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Post by Jon on Oct 23, 2022 23:24:03 GMT
The Barbican already has shows from February onwards so it can't extend. My guess is either a West End transfer or a summer season.
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Post by hadeswasking on Oct 24, 2022 1:24:01 GMT
Remember the discussion earlier in the thread of this not selling well? Fun times!
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Post by inthenose on Oct 24, 2022 3:52:57 GMT
Remember the discussion earlier in the thread of this not selling well? Fun times! That was one person, and in fairness, they hadn’t heard of it. Their mistake was not doing any research, not listening to everyone else, and writing it off as newfangled nonsense without understanding anything about it. |
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Post by Jan on Oct 24, 2022 15:30:11 GMT
Remember the discussion earlier in the thread of this not selling well? Fun times! That was one person, and in fairness, they hadn’t heard of it. Their mistake was not doing any research, not listening to everyone else, and writing it off as newfangled nonsense without understanding anything about it. It was a mistake to comment too quickly. But I am a fighter not a quitter and I will not be resigning. |
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Post by digne on Oct 25, 2022 10:27:41 GMT
I loved it so much I wanted to go see it again, but now the entire run is sold out. Hopefully I can manage a day seat...
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Post by inthenose on Oct 25, 2022 10:36:14 GMT
Indeed. It broke Barbican first day sales records, but I knew as soon as I heard the announcement that this would sell out. I’m so glad they’ve got a smash hit on their hands, commercially and critically.
The question is, what happens going forward?
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Post by inthenose on Oct 25, 2022 10:40:42 GMT
I do think we should wait until it's actually been performed before we can judge whether it will be a success or a flop. That’s asymmetrical though. If I said I thought The Bridge “John Gabriel Borkman” was going to be a success (which I do) I doubt you would have commented in that way. It’s more fun this way - when it’s a giant hit you can all come on here and say “I told you so !”Let’s see. It’s running 15 weeks in a 2000 seat theatre which has only sold out for Anything Goes in the last decade. It is apparently a family show so it needs to appeal partly to people like me as I spend £100s a year on Xmas family shows - however I’ve never heard of this and neither have the children I’d take so we won’t be going. The association with Disney is not a guarantee of success - Pinocchio at NT demonstrates that. Nevertheless I predict death at the box office for this one. It reminds me of the Terry Hands “Carrie” fiasco. I told you so… |
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Post by inthenose on Oct 25, 2022 10:43:13 GMT
This is opening next week and sales seem to be strong. And to think we had certain people proclaiming it would do badly. Ticket sales seem to be weak except for Friday/Saturday and they already have TodayTix lined up to shift unsold seats. And to think we had certain people here saying it would sell out ! *facepalm* |
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Post by digne on Oct 25, 2022 10:51:28 GMT
And as I predicted when it was first announced, I walked out of the Barbican with a Totoro plushie - first plushie I've bought in at least 25 years.
I'd also recommend coming early and browsing the merch before the show, because the lines I saw during the interval and after the show looked very daunting.
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Post by hadeswasking on Oct 25, 2022 10:55:42 GMT
I can't see this transferring elsewhere. It was built to fully utilise the Barbican stage. Like Anything Goes however, I can see this making a return to the Barbican. They'd be stupid not to!
Hopefully a second run could see better success than Anything Goes.
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Post by digne on Oct 25, 2022 11:26:27 GMT
A cooperation betwen Nippon TV, the RSC, Studio Ghibli, the Jim Henson company and Joe Hisaishi - I'd be extremely surprised if this wasn't designed to travel around the world from the start. I think that's more likely than it getting a West End transfer, as much as I want to see it again.
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Post by Mark on Oct 25, 2022 11:33:49 GMT
If they did want a West End transfer, the Dominion doesn’t have a show announced after Dirty Dancing and could probably house it quite easily - And I could totally see this riding on its current run and having a very successful run. Very rare these days to get a sell out hit which appeals to so many demographics.
