living in the London bubble, of what sells and does well out in the rest of the country. In a cost of living crisis, few people are going to take a chance on a ticket for a show that is very little known outside of musical theatre fan circles.

Very true. I don't live in London but come in a lot, and I know people who haven't heard of a lot of the shows I see in the West End - they know the "big hitters" but nothing else is on the average persons radar - even those who say they enjoy musicals.

A couple of them had heard of Opening Night - only because of the all the negative press around it/Sheridan.

[FairyGodmother]

Damn, I should have gone in Manchester! I had a busy week so decided to go in Edinburgh with a friend instead, but I'm kicking myself now. I'll probably stream it though.

I feel very sorry for the cast and crew.

[mrbarnaby]

May 21, 2024 14:35:44 GMT firefingers said:

May 21, 2024 12:23:20 GMT Being Alive said:

Oh Cinderella was WAY worse.
At least the cast will be aware on Bonnie and Clyde - I imagine they were told to just not go to the next venue?

Sadly not. Crew were waiting at Southend wondering why the wagons weren't appearing, if industry rumours are to be believed.

Wagons?!

(Hears Winthrop lisping that the Wells Fargo Wagon has arrived in town)

[nash16]

Yes, apparently the downfall was literally the “wagons”.

The company transporting the sets hadn’t been paid, so they rightfully said “No pay? No sets.”

What a farce. That poor cast and crew.

[BVM]

As usual the discourse on Twitter and all platforms has reverted to the base rhetoric of evil evil producers poor poor actors.

Life just isn't that simple through is it. Why can't we sit back and say as onlookers that we don't really know what happened cos we weren't involved and we weren't there. And that we feel for EVERYONE involved. But it's easier to focus on a common enemy isn't it.

And though it may be out of the blue for some ticket holders it won't be out of blue for those involved. Anyone who's been round the block more than once looks out over empty auditoriums and knows what could come at any stage....

Maybe the producers made some mistakes.
Maybe they did their best.
Maybe it was complicated.
Maybe they had reason for hope.
Maybe they didn't.
Maybe they battled in impossible circumstances.
Who knows.

But the constant default of producers being terrible people is rather exhausting. Without them nothing would ever happen and no-one would ever work or get paid period. Of course they could always do better; we all can.

x.com/QuestedS/status/1793012328230789554

Had never heard of this guy before yesterday but he doesn't come across as a bad person.

Oh and final thought. Actors are NOT "fired" on Twitter. Occasionally they find out on Twitter. Which is deeply unfortunate and unpleasant. But the usual reason is someone has found out and leaked it on Twitter where info explodes in milliseconds. Way quicker than any company could feasibly ever contact all their employees. Info often leaks. The people who need to take a look at themselves are the individuals who leak it straight to Twitter rather than keeping quiet, not the ones left behind cleaning up the mess.

[Seriously]

May 22, 2024 9:31:49 GMT BVM said:

As usual the discourse on Twitter and all platforms has reverted to the base rhetoric of evil evil producers poor poor actors.

Life just isn't that simple through is it. Why can't we sit back and say as onlookers that we don't really know what happened cos we weren't involved and we weren't there. And that we feel for EVERYONE involved. But it's easier to focus on a common enemy isn't it.

And though it may be out of the blue for some ticket holders it won't be out of blue for those involved. Anyone who's been round the block more than once looks out over empty auditoriums and knows what could come at any stage....

Maybe the producers made some mistakes.
Maybe they did their best.
Maybe it was complicated.
Maybe they had reason for hope.
Maybe they didn't.
Maybe they battled in impossible circumstances.
Who knows.

But the constant default of producers being terrible people is rather exhausting. Without them nothing would ever happen and no-one would ever work or get paid period. Of course they could always do better; we all can.

x.com/QuestedS/status/1793012328230789554

Had never heard of this guy before yesterday but he doesn't come across as a bad person.

