Clockwork Orange Cancelled Sunday night- Page 2

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 12:01pm

newintown said: ""...it just sickens me to see people kicking a production when it is down."

So we should only kick a show when it's up?"

Oh please.

 

[haterobics]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 12:02pm

newintown said: "That site is ridiculously optimistic."

That's why it's a good counterbalance to this one.

[NotTheComfyChair]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 12:09pm

I would suspect it was injuries/illness. I know one Broadway show (now closed) that had 12 people off due to sickness for one show. They called in cast on vacation, pulled previous cast from other shows - with permission from those producers - and ran the show with split and missing tracks but still managed to get the show on. Cancelling would have been a PR nightmare.

I'm pretty certain Clockwork Orange wouldn't cancel for low ticket sales. The PR would be bad. However, if it was injury/illness, and they only have one swing, the producers are majorly at fault and deserve all the grief they get. They were asking for trouble, particularly in a show that is so physical.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 12:30pm

Cancel a performance because there's a small audience? Heck, I was at a performance of THE FANTASTICKS when there were more people on stage than in the audience. Still, the show went on!

[Dollypop]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 12:31pm

Updated On: 11/20/17 at 12:31 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 12:36pm

Now I'm kinda curious to see this hot mess!

[smidge]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 12:36pm

Just_John said: "MX888 said: "I know this show is divisive but all this bashing is seriously uncalled for. Matt Doyle went on for Jonno because he was out with a stomach bug/food poisoning. Matt posted that he had back issues/sciatica a week or so ago and since this production is physically intense, he probably tweaked it again. He was on his way to the doctor/PT right after the show. In the Playbill, I don't even recall an understudy listed for Jonno. Alek went on as Georgie and Jordan (swing) went on in Alek's part.

I'm sorry, but shows that have no understudies for a lead have canceled in the past when the lead has been injured/too sick to perform. Were they ever accused of "unprofessionalism" or that they were "too embarrassed" to perform to low audiences?"

All of the bashing is 100% called for. If a production is put up for people to pay to see, they have every right to go out in the world and tell everyone what they thought of it. Obviously, the majority of people think this was a pure hell of a mess. It was definitely the worst piece of theatre I saw all year. I would have liked to see Matt Doyle as the lead because he's fantastic in everything and I absolutely could not stand watching the main guy try to act. When other shows have been canceled due to the star being out it was because that star was the only reason anyone in the theatre was in the theatre and everyone would be entitled to refunds/exchanges, but that isn't the case here. Also, all equity actors have understudies. Even if the producer decides in advance that an understudy will not go on for Hugh Jackman or Daniel Radcliffe, an actor is still getting paid to be the understudy as per equity rules.

Also, those saying it's "only closing a month early." It's closing a month early during the busiest time of theyear for the industry. Most shows sell out close, if not all the way, to capacity every performance so that's saying they really have no faith in this."

It’s not so much bashing the show I have issues with, but bashing the fact that the producers were forced to cancel a performance. It sucks but things happen. The available understudies may not have been up to speed on the fight choreography so they may have cancelled, rather than risk injury. I didn’t carry on after my performance of Othello was cancelled. This too shall pass.

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 12:43pm

Smidge, it seems the case here is not that the understudy was not up to speed but one actor was out ill and another was injured. So 2 actors out.

I suspect that with a limited run, they did not expect this to happen. And they have run for months with no problem.

[Lot666]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 12:43pm

TheGingerBreadMan said: "Theater3232 said: "Most likely poor ticket sales. but if you ask, they'll probably fabricate a reason like "cast illness" or "cast injury". If you look at all remaining performances, practically every seat remains unsold. It's highly embarrassing that it's closing on December 2nd since it knows nobody in their right mind would come to see it during the lucrative holiday season.

Bad acting, bad singing, anti-Catholic mess of a show. Got terrible word of mouth by me & by others.

Good riddance. Consider yourself lucky it was cancelled."


You must be fun at parties."



 

[Lot666]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 12:46pm

uncageg said: "Some of you comment like your feelings about this, or other shows, are the final word. They are not."

This.

[uncageg]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 12:50pm

RippedMan said: "Now I'm kinda curious to see this hot mess! "

Why not see it before calling it a hot mess?

 

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 1:21pm

As one poster mentioned, there is only one male swing. This is unfortunately common in off-broadway shows as a cost saving effort (I've in fact dealt with many companies who don't hire any understudies or swings). So if multiple actors were sick/injured, they were probably screwed. 

