Souvenir Brochures

[DrewJoseph]

Posted: 7/21/23 at 6:26pm

Don’t new shows make souvenir brochures anymore? I just saw Sweeney Todd, NYNY and Funny Girl and none of them had one. I used to collect these and would be devastated if no one makes them anymore.

[msmp]

Posted: 7/21/23 at 7:17pm

I was wondering the same thing. I haven't seen any musicals with a program/brochure for purchase since Moulin Rouge produced theirs pre-pandemic.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/21/23 at 8:00pm

They do seem to be less common.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 7/21/23 at 8:13pm

This makes me sad. I used to collect them too. I wouldn't mind if they went digital though. I could see myself collecting digital brochures as well similar to cast album digital booklets.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 7/21/23 at 8:22pm

Souvenir programs can take a while to be produced. Shows with limited runs usually don't produce them. But let's not bury the idea just. The following shows sell them:

Shucked
Aladdin
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
The Lion King
A Beautiful Noise
Kimberly Akimbo
Moulin Rouge
Hamilton
Six
Hadestown
Chicago
The Book of Mormon
MJ The Musical
Wicked

ETA

Some Like it Hot

Updated On: 7/21/23 at 08:22 PM

[RunnyBabbit]

Posted: 7/21/23 at 11:59pm

I asked when I saw Sweeney last month and they said they were expecting them by the end of summer.

[Listener]

Posted: 7/23/23 at 12:58am

A few months ago I did some online buying and treated myself to older souvenir brochures I'd missed out on - Sunset Boulevard,  Anything Goes, etc - and flipping through them was comforting. The tactile experience I suppose.

It's also like a yearbook of sorts for the casts. I hope they stay in fashion. Digital downloads aren't nearly as special.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 7/23/23 at 8:59am

Fosse76 said: "Souvenir programs can take a while to be produced. Shows with limited runs usually don't produce them. But let's not bury the idea just. The following shows sell them:

[...]

Some Like it Hot"

https://aracaeventmerch.com/products/some-like-it-hot-program-book

[hak5]

Posted: 7/23/23 at 1:14pm

msmp said: "I was wondering the same thing. I haven't seen any musicals with a program/brochure for purchase since Moulin Rouge produced theirs pre-pandemic."

SHUCKED has one !

Updated On: 7/23/23 at 01:14 PM

[RWPrincess]

Posted: 7/23/23 at 7:38pm

I know it's too late but some of the BroadwayCon booths were selling older ones this weekend. So perhaps Broadway Flea is also a good place to find older ones in October.

The Frozen tour also still sells them. They have a different version from the OBC. 

[MerchMan]

Posted: 7/24/23 at 4:31pm

First, they're called Souvenir Programs, not brochures, that's what they're called in the UK. Sales for programs have drastically decreased over the years in the states. SIX, for example, may sell 200 in a week on Broadway, while they'll sell 1500 in the UK or Australia! Shucked's program is beautiful with a clever diecut cover!

[quizking101]

Posted: 7/24/23 at 5:09pm

I used to buy the programs for every show, but I stopped after realizing that getting the poster was easier with regards to framing and the fact that most shows that are limited runs don't have them. Also, I end up seeing shows in previews a lot so sometimes I even miss out on the poster.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 7/25/23 at 11:15am

Also, to those who want to collect the original or tour souvenir programs from old classic shows like WEST SIDE STORY, GYPSY, A CHORUS LINE, ANNIE, FUNNY GIRL, etc - eBay is your source to get them. None are hard to get and aren't priced ridiculously. 

[qafgenius122]

Posted: 7/25/23 at 12:40pm

MerchMan said: "First, they're called Souvenir Programs, not brochures, that's what they're called in the UK. Sales for programs have drastically decreased over the years in the states. SIX, for example, may sell 200 in a week on Broadway, while they'll sell 1500 in the UK or Australia! Shucked's program is beautiful with a clever diecut cover!"

It’s important to note however, that in the UK, theater goers don’t get Playbills for free. And while it’s definitely not a one for one comparison, Playbill being a mostly generic book of articles and bios vs. a souvenir program being a fully visual piece of memorabilia, I’m sure it does affect people’s mindsets.

I love buying the programs and have definitely noticed the decrease in shows prices diving them. But I get ppl in the UK buying them, as the potential only visual representation that they attended a show, ticket aside (and even those are largely mobile now too)

[noahseestheatre]

Posted: 7/25/23 at 3:40pm

CAMELOT had one, but that may be normal for LCT, it was my first show there

[Tsao5]

Posted: 7/25/23 at 3:50pm

Very True. I remember collecting all the Les Miz brochures from it's original run (1987-2003). It was a duty! And

on rare occasions getting my hands on older or foreign souvenir brochures. 

I think with the internet and people within the show posting SO SO many hi-def pictures of both the show and behind the scenes on Instagram and Facebook...and sights like this one posting new production shots the second they are out, maybe a few people don't see a need to spend the money on them anymore since it's so easy to share with each other online. I still like the idea of having a physical souvenir brochure, though for some shows in both London and in the States, the quality seems to have gone down a bit. By the time the original London Le Miz run was over, the design, which usually followed a set formula, seemed to have changed and looked like a crappy cut and paste job. In addition, some of the pics in some of the newer souvenir brochures seem to be not taken at a dedicated photo call (you can usually tell if the pics are taken from a proper photo call if the actors are not wearing mics and if the swings are in the picture); they are taken during the show from a photographer in the back or side of the house, so some people might be blurry or actors might have their mouths open in unflattering ways or eyes are shut. It saves money but the quality suffers.  Germany does great souvenir brochures, they are not only supersized, they include behind the scenes photos with a couple of pages dedicated to other departments such as the wig department and sound department and even the front of house.  They also usually include a nice picture of the orchestra and a nice picture (group photo) of everyone who works on the production).  

Updated On: 7/25/23 at 03:50 PM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 7/25/23 at 5:35pm

MerchMan said: "First, they're called Souvenir Programs, not brochures, that's what they're called in the UK. Sales for programs have drastically decreased over the years in the states. SIX, for example, may sell 200 in a week on Broadway, while they'll sell 1500 in the UK or Australia! Shucked's program is beautiful with a clever diecut cover!"

Big difference.  On Broadway, you already get a playbill, so fewer people are going to pay extra for a program.  In London, they do not include a playbill of any sort.  I always buy one as a souvenir.  I purchased 7 about 6 weeks ago.  I don’t remember all the details, but to me they were much more like the Broadway playbills than the old souvenir books, which you bought mainly for the pictures.  Unlike the playbills, which have great consistency in content, the London ones come in lots of different shapes and sizes, but again are much more akin to our playbills.

My most cherished program / souvenir book is from Mame, with Angela Lansbury’s signature across the cover.  My most cherished playbill is from Follies in Boston, where I managed to get Alexis Smith’s and Dorothy Collins’s and Harold Prince’s signatures.  The first performance I saw of Follies did not even have I’m Still Here or Lucy and Jessie,  it it remains the most memorable single performance I have seen to date.

Updated On: 7/25/23 at 05:35 PM