Oh and final thought. Actors are NOT "fired" on Twitter. Occasionally they find out on Twitter. Which is deeply unfortunate and unpleasant. But the usual reason is someone has found out and leaked it on Twitter where info explodes in milliseconds. Way quicker than any company could feasibly ever contact all their employees. Info often leaks. The people who need to take a look at themselves are the individuals who leak it straight to Twitter rather than keeping quiet, not the ones left behind cleaning up the mess.

Yes.  It's definitely someone else's fault.  Maybe the musicians, or the head of wardrobe?  Perhaps people stayed away because of the choreography, or the lighting design?

Coz when you're 11 weeks into a tour and the set still hasn't been paid for, I naturally assume it's the ASM's fault. 

[BVM]

You've completely missed my point.

All these things are complex interwoven systems where lots of factors have gone wrong.

It really isn't an individuals "fault."

And all the usual suspects screaming "DO BETTER" into social media isn't gonna stop exactly the same thing happening again.

IMHO people would do better to step back and look for a more global understanding to make this sort of thing less likely. I dunno, it's not my area. Protocols. Pathways. Probity. Quality assurance. Correct insurance. I have no idea! But change and regulate the processes. What I do know is hurling abuse online isn't gonna improve anything.

[a]

May 22, 2024 9:31:49 GMT BVM said:

As usual the discourse on Twitter and all platforms has reverted to the base rhetoric of evil evil producers poor poor actors.

Life just isn't that simple through is it. Why can't we sit back and say as onlookers that we don't really know what happened cos we weren't involved and we weren't there. And that we feel for EVERYONE involved. But it's easier to focus on a common enemy isn't it.

And though it may be out of the blue for some ticket holders it won't be out of blue for those involved. Anyone who's been round the block more than once looks out over empty auditoriums and knows what could come at any stage....

Maybe the producers made some mistakes.
Maybe they did their best.
Maybe it was complicated.
Maybe they had reason for hope.
Maybe they didn't.
Maybe they battled in impossible circumstances.
Who knows.

But the constant default of producers being terrible people is rather exhausting. Without them nothing would ever happen and no-one would ever work or get paid period. Of course they could always do better; we all can.

x.com/QuestedS/status/1793012328230789554

Had never heard of this guy before yesterday but he doesn't come across as a bad person.

Oh and final thought. Actors are NOT "fired" on Twitter. Occasionally they find out on Twitter. Which is deeply unfortunate and unpleasant. But the usual reason is someone has found out and leaked it on Twitter where info explodes in milliseconds. Way quicker than any company could feasibly ever contact all their employees. Info often leaks. The people who need to take a look at themselves are the individuals who leak it straight to Twitter rather than keeping quiet, not the ones left behind cleaning up the mess.

I mean they didn’t find out on Twitter they found out from the official WhatsOnStage article which included the official statement from the producers
If you have enough time to send an official statement to the news, you have enough time to let the entire cast and crew know that they were out of work

[BVM]

I am just saying that the fact that we see this time and time again means it's not that simple.

Also, as always happens in these cases, a few vocal members of cast/company/crew are saying they found out from WOS. The vast majority aren't.

If you have any belief in human goodness at all, it just doesn't add up that a producer wakes up and says to themselves "show has to end now, can't be arsed telling everyone, so I'll just let WOS know and that frankly will do."

I mean come on; it just isn't like that.

I dunno why people can't deal with shades of grey.
There has to be an enemy. It has to be simple. (Spoiler - this isn't how the world works)

[ThereWillBeSun]

^ this.

WOS also need to take a good look at themselves. Rather than use something for engagement why not check to see the company have been told FIRST?

[BVM]

May 22, 2024 10:31:22 GMT ThereWillBeSun said:

^ this.

WOS also need to take a good look at themselves. Rather than use something for engagement why not check to see the company have been told FIRST?

And that is the same as the person that leaked the Cinderella closing rumour on the BH weekend. 

And countless others.

The minute social media knows, the dissemination (and chaos and slanging) is instant. 

I have some friends who are agents who in the past have been desperately trying to call actors when these pieces of news come out and physically cannot get there before Twitter.

[keekio2]

May 22, 2024 10:31:22 GMT ThereWillBeSun said:

^ this.

