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| Phantom of the Opera West End | |
| Posted by: mlop 05:36 pm EDT 07/29/20 | |
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| Phantom of the Opera that enjoyed 34 years at the West End has ended it run. It has been at the Her Majesty Theatre. Wow. Hoping the New York production does not. | |
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| re: And 24 hours after that was announced, still nothing on Playbill.... | |
| Last Edit: bway1430 02:22 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
| Posted by: bway1430 02:18 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
| In reply to: Phantom of the Opera West End - mlop 05:36 pm EDT 07/29/20 | |
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| Guessing that they don't have the staff to keep up with the latest news right now or that since Seth Rudetsky isn't involved it doesn't bear reporting? | |
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| Meow! | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 11:03 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: And 24 hours after that was announced, still nothing on Playbill.... - bway1430 02:18 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
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| The news seems somewhat contradictory at the moment. Pretty sure it won't be the end of the world if they take another day to clarify the facts. | |
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| re: Meow! | |
| Last Edit: bway1430 11:26 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
| Posted by: bway1430 11:24 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
| In reply to: Meow! - MockingbirdGirl 11:03 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
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| While you are correct, facts do matter, it is still newsworthy that both the composer and producer have issued seperate statements. That is, in itself a story and given that it concerns the world's most successful musical you would think it would appear as an item if not a headline. But no...let's refresh our memories with a look back at HEAD OVER HEELS which flopped 10 mins ago. I clearly have an agenda against their recent choices of items but given that not much else is going on I can give them a pass. |
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| Did head over heals flop? | |
| Posted by: dramedy 04:05 pm EDT 07/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Meow! - bway1430 11:24 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
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| I’m sure someone can use twisted logic and alternative facts to prove it was a hit. | |
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| re: Meow! | |
| Posted by: MockingbirdGirl 11:53 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Meow! - bway1430 11:24 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
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| Well, it's posted now under "Today's Top Story." Happy? I suspect not. | |
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| re: Wow. | |
| Posted by: bway1430 05:45 pm EDT 07/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Meow! - MockingbirdGirl 11:53 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
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| Only took them 48 hours to get there. Guessing the pandemic has slowed things down in their offices/among their staff. |
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| re: Meow! | |
| Posted by: ryhog 11:10 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
| In reply to: Meow! - MockingbirdGirl 11:03 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
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| Playbill has often relied on the kindness of press agents, and these stories seem like they may not be getting support in that way. | |
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| re: Phantom of the Opera West End | |
| Posted by: NewtonUK 10:20 pm EDT 07/29/20 | |
| In reply to: Phantom of the Opera West End - mlop 05:36 pm EDT 07/29/20 | |
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| I know I can be boring on this topic, but it would be nice to have the Majestic back (and the Ambassador, for a start) so that more new shows can be produced. Without a large flow of new shows, IMHO, Broadway becomes a theme park, a classy Branson, Missouri. Six generations trundling in to see Phantom. I dont know that I Feel that the best use of Broadway real estate, But thats just me. | |
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| re: Phantom of the Opera West End | |
| Posted by: EvFoDr 10:24 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Phantom of the Opera West End - NewtonUK 10:20 pm EDT 07/29/20 | |
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| I'd say the Ambassador is not very desirable at all, hosting a string of shows that for the most part didn't run. Having Chicago there is the best thing that ever happened to that theatre. The shallow house and wide stage make it, for me, not a place I long to see shows. The Minskoff is another terrible house. I'd be thrilled to never have to see anything in there again. The Majestic IS a beautiful gem---although can have sighline problems if you are sitting in the raked part of the orchestra that is below the overhand of the mezz/balc. I also have a soft spot for Phanotm and don't long to see it close permanently in NY. And even more so now that so many of the new musicals waiting in the wings are (seemingly) uninspired movie adaptations and jukebox musicals. (and just so we don't have to go there, yes I acknowledge there are excellent musicals based on movies and even some based on pop catalogues, but for the most part the newer ones seem more attuned to cashing in on a brand than anyting else) | |
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| re: Phantom of the Opera West End | |
| Posted by: ryhog 10:38 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Phantom of the Opera West End - EvFoDr 10:24 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
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| I think when history takes the long view of early 21st Century Broadway real estate strategies, the notable observation will be that landlords have found silk purses for some of their sow's ears. I'd add the Gershwin to that and perhaps the Lyric although I think not. The Marquis (to me the worst of the worst) will have to wait for some other era. I always thought it would be great as an indoor driving range. Re what is waiting in the wings, I don't think we can prognosticate quite yet. As I have said elsewhere, I think we may clean house of the tourist shows. I have also said (maybe not here) that I think we may like the new normal (not just in the theatre but in the city overall) better than the old one. But I am an optimist, and yesterday I read an article that said that optimists live two years longer than pessimists. |
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| re: Phantom of the Opera West End | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 01:48 pm EDT 07/31/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Phantom of the Opera West End - ryhog 10:38 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