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Post by yokollama on Oct 25, 2022 12:02:03 GMT
I'll be in town from the US November 9-14. I'm planning on day seats, but in case that fails, can anyone confirm whether the Barbican runs a returns queue? I've no idea about the returns queue in person, but keep checking back online as returns pop up occasionally. I managed to snag another ticket this way. The Barbican offers an exchange service so you won't see a great deal of resellers, but if there are, it's worth checking Twickets. It's an official resale site, I've personally found it very safe, and prices are reasonable (excluding the fees, the price of the ticket is no more than face value). ------------------- Is anyone able to share the prices of the plushies? I didn't pick one up earlier as I assumed I can purchase online and the prices would be cheaper. Just curious. |
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Post by inthenose on Oct 25, 2022 12:20:33 GMT
I'll be in town from the US November 9-14. I'm planning on day seats, but in case that fails, can anyone confirm whether the Barbican runs a returns queue? I've no idea about the returns queue in person, but keep checking back online as returns pop up occasionally. I managed to snag another ticket this way. The Barbican offers an exchange service so you won't see a great deal of resellers, but if there are, it's worth checking Twickets. It's an official resale site, I've personally found it very safe, and prices are reasonable (excluding the fees, the price of the ticket is no more than face value). ------------------- Is anyone able to share the prices of the plushies? I didn't pick one up earlier as I assumed I can purchase online and the prices would be cheaper. Just curious. Here is the official RSC shop, with some (not all) of the merchandise available from the theatre; shop.rsc.org.uk/collections/my-neighbour-totoroNot showing on there anymore are t-shirts (two designs), a hoodie, an umbrella (£50!!), and a few other bits and pieces. My guess is stocks are running low and they are now reserved for purchases in person at the Barbican. All the items in the RSC shop are officially licensed Studio Ghibli merchandise, not specific to the show. It is worth mentioning Ghibli have sold over $1 BILLION in merchandise (apparel, posters, plushes) sales alone for this one film, not including VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray sales.. The only show specific merchandise are a key ring, a mug and possibly a folio size show poster. These are priced on par with West End merch prices. Everything listed above (apart from the show specific stuff) are available online for anything from 15-50% cheaper, depending on the item and where you order from. Remember to factor in postage to your price. And do be careful if buying from Amazon Prime Marketplace/eBay as there is a huge amount of convincing counterfeit products on there. If you want to guarantee an official product, buy from somewhere reputable. |
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Post by AddisonMizner on Oct 25, 2022 12:25:54 GMT
I really would love this to transfer, extend or announce another season at the Barbican, as I probably am not going to get a chance to see it otherwise.
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Post by theatrenerd on Oct 25, 2022 13:13:44 GMT
I've no idea about the returns queue in person, but keep checking back online as returns pop up occasionally. I managed to snag another ticket this way. The Barbican offers an exchange service so you won't see a great deal of resellers, but if there are, it's worth checking Twickets. It's an official resale site, I've personally found it very safe, and prices are reasonable (excluding the fees, the price of the ticket is no more than face value). ------------------- Is anyone able to share the prices of the plushies? I didn't pick one up earlier as I assumed I can purchase online and the prices would be cheaper. Just curious. Here is the official RSC shop, with some (not all) of the merchandise available from the theatre; shop.rsc.org.uk/collections/my-neighbour-totoroNot showing on there anymore are t-shirts (two designs), a hoodie, an umbrella (£50!!), and a few other bits and pieces. My guess is stocks are running low and they are now reserved for purchases in person at the Barbican. All the items in the RSC shop are officially licensed Studio Ghibli merchandise, not specific to the show. It is worth mentioning Ghibli have sold over $1 BILLION in merchandise (apparel, posters, plushes) sales alone for this one film, not including VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray sales.. The only show specific merchandise are a key ring, a mug and possibly a folio size show poster. These are priced on par with West End merch prices. Everything listed above (apart from the show specific stuff) are available online for anything from 15-50% cheaper, depending on the item and where you order from. Remember to factor in postage to your price. And do be careful if buying from Amazon Prime Marketplace/eBay as there is a huge amount of convincing counterfeit products on there. If you want to guarantee an official product, buy from somewhere reputable. There is more merch on store.playbill.co.uk/totoro |
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Post by marob on Oct 25, 2022 14:46:50 GMT
I thought it’d do well, but wasn’t expecting it to sell out. Would’ve liked to have seen it, but not really in a position to book a trip at the moment.
