Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Tour- Page 2

[Becky]

Posted: 11/12/06 at 6:55pm

Like I said, I have no clue how they were advertising the tour.

I don't know how it is everywhere, but if a show comes through here and has a Tony Award is attached to it (or an actor), that's what they zero in on. Makes a little sense - for I know a lot of casual theater-goers who don't really keep up with the Broadway scene - and they are choosy about what they decide to spend money to see. They pay a lot of attention to advertising....

Can anyone shed some light as to how audiences have embraced the show on tour since Norbert left?

I can shed a little light on the last week here in Dallas when he was gone....

A parent of one of my students was a dresser - and she did a quick change after "Chimp in A Suit" (so she was in the wings for "Great Big Stuff" waiting for the change). I asked her to let me know how "the new guy" did, and when the show closed (and she was back to picking up her daughter in the afternoons), she found me one day. She had a long look as I walked by shaking her head. She said, "not even close." She said his numbers fell flat and the audiences that week were not reacting to the comedy the way they were. She also said that "Great Big Stuff" was just goofy instead of funny - and there was a noticeable difference in the crowd reaction over all. She laughed, because when I was raving about Norbert at the beginning of the run, she thought he was great as well - but it was only after he was gone that she really appreciated just how talented he was and understood what I meant. He made it look easy, and the role just isn't.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 11/12/06 at 8:05pm

I greatly apologize DRSislove :-P 3rd DAY. Better?

Closing indefinitely? Ulgh! This is just soo upsetting! I guess I can be a bit defensive, but there's so few people I know who saw the show and loved it, no matter who was in the cast.

I guess I can understand the Tony-related advertising. That's why people say it's so important for a tour to be able to call a show the tony-award winning. But I guess it ups the anti if the actor who won the tony is appearing, than that suddenly matters as well.

Interesting also that you mention advertising seems even more important for touring than for Broadway, though I suppose that too makes sense in the long run. I haven't seen Timothy's performance so I can't really comment... I'm sorry, it's just frustrating. It's frustrating that the tour isn't doing well, that it may close early, that the show had to close so earlyish. (Yes, I know people can argue it had a healthy run but I still maintain it deserved at least to recoup).

I just honestly don't understand. I mean, great shows aren't always embraced by audiences, but this isn't exactly too artsy for the public. It's good quality, and seems like it should have wide public appeal. I wish I knew what wasn't adding up.

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 11/12/06 at 8:11pm

Man, Tom Hewitt can't catch a break lately, huh? Dracula, Dr. Dolittle, now this. It's a shame, he's very talented.

[sidneybruhl]

Posted: 11/13/06 at 6:57am

Well, I saw the tour's last Louisville show last night and really enjoyed it, especially Tom Hewitt's performance as Lawrence. I also enjoyed Tim Gulan as Freddy. Both Hewitt and Gulan have a nice chemistry together. They were especially good together in "All About Ruprecht" and "Dirty Rotten Number." I never saw Butz in the role, but I thought Gulan was just fine and handled the roles physical comedy very well. Hewitt's delivery of "Love Sneaks In" in Act II was an unusually touching moment. Totally unexepected and very well executed.

The women were good as well, especially Laura Marie Duncan as Christine Colgate. She had a great deal of chemistry with both Hewitt and Gulan and she made all of the show's plot twists believable. As Muriel, Hollis Resnik was just fine but for some reason I expected her role to be bigger than it was. And Jennifer Foote was great as Jolene Oakes.

I found Yazbek's score to be outstanding. His melodies are hummable and his lyrics are witty. All-in-all, an enjoyable evening at the theatre. I hope the rumors about the show shuttering are not true. This production deserves to be seen.

[harris007]

Posted: 11/13/06 at 8:06am

It's comming to tampa this week i hope, i've called twice to be sure, cus i'm driving 3 hrs to see it

[NBC]

Posted: 11/13/06 at 4:21pm

Anyone know if there are any discounts floating around for the Baltimore run?

[James885]

Posted: 11/13/06 at 4:35pm

I just returned from exchanging my ticket at the Hippodrome box office in Baltimore. I had seats for opening night on the 21st of November, but since it was cancelled I now have tickets for the last performance in Baltimore on December 3rd. I'll be sure to post a review of the performance.

The people in front of me in line were also exchanging their tickets for DRS and they had thought that the performances were cancelled because it was the week of thanksgiving and they were giving the actors time off for the holiday. The lady at the box office confirmed to the couple that they were not cancelled because of the holiday, but because of poor ticket sales.

NBC, I don't know if there are any discounts for the Baltimore run but if you want to see the show in Baltimore, I suggest you move fast because the box office receptionist said that seats are going quickly for the run. She said that since they cancelled the first week, lots of people who had tickets for that week were trying to exchange them for the remaining performances.