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| The Ambassador's issues stem, I think, from the oddly shaped lot it was built on. For me, this one is the worst on Broadway. It has so many bad seats and the street noise is constant. CHICAGO really is the perfect show for the space because it's a musical (which helps drown out West 49th Street) and that it's staged in such a presentation, out front way that it cuts down on the partial view seats on the extreme sides. The Marquis is ugly, but the thing about it is that there's not a bad seat in the place. Over the years (the first thing I saw there was THE GOODBYE GIRL and the most recent was TOOTSIE), I've sat all over the theatre and even stood in standing room in the back of the mezzanine. There was a perfect view and perfect sound every time. Generally, if I had to choose between a pretty building with sight and/or sound issues and an ugly building with none, I'm going to choose the ugly building every time. |
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| re: Phantom of the Opera West End | |
| Posted by: NYtheatreMAN 11:40 am EDT 08/01/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Phantom of the Opera West End - JereNYC 01:48 pm EDT 07/31/20 | |
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| I rather enjoy the Ambassador, and I can never tell you WHY. It needs a very hefty renovation and a strong face lift. The street noise is horrible. The extreme side seats have awful sightlines, but the same is true of the Winter Garden. It takes a smart director and a smart designer to work with that. It is just left to deteriorate now, sadly. The Marquis, yes, has wonderful sightlines and wonderful sound. I love those aspects of seeing a show there. It lacks intimacy and warmth, but gives you the leg room. It just feels a bit like walking through the atrium of a cruise ship to see a show in their cheaply adored theatre. I love a classic ornate house. I love a modern, sleek house. The Marquis, as it exists, just looks as though they ran out of funding. |
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| re: Phantom of the Opera West End | |
| Posted by: ryhog 02:25 pm EDT 08/01/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Phantom of the Opera West End - NYtheatreMAN 11:40 am EDT 08/01/20 | |
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| I confess I have not been in the Ambassador in close to 20 years, and I probably had good seats any time in the last 30, so I should probably avoid opining on it. Notwithstanding, I hate the Marquis. I hate what was torn down to build it (though I realize that the theatre per se cannot be blamed for that, I hate that I feel like I am at a dental convention before I get to my (comfortable) seat, and I hate that I feel like I am in a barn when I do. And when I have been seated in the rear, although I can see and hear everything, I feel like I am watching from another zip code. To each their own. | |
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| re: Phantom of the Opera West End | |
| Posted by: NYtheatreMAN 12:49 pm EDT 08/02/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Phantom of the Opera West End - ryhog 02:25 pm EDT 08/01/20 | |
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| I agree with every comment you made about the Marquis. Comfortable seat and a great sight line, but geez... | |
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| re: Phantom of the Opera West End | |
| Posted by: EvFoDr 10:56 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Phantom of the Opera West End - ryhog 10:38 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
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| Thanks for the morning good humor! I almost added the Gershwin to my list. The only show I've ever seen there, aside from Wicked, was the Trevor Nunn Oklahoma! and I thought that particular production was a good match for the space, as is Wicked. So I don't have the personal experience of going there and feeling resentful of the space in relation to whatever show is playing. Thanks clarifying about watiing in the wings. I think you are right, whatever is coming in the future is not going to be the same as what we had before. Especially if tourism is down and we have to rely on local/tri-state audiences. What I should have said to support my point was "the types of shows that were waiting in the wings prior to COVID". |
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| Theatre design fails | |
| Posted by: richmurphy 11:19 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Phantom of the Opera West End - EvFoDr 10:56 am EDT 07/30/20 | |
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| As for the Gershwin, it's a good thing they had a hit like WICKED where people could follow the crowds. When I saw the sparsely-attended OKLAHOMA and ON THE TOWN revivals, people were asking where the auditorium was, since the orchestra-level entrances were not obvious from the lobby. As for the Majestic, I hope the management can use some of the PHANTOM profits to add soundproofing to the side exit doors. It was especially bad when Barry Manilow was performing across the street, and his groupies waiting at the stage door were so loud they distracted from the performance on the Majestic stage. Of course, "stage dooring" may be a thing of the past. |
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| empty theaters doesn't mean new shows coming in | |
| Posted by: dramedy 11:29 pm EDT 07/29/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Phantom of the Opera West End - NewtonUK 10:20 pm EDT 07/29/20 | |
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| there are very few times that a big musical is waiting for a theater to open up. Winter Garden is one of the rare recent times when Music Man booked the theater when Beetlejuice was doing poorly. ONly when business picked up did there seem to be an issue of having Beetlejuice move. Did Lightning Thief really need to come to broadway to flop? i think your assumption is flawed that just because a theater is vacant it will be filled by a show waiting for a theater. There are long periods of even a year where a theater is dark between shows. I can't think of any show that didn't eventually get a theater. And of the 10 or so musicals that open in a season, i'd say half should not even have been funded in the first place. | |
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| re: Phantom of the Opera West End | |
| Posted by: ryhog 10:55 pm EDT 07/29/20 | |
| In reply to: re: Phantom of the Opera West End - NewtonUK 10:20 pm EDT 07/29/20 | |
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| That's a good sentiment in the abstract but at the moment the threshold problems are at the opposite end of the spectrum. | |
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| re: Phantom of the Opera West End | |
| Posted by: ryhog 05:45 pm EDT 07/29/20 | |
| In reply to: Phantom of the Opera West End - mlop 05:36 pm EDT 07/29/20 | |
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| This subject is discussed extensively down the page. Have a look. | |
| Link | The Earlier Thread |
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