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Post by yokollama on Oct 25, 2022 14:59:53 GMT
Here is the official RSC shop, with some (not all) of the merchandise available from the theatre; shop.rsc.org.uk/collections/my-neighbour-totoroNot showing on there anymore are t-shirts (two designs), a hoodie, an umbrella (£50!!), and a few other bits and pieces. My guess is stocks are running low and they are now reserved for purchases in person at the Barbican. All the items in the RSC shop are officially licensed Studio Ghibli merchandise, not specific to the show. It is worth mentioning Ghibli have sold over $1 BILLION in merchandise (apparel, posters, plushes) sales alone for this one film, not including VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray sales.. The only show specific merchandise are a key ring, a mug and possibly a folio size show poster. These are priced on par with West End merch prices. Everything listed above (apart from the show specific stuff) are available online for anything from 15-50% cheaper, depending on the item and where you order from. Remember to factor in postage to your price. And do be careful if buying from Amazon Prime Marketplace/eBay as there is a huge amount of convincing counterfeit products on there. If you want to guarantee an official product, buy from somewhere reputable. There is more merch on store.playbill.co.uk/totoroThank you both  I had only picked up a magnet previously. Passed on the umbrella, but didn't realise it was £50! On the subject of counterfeits, anyone remember the market at Chinatown / just off Charing Cross Rd? It was closed for a while and now converted into bubble tea / dessert shops. I still have a Totoro storage basket I picked up from there when I was a kid - almost guaranteed counterfeit but I still have this proudly displayed. It's a little misshapen from when my niece sat inside it (flowers from Bridge Theatre): imgur.com/WOFZt4dI wish I could've taken my niece to see the show and really hope there's life after the Barbican run. There's certainly demand for it (and for Spirited Away to transfer). I'm imagining nice sunny weather and the trees at Regent's Park to compliment the piece, but chances are the rain and a fluffy Totoro aren't going to mix well, let alone the staging. |
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Post by Jon on Oct 25, 2022 16:35:35 GMT
If they did want a West End transfer, the Dominion doesn’t have a show announced after Dirty Dancing and could probably house it quite easily - And I could totally see this riding on its current run and having a very successful run. Very rare these days to get a sell out hit which appeals to so many demographics. I think the Dominion while it needs a successful show, is far too big for Totoro unless they find a way to reduce the capacity to a more sensible number like 1500-1600. I know other big theatres around the world such as the Lyric in Sydney and The Ed Mirvish have implemented movable walls which can be used to decrease and increase capacity depending on the show so perhaps Nederlander might consider it. |
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Post by Dr Tom on Oct 25, 2022 21:14:15 GMT
This is a charming play with 5 star production standards. Very lucky to have got a good front row seat today, which gives a perfect view of a show which is both very large and very small.
You wouldn’t want to be far back for this one.
With that said, the front row is great, but the Asian ladies at either side of me were really straining to see at times. At 5’8”, I was mostly fine.
The audience was mostly adult but with enough children in to wonder how they would cope with a near 3 hour show. Good news is they were enthralled. Thanks to the mother sat behind me who stopped her son revealing all the second half plot during the interval (I’ve never seen the movie).
This has sold so well (and at high prices) that it’s bound to have a future life. I can’t say I have any immediate desire to rush back for a second viewing though. I don’t think the magic would be there a second time. But I can see why this is a movie with a cult following and I’m sure it will attract a repeat audience (given the chance).
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Post by Jon on Oct 27, 2022 23:31:51 GMT
The New York Post suggests that the producers are eyeing the Gillian Lynne for a transfer.
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Post by mrbarnaby on Oct 28, 2022 7:23:22 GMT
This was made to tour the world , so it’s highly likely they will take it to New York, Toronto or Australia next.
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Post by cirque on Oct 28, 2022 8:46:28 GMT
Really pleased that RSC seem to have a hit that has legs and should be good for income stream for few years.
Now time...really....to put this much thinking and creativity into work at Stratford bringing vision to the repertoire.This has been sadly absent during the last years.
With fresh leadership and the benefits of Totoro I hope the company will rebuild to former strength and focus on excellence.
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Post by oxfordsimon on Oct 28, 2022 16:21:36 GMT
Given the number of other co producers, this isn't going to be a huge cash generator for the RSC. Certainly nothing on the scale of cash they have raised through Matilda and Les Mis.
They really need to find another project with that sort of mass appeal.
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Post by Jon on Oct 28, 2022 16:53:17 GMT
Given the number of other co producers, this isn't going to be a huge cash generator for the RSC. Certainly nothing on the scale of cash they have raised through Matilda and Les Mis. They really need to find another project with that sort of mass appeal. It'll still make money for them, they don't make any money from Les Miserables anymore as Cameron Mackintosh cut them out of the royalties with the 'new' production. |
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I had only picked up a magnet previously. Passed on the umbrella, but didn't realise it was £50!
