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Post by Hikagekun on Sept 3, 2005 0:33:47 GMT -5
How much longer do you think Phantom of the Opera has until it stops?
All of the European musicals from the eighties are gone except for Phantom.
Personally, I think it has a good ten years left in it before it fizzles out, and at that point Les Mis\Cats\Miss Saigon may be revived on Broadway and we'll still have our beloved Euro-Eighties musicals.
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Post by Brae on Sept 3, 2005 9:52:20 GMT -5
I don't know how much longer Phantom has left on Broadway.
The Movie has helped to boost ticket sales, and the show is set to become the longest running show in Broadway History soon.
So I think the question is, will the producers let it leave at the top of it's 'game'? or will they let it 'limp' away?
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Post by Milady on Sept 3, 2005 17:41:52 GMT -5
Even before the movie, Phantom was by no means limping along. It's a major tourist attraction in and of itself. I went several times back in late 2003/early 2004 and each time the house was reasonably full (especially for weeknights.) A friend and I went about a week after New Year's 2004 and all we could get was way back in the rear mezz.
Since then... I had a ticket mix-up the last time I was meant to go, and when I went to the house manager, he couldn't do anything for me, even standing room was sold out - and this was a Wednesday night.
Phantom has many years left in it. Not only is it a tourist attraction, but it has to come to mind as one of the most romantic nights out on Broadway. It has a 're-visiting' quality that many shows do not have, and, unlike Les Mis, the cast isn't so stale they have to be fired en masse. In the end, I think they'll let Phantom run its course as long as possible, and then do as was done by Les Mis did by announcing a closing and making a several-month-long big deal out of it to make sure Phantom goes out with a bang.
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Post by Hikagekun on Sept 3, 2005 23:38:45 GMT -5
It has a 're-visiting' quality that many shows do not have, and, unlike Les Mis, the cast isn't so stale they have to be fired en masse. What do you mean by stale?
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Post by Milady on Sept 4, 2005 1:56:47 GMT -5
What do you mean by stale? The Broadway Les Mis cast was notiorously inbred and unchanging, and, as a result, extremely boring. In 1996, Cameron Mackintosh was so disgusted with the state of the cast, especially how old many looked in the parts, that he paid most of the cast off with more money than they would have won if they'd fought CM with a "just cause" suit through Equity. Most of the cast was let go in January 1997, I believe, with the tour cast filling in on Broadway until early March. It's sometimes thought of as a stunt to draw attention to the tenth anniversary of the production, but with the gobs of money CM had to pay out to get rid of these actors and the hell he raised with Equity, he had a d**n good reason to do it. Unfortunately, Les Mis fell victim to the same problem again and, while the closing cast was not a long-running cast, the cast that played up until the last few months had been lingering for awhile. (Peter Lockyer was with the company as Marius for something like five years.) The huge send-off that Les Mis had when it did go is a testament to what a great show it is; that it closed so soon is a testament to how boring (at least in my opinon) the production had become. If it had been seen to as the London production (which is still fresh as it closes in on twenty years) is, I think Les Mis would still be with us on Broadway.
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Post by Sandrinoo2004 on Sept 4, 2005 4:09:56 GMT -5
How do you know all this?
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Post by vampbear on Sept 4, 2005 6:38:54 GMT -5
There is or at least was a difference in contracts between the WE and Broadway. I believe they had open-ended contracts for Les Mis on Broadway? Whereas in the WE the contracts have an end-date and can of course be extended if the powers-that-be and the actor want it. I saw Les Mis in the Feb before it closed and whilst some of the cast were good, some were stale like the Thenardiers. But Randall Keith was superb as JVJ:) Was disappointed in Terrance Mann as Javert. Such I shame I couldn't go back for the last couple of weeks and see a strong JVJ and Javert together - Michael McCarthy of course! Over here, with Her Majestys being a relatively small theatre, I believe it still does pretty good business and is likely to continue for a few years yet! Its reported that Cam wants Les Mis to overtake Cats, but I think it likely that POTO will end up being the longest running musical. But can it outlast 'The Mousetrap' !!!
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Post by Sissi on Sept 4, 2005 12:51:31 GMT -5
How do you know all this? Fans know things that non-fans don't, my dear.
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Post by Hikagekun on Sept 4, 2005 17:36:03 GMT -5
Its reported that Cam wants Les Mis to overtake Cats, but I think it likely that POTO will end up being the longest running musical. But can it outlast 'The Mousetrap' !!! POTO has such a simple plot that most people are probably not as daunted by it as Les Mis which is a very intricate plot (and a fricken huge cast!). I kind of want to see the Mousetrap...
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