[SirLiir]

Posted: 11/13/06 at 4:56pm

I hate to think that it was just Norbert that propelled DRS to good sales because I love everything about the show: the story, the music, the humor, Laura Marie Duncan :). There is no reason to me why a show like this, which had a healthy but (edit) not overly profitable Broadway run, would struggle so much on the road.
Updated On: 11/15/06 at 04:56 PM

[Rotel1026]

Posted: 11/13/06 at 5:52pm

So before I say this, I want to say that I did wind up seeing the show in Dallas while Norbert was still in it. I wound up enjoying not only Norbert's performance as well as the rest of the cast, but really wound up loving the show. It was a lot funnier than I was expecting and probably had me laughing much harder than any other show I've seen on stage has prior to that.

But when they first announced the season and has DRS listed as the State Fair show, I had no desire to watch it. Why pay $60-70 for a musical based on a cheesey 80's movie that I didn't enjoy all that much when I saw it on TV. Could it be that people are just not rushing to watch it on tour because of what it's based on? We have way too many shows based on movies coming to Broadway or already there and I just have to wonder if the appeal is large enough to warrant that. Look at what is happening to DRS's tour. Look at how badly Wedding Singer has done and now it's going on tour? Do we expect that show to do that much better on tour than it's done on Broadway? And High Fidelity (assuming it tours)? I just think that a couple of musicals based on movies did really well and people rushed to bring more out thinking name recognition would go in their favor. But I don't think people are clamoring to pay the amount of money it takes to watch a Broadway show for a musical based on a movie that wasn't all that great to begin with. Anyone else agree that maybe that's the problem with this tour?
Updated On: 11/13/06 at 05:52 PM

[sidneybruhl]

Posted: 11/13/06 at 6:14pm

Rotel1026:

I think your point about a glut of movie to musical transformations is a valid one and I would agree that this might explain the lack of ticket sales for the DRS tour. Still a shame though. This show is really good and deserves an audience.

[lfae]

Posted: 11/13/06 at 8:55pm

I just received an email from Fox Cities PAC, where the DRS tour is set to be in January, and had a moment of panic until I actually opened it and read it (having followed this topic with my heart in my mouth) - and it says that the Appleton leg of the tour IS going ahead, the dates are set in stone, and that the email was being sent out to ticketholders to help quash rumours of its cancellation.

I'm hoping that's true, I really want to see DRS and stopping over in Appleton on my way from New York to San Fran is my only chance.

[WickedScoundrel]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 2:44am

Ugh! I've been waiting for it to come to Milwaukee and now it's post-poned? Rats. Though if they plan to bring back the old opening song I'd be happy. Still...

[edit] lfae it's still going to Appleton? Hmm maybe have to drive up then I guess.

Updated On: 11/14/06 at 02:44 AM

[lfae]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 3:54am

The email I received states:

"Although there were date changes in other markets, the dates for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in Appleton are stable and will not change. The tour will be visiting us Jan 16-21, 2007."

Can I breathe a sigh of relief, or should I wait until Jan 16th for that?

[lfae]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 5:46am

My apologies if this has already been posted:

http://broadwayacrossamerica.com/BAA.Public.Web/Pages/News.aspx?isSTH=0&city=Cincinnati&storyId=6640

[mirramar]

Posted: 11/14/06 at 8:50am

I'm pissed about the Baltimore cancellation as I had tickets for the first week. We just found out yesterday that it's being cancelled, so I hope we'll be able to get tickets for the following week. With my luck, I doubt it.

[LouieLovesTheater]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 1:28pm

Mpls has been cancelled now too...with The Rat Pack replacing it. I knew this season was too good to be true.

I'm also a bit shocked Playbill.com or Broadway.com haven't picked up this story yet. I did a search on Playbill and didn't see anything. As for Broadway.com...news on that site has been few and far between lately.

[friedrichVT]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 1:43pm

They are closing the tour and supposedly tierring down to an equity experimental contract. Which means it will still be an equity tour but chances are you may not get the same talent you were expecting as the payscale will habve changed.

[Anastasia_Beaverhausen]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 1:47pm

It's still on the schedule for Sacramento...so, we'll see...

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 3:40pm

I hope they don't cancel the Hartford run...

[ElFantasma14]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 3:48pm

...or Boston. The set better be first rate if it doesn't want to be dwarfed by the Opera House.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 5:31pm

So, I guess it probably won't reach Chicago in July 2007 (and I have season tickets). I'd be very happy if we got Chita Rivera instead .

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 5:35pm

Are they refunding single tickets (not season pass tickets, lol)?
Or automatically transfering it over to Chita?

(stupid question, but ya never know)

[ElFantasma14]

Posted: 11/15/06 at 9:58pm

I think it just happened that Chita was available to take the spots in places where DRS is being cancelled. I'm not sure what will happen in DRS cancels Boston; we allready have Chita coming later.

[Dre2387]

Posted: 11/17/06 at 3:12pm

well, this expains it.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/103648.html

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 11/17/06 at 3:28pm

How could they downscale the set anymore?
I've heard its pretty bland as it is.