WOS also need to take a good look at themselves. Rather than use something for engagement why not check to see the company have been told FIRST?

Are wos their employers?

[ThereWillBeSun]

I think it’s just a sh*t situation for everybody involved.

[BVM]

Another hypothetical scenario. The producers have to tell (preferably by telephone call) the entire cast, crew, orchestra etc of the news.

They call the first person. First person is (understandably) livid and angry and upset and emotional as they've lost their job.
They text their closest mates. People know immediately the show is closing.
It takes one person to announce that on Twitter. And it's out there. Before the 2nd/3rd/4th person have been called.

Easy to blame. Hard to think how in the 2024 instant information social media world it could be improved.

[BVM]

May 22, 2024 10:38:02 GMT ThereWillBeSun said:

I think it’s just a sh*t situation for everybody involved.

On that I think we can all agree :-) 

[ladidah]

Finding out online is terrible, even a mass email or text would have been better.

[viserys]

May 22, 2024 10:40:24 GMT BVM said:

Hard to think how in the 2024 instant information social media world it could be improve

Isn't it normally the case though that cast and crew get told in person in the theatre, either before or after the performance?

I feel that this would probably be "fairest" - everyone in the building is told at the same time. And only after that a press statement is sent out announcing the closing of the show to the world.

I can see how this might not have been possible with the B&C tour, when they made the decision to close between two tour stops. Although even one must ask, why couldn't they plan it properly and tell people on the final night of the last tour stop?

Anything non-personal - calling everyone one by one, sending a mass mail, etc. - will always end in some people not getting the info, whether they miss the call for some reason, don't check their mail regularly, the mail goes into the spam folder, etc.

[BVM]

May 22, 2024 11:00:27 GMT viserys said:

May 22, 2024 10:40:24 GMT BVM said:

Hard to think how in the 2024 instant information social media world it could be improve

Isn't it normally the case though that cast and crew get told in person in the theatre, either before or after the performance?

I feel that this would probably be "fairest" - everyone in the building is told at the same time. And only after that a press statement is sent out announcing the closing of the show to the world.

I can see how this might not have been possible with the B&C tour, when they made the decision to close between two tour stops. Although even one must ask, why couldn't they plan it properly and tell people on the final night of the last tour stop?

Anything non-personal - calling everyone one by one, sending a mass mail, etc. - will always end in some people not getting the info, whether they miss the call for some reason, don't check their mail regularly, the mail goes into the spam folder, etc.

Totally - imagine actors taking to Twitter to announce they'd been sacked by text and then MJT doing a video about it! 

[BVM]

May 22, 2024 11:00:27 GMT viserys said:

May 22, 2024 10:40:24 GMT BVM said:

Hard to think how in the 2024 instant information social media world it could be improve

Isn't it normally the case though that cast and crew get told in person in the theatre, either before or after the performance?

I feel that this would probably be "fairest" - everyone in the building is told at the same time. And only after that a press statement is sent out announcing the closing of the show to the world.

I can see how this might not have been possible with the B&C tour, when they made the decision to close between two tour stops. Although even one must ask, why couldn't they plan it properly and tell people on the final night of the last tour stop?

Anything non-personal - calling everyone one by one, sending a mass mail, etc. - will always end in some people not getting the info, whether they miss the call for some reason, don't check their mail regularly, the mail goes into the spam folder, etc.

Totally agreee. But when actors are called together for some announcement - in a show that's been playing to empty houses - in the period they are assembling having been summoned, they know what it's gonna be! And it just takes one out of fifty odd people to Tweet. Especially in a profession where 80% of them LIVE on social media.

Honestly it's a nightmare. So difficult. I really don't have any solutions. I merely offer than information dissemination in this environment is horrific to navigate!

[ceebee]

Life isn't fair sometimes, despite our best intentions.

[forfivemoreminutes]

May 21, 2024 17:20:42 GMT bigredapple said:

Who were the producers for this?

ADAMA Entertainment, interestingly the same company that is due to stage Burlesque