All of these "return engagements" for Wicked...what do you think?

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 11:36am

Tampa just booked another engagement. What do you think of this? It is getting a little sad...I think the show should hit as many cities possible and then make these return engagements, just like any other tour.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/97798.html

[wickedfreak]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 12:02pm

I agree....Enen though i LOVE that it is coming back to houston....it is not very nice to the other citie.

[children&art]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 12:08pm

enh, i kind of want to see julia murney do it - but honestly, once was more than enough for that show.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 12:10pm

Yeah, spread the wealth Wicked. Come holler at some of the smaller cities. I'm guessing we here in Alabama won't be seeing Wicked for at least 4 years. We just got Lion King this past season.

[Kevinoes]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 12:11pm

For Toronto, the first 2 weeks they went nuts of the ad campagn and then went "crap, we're almost sold out after 2 weeks" and after that, i think the star only advertised a little thing in the corner every saturday edition. tix sold out before the show even started and a friend at mirvish said they were getting like 4000 calls a day from ppl wanting tickets. i guess they have to reach a certain number of calls to get a return engagement.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 12:27pm

They should just set up sit downs in all the major cities haha. i bet they'd all probably last a good year. Wicked is insane, its HUGE.

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 12:32pm

Is it bad that I wish Chicago would get a return engagement of the tour?? I love me some Jenna Leigh Green (and Steph..though both are soon gone ).

and we already lost my Derrick (who is the sweetest human being ever, besides Jenna.)

that's my story!

-Steph

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 12:36pm

I read where Wicked is coming back to Dallas in 07. I missed the first run, but maybe I'll be in town for the second. You never know.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 12:50pm

"i guess they have to reach a certain number of calls to get a return engagement."

They announced the return engagement before it even left Toronto. It's related to demand for tickets, not the number of calls the theatre received.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 1:24pm

Still waiting for them to post Nashville on the schedule.

[Kringas]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 1:28pm

St. Louis announced a return engagment before the tour left as well.

[The8re phan]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 1:39pm

It's actually quite a clever marketing strategy. As the 1st National tour is selling out across the country, they are announcing 'return engagements' while the city the show is in is clammoring for tickets. In most cases, the 2nd engagement is going on sale much earlier than normal, thereby insuring another sold-out run. Stike while the iron is red-hot, as it were. I wouldn't be at all suprised if the actual company for the 'return engagement' is a 2nd national tour (perhaps the Chicago company once that run is over) while the 1st national company continues into new markets. "Mamma Mia!" did the same thing several years ago.

Updated On: 2/7/06 at 01:39 PM

[peggyandvelma]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 2:23pm

Can they come to NC? Please?

[Unmasked05]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 2:24pm

I like what you said The8re phan.....The Lion King is doing this right now.

But I'm from Alabama...and I sorta fill bitter about it because its not coming here and going back around to all the other states. I LOVE me some WICKED...saw it NYC but I would love for it to come to my city instead me having to use my hard earned gas money to go to another state to see it. Then on top of that the states close to us Sell-out immediately....so there is really no chance for others.

Thats the only thing I hate about living in a not-so-major city cause when we do get the tour ...sometimes there either "cut down versions", the cast doesn't feel like giving a good performance, or they only stay for a week...we feel cheated.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 4:37pm

Yes, it is a good marketing ploy.

But I'd put another company out there and let each company play at least double the original announced run in any number of these cities. It would save money by not moving the show so often.

If "return engagements" are being announced now, then someone in the marketing dept really underestimated the show and underbooked it.

[DuchessInDisguise]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 4:48pm

One thing I liked about the tour [saw in DC] was that it wasn't much different from the Broadway production [from what I hear]. I guess it's difficult for some shows to do that.

I still regret getting the "nose blood seats," because I couldn't see the expressions on anyone's faces!

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 5:02pm

I think you shouldn't start another gosh dang Wicked thread. Grr!

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/7/06 at 7:56pm

the thing is this..the show won't FIT into the smaller cities' theaters...the miss saigon national tour #2 engineer company was scaled down a bit to play some of the same cities and that the 1st national did but so it could to hit the smaller theaters in smaller cities. so..Wicked will continue to do return engagements for now ..maybe they will start a 2nd national to play smaller cities. ya never know. does anyone remember when there are like 2 and 3 road companies of les miz and phantom?? how things have changed.

[sidneybruhl]

Posted: 2/8/06 at 3:17pm

I have to agree that these return engagements are a bit frustrating. Though I've seen the show four times, I've had to travel to St. Louis and Chicago to see it (I live in Louisville, KY). I'm still holding out hope we might get it here next season, but with all of the return engagements being booked it's looking less and less likely.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 2/8/06 at 3:52pm

its going to get boring if the same ppl stick w/ the national tour, they're just going to keep going back and playing the same cities over and over again. How exactly would they scale it down? Aren't tours built to where they can fit different sized theaters or whatnot? I think our theater here could hold it. It's got quite a massive stage.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 2/8/06 at 4:45pm

Most shows on the road are re-designed to fit into smaller theatres, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will fit into every theatre. They don't want to make the changes too drastic because they want to present what is being presented on Broadway, more or less. Of course there are exceptions.