Aladdin Playbill or Showbill?

[bdn223]

Posted: 3/26/14 at 11:58pm

I went to Aladdin during previews and received a Playbill, which surprised me as the New Amsterdam uses the Showbill. Last night I was at If/Then, when I over heard a friend discussing Showbills and how Disney was still using them at the New Amsterdam. So I just went on Playbill Vault which shows Aladdin using Showbill, but program from previews is Playbill. So my question is which are they using?

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 12:05am

I was wondering about this also... I have seen both Playbills and Showbills in pictures on Instagram.

[cardamon]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 12:17am

Based on my unscientific method of skimming of instagram posts, I'd say they switched from Playbill to Showbill around March 11.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 12:26am

Mary Poppins had Showbill too. (It was my 2nd show) Why do they do that?

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 1:00am

I saw Aladdin on Sunday and we got Showbills. Why? This Showbill is basically a Disney advertisement. It has info on Lion KIng, Newsies, Aladdin, etc and nothing else. It's a lot fewer pages and has nothing in it that does not relate to Disney.

Unrelated I am sure, but while all (I thought all) other shows do "Broadway Cares donation" requests at this time of year, they did not do it at Aladdin. I wondered why..

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 1:14am

"Why? This Showbill is basically a Disney advertisement."

I think you answered your own question there.

"they did not do it at Aladdin. I wondered why."

I saw Aladdin on Tuesday and they had signed posters for $100 and "You Ain't Never Had a Chef Like Me" aprons for $20, as well as cast collecting at every exit. Maybe Monday was their first chance to sign all the posters since opening?!

No show collects during previews, typically.

[Corine2]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 1:33am

The show is a must see. The dance blew my mind as did James Monroe Inglehart.
And some of the parody was hilarious. It is pure fun. A dance lovers wet dream.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 8:37am

^^OasisJeff...It wasn't MY question of WHY...it was responding to a previous question. It is obvious. I have more respect for the Playbill which support Broadway in general.

I know they don't do Broadway Cares fundraising during previews but Sunday was after the opening. I guess they were just nor ready with their Broadway cares items at that time. Good to hear they are doing it too.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 8:54am

Kathy, Playbill and Showbill are the same thing.
Showbill was purchased by Playbill roughly 15 years ago. The chief difference between the two is that Shownill was always centered around the individual production rather than being a general theatre magazine, which Playbill is. The Playbill you rceive in a theatre is a truncated version of the monthly magazine.

[TheatreKid3]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 10:26am

Also, supposedly Disney began to use Showbill for its production way back when bc it removed all alcoholic/more adult advertisements and such from the Playbill to make it more child and family-friendly. Doubt that is their chief motivation now, but I had heard that was one of the original reasons.

[bdn223]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 10:38am

I know why the New Amsterdam used to and apparently once again uses the Showbill. Now that I know Disney i using the Showbill again for Aladdin, I want to know if anyone knows why Disney reverted back to the Showbill after using the Playbill for previews.
I will also note that my Playbill for Alladdin reads like a Showbill, with solely Disney advertisements.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 3/27/14 at 8:23pm

^^^Thanks for the info Broadwayguy2. I get it. I just prefer the Playbill when I go to the theater because I get to read about shows, etc that I didn't know that much about before. The Showbill does not give you the opportunity...as it pretty much advertises what you are already know about.

The spirit of the Playbill while showcasing the show you are seeing supports the Broadway community. Not to do that..would not be my choice.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 3/28/14 at 3:20am

No problem. It is really apples and oranges and the exact content of Showbill has changed to be be more similar to what Playbill offers, just centered around the show. Traditionally, Showbill offered a more in depth look at the show you were about to see, so... Ads for all shows vs in depth infor about the show.. I can easily make a case for either if I had my way.
For Disney, there is also a bit of branding. Theyve never joined the League, so this is a way to set them apart visually.