ALW's Cinderella- Page 10

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/22/22 at 9:33am

yyys said: "If this transfers to Broadway it needs a venue that will handle the surprise that happens before the ball scene....."

I don't think there is a venue on Broadway that can handle the surprise without undergoing a ton of renovation. That effect is going to have to either be scrapped or completely rethought.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/22/22 at 10:09am

That feature is unique to the Gillian Lynne Theatre. It was also used during the Overture in Cats for the entirety of the run in London but it was not recreated at the Winter Garden when Cats transferred to Broadway. I imagine Cinderella will be the same. I don’t believe there is any intent to recreate that moment when Cinderella opens on Broadway.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 1/22/22 at 10:45am

And to be honest, besides the initial “oooooooh” factor, it adds nothing to the show. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 1/22/22 at 9:14pm

Other than that the design looks pretty bland, cheap, and boring for a big splashy new Broadway show.

[seaweedjstubbs]

Posted: 1/22/22 at 10:00pm

A casting notice went up for this a few days ago. Looks like they’re aiming to open this fall.

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 1:24pm

https://twitter.com/TheStage/status/1520814429482463234

Cinderella is closing in the West End. The last performance will play on June 12th

Updated On: 5/1/22 at 01:24 PM

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 1:50pm

Eyeing Broadway for March 2023

[BIG BALONEY]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 2:44pm

The attendance was very poor and ticket sales were dismal. Yeah. bring it across the pond maybe or maybe not.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 3:41pm

Plans are already underway to bring it to Broadway. His co-producer in the US is Christine Schwartzman, one of the wealthiest people in America (wife of Steve Schwartzman, for whom the main NYPL location is named). So as far as I'm concerned, people like ALW and Schwartzman can throw around money however they wish 

To give them a small bit of credit, it is really hard to build and sustain buzz when you have to continually keep shutting down because of COVID. We've seen that on Broadway too. The lack of Olivier attention of course doesn't help either.

I never saw it in London, but wonder if ALW & co. are planning changes to both the writing and physical production for NYC? Didn't the seats move in London?? Perhaps the main issue is Laurence Connor, who really isn't a director but keeps being hired by ALW and Cameron Mackintosh because he is pliable. If ALW would work with a real director and be an equal collaborator with his coauthors instead of playing mogul, he might find happier creative results.

Updated On: 5/1/22 at 03:41 PM

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 4:03pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Perhaps the main issue isLaurence Connor, who really isn't a director but keeps being hired by ALW and Cameron Mackintosh because he is pliable. If ALW would work with a real director and be an equal collaborator with his coauthors instead of playing mogul, he might find happier creative results."

I 1000% re: Laurence Connor. He is just not a good director. At all. I saw his touring productions of Les Miserables and Phantom, and both were complete and utter butcherings of the shows. School of Rock was, admittedly, much better, but his work is typically extremely uninspired, in my opinion.

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 5:28pm

Yeah, I'm mainly going by his work on Les Mis, Phantom, and Saigon.

I think he does deserve SOME credit for School of Rock (which I admittedly forgot about) for getting good performances out of the kids. Kid actors are hard, and the kids were all uniformly great when I saw the original cast. But the overall direction of that show was nothing flashy or memorable. Or maybe that's thanks to JoAnn Hunter, who choreographed it and also Cinderella.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 5:32pm

The problem is that both Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh now only seem to hire associates to stage their shows, so they can have absolute control on them. Something they couldn’t do if they have a director of , say Trevor Nunn or Richard Eyres calibre. It’s depressing.

Perhaps Cinderella could have been a better show if he’d hired a director that could shape it into a more cohesive show and stand up and demand rewrites.

Updated On: 5/1/22 at 05:32 PM

[Loopin’theloop]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 5:34pm

And the cast, both playing and the ones booked yo takeover found out via the press.

It’s truly jaw dropping that this man never seems to learn…

[Dolly80]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 5:36pm

It’s absolutely disgusting. There should be more accountability when this happens , well- it’s kind of shocking that those in charge think this kind of behaviour is even acceptable.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 6:28pm

Loopin’theloop said: "And the cast, both playing and the ones booked yo takeover found out via the press.

It’s truly jaw dropping that this man never seems to learn… "

They found out in the press?? It was not announced backstage at the theatre prior to a performance as is the custom?

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 7:01pm

Dolly80 said: "It’s absolutely disgusting. There should be more accountability when this happens , well- it’s kind of shocking that those in charge think this kind of behaviour is even acceptable."

What's disgusting? Shows close. They've got over a month's notice. 

I'm sure there was something on the call board when they get to the theater or a meeting. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 7:13pm

Dolly80 said: "It’s absolutely disgusting. There should be more accountability when this happens , well- it’s kind of shocking that those in charge think this kind of behaviour is even acceptable."

What is disgusting? That shows close when they are not good? 

They shouldn't bring this over here without huge changes. Couldn't even sit through the horrible cast recording. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 7:30pm

Cast members found out on Twitter, it looks like. 

[Loopin’theloop]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 7:30pm

Nope.

They found out via social media.

Also, a sheet on a call board would also not be ok. In no other industry would it be considered so.

Regardless, what happened here was the cast (and the in coming cast) found out through a press release that most saw on Twitter, hours before reaching the theatre.

[lilpunkin]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 7:50pm

Not only did they find out via social media, but the new cast were literally in the middle of wardrobe fittings and other stuff to prepare to take over the roles when they found out the starring West End role they’d been given - the career changing win every young actor dreams about - was being taken away before it had even started. That’s just cruel. Why even audition and cast new actors when you know your show is barely surviving on fumes and will very likely be cancelled soon, especially if your priority is Broadway and not London?

Everyone in the theatre industry here in London is just raging about this.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 8:05pm

In that case, f**k those in charge. Thanks for the info, lilpunkin. 

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 10:05pm

Watching Instagram vids today of cast members who were due to join the show soon, who had found out 2 months ago they were hired on a one year contract, hearing them talk about finding out they were terminated by social media is devastating.

ALW is just horrid.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/1/22 at 11:42pm

It's a brutal industry. I had friends who booked major national tours that got scrapped (Bat Out of Hell) or got pulled and went non-union (Tootsie). 

I know it seems cruel from the outside, but the industry is about the bottom line. ALW is going to bleed money just to give people their dreams, etc. 

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 5/2/22 at 12:13am

It's more about the fact they clearly knew the show would be closing yet kept bringing new cast in for fittings as recently as Friday, yet they just let them find out they are all fired by social media.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 5/2/22 at 12:30am

RippedMan said: "It's a brutal industry. I had friends who booked major national tours that got scrapped (Bat Out of Hell) or got pulled and went non-union (Tootsie).

I know it seems cruel from the outside, but the industry is about the bottom line. ALW is going to bleed money just to give people their dreams, etc."

How exactly does announcing the closing on social media instead of telling the hired actors directly help ALW's bottom line?