And while no company would ever admit it, plenty of small shows cancel (or try to) when they've hardly sold any seats. On one hand I understand the thought here, but doing it the day of is entirely unprofessional and I'm surprised New World Stages allowed it to happen so last minute. Their box office normally runs a pretty tight ship, so I'm leaning towards cast illness and/or injuries that they were not informed of until very late in the day. 

[Islander_fan]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 1:48pm

I do know that as per equity rule, if a show is running a particular length, then they don't need to hire understudies. However, if a show goes beyond whatever the given number of performances is, they need to hire them. To me, it seems like the producers hired the bare minimum as a way to save money. Something that clearly backfired. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 1:58pm

Islander_fan said: "To me, it seems like the producers hired the bare minimum as a way to save money. Something that clearly backfired."

Only if the cost of the understudies is less than the cost of one canceled show.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 2:28pm

MayAudraBlessYou2 said:

And while no company would ever admit it, plenty of small shows cancel (or try to) when they've hardly sold any seats. On one hand I understand the thought here, but doing it the day of is entirely unprofessional and I'm surprised New World Stages allowed it to happen so last minute. Their box office normally runs a pretty tight ship, so I'm leaning towards cast illness and/or injuries that they were not informed of until very late in the day."

 

SO much ignorance (not to mention entitlement) in this thread.  To start with --- anyone who is working on a union contract on the show (actors, crew, creative team, authors, etc.) gets paid even if the producers cancel a show.  New World Stages also gets their full weekly rental (including box office and house staff).   The producers (at least in this situation) save nothing by cancelling a show.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 11/20/17 at 7:52pm

We picked up our tickets one hour before the show. They only cancelled the show one half hour before curtain. If it was an injury or illness you would think they would know way before that point.

[JSquared2]

Posted: 11/21/17 at 11:38am

South Fl Marc said: "We picked up our tickets one hour before the show. They only cancelled the show one half hour before curtain. If it was an injury or illness you would think they would know way before that point."

 

And you think they wouldn't know if they hadn't sold any tickets by that time?  Your logic makes no sense.  And yes, people can get sick on "short notice".  Maybe the guy ate some bad sushi during the dinner break??

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/21/17 at 11:59am

No one is denying that what happened sucked.

 

Actor's are only required to call out by 1/2 hour.  So, perhaps they were holding out hope that they'd be able to pull it off.

 

And yes, that rather proves it had little to do with the size of the audience.

[lotiloti]

Posted: 11/21/17 at 12:13pm

Once again you are all talking bollox.

 

 

 

[newintown]

Posted: 11/21/17 at 12:27pm

"Once again you are all talking bollox."

Is that a cross between bollocks and botox?

[haterobics]

Posted: 11/21/17 at 1:28pm

newintown said: "Is that a cross betweenbollocksandbotox?"

No, the term for that is scrotox: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/scrotox-botox-men-testicles-scrotum-a7447871.html

[blaxx]

Posted: 11/21/17 at 2:51pm

And you think they wouldn't know if they hadn't sold any tickets by that time? Your logic makes no sense. And yes, people can get sick on "short notice". Maybe the guy ate some bad sushi during the dinner break??

"

Is Jeremy Piven in the show?

[Kad]

Posted: 11/21/17 at 2:53pm

One would think that a show as intensely physical as this one- and, in fact, made the physicality one of the main marketing points (the actors do boot camps for their warm up!)- would see the value in investing in more than one swing.  

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 11/21/17 at 3:40pm

JSquared2 said: "SO much ignorance (not to mention entitlement) in this thread. To start with --- anyone who is working on a union contract on the show (actors, crew, creative team, authors, etc.) gets paid even if the producers cancel a show. New World Stages also gets their full weekly rental (including box office and house staff). The producers (at least in this situation) save nothing by cancelling a show."

Ignorance and entitlement? Um no. I work as a box office manager for an off-broadway theater so I was only putting in my two cents since I've dealt with similar experiences. I'm fully aware everyone gets paid if there is a cancelled show and never said anything to the contrary in my post. I have had producers cancel last minute (or attempt to cancel last minute only to be forcibly/angrily told no) simply in order to save face. They are afraid of what playing to a house of 10 people will do for the show's reputation. Obviously someone who lets things get that bad is not an experienced producer, but there's plenty of those in this city. My point in bringing up the New World box office is that it is an immense amount of work for the staff there handling a last minute cancellation, and there is a potential for lost income if tickets are not exchange/rescheduled for a different date and simply refunded. I know some rental theaters have stipulations regarding cancellations in their contracts for this reason. Hence the "tight ship" comment since I know those running the box office do not like putting up with last minute crap like this.