How To Advertise A Show That Didn't Do Well...

I have to make announcements and catchy phrases or something to that effect for Merrily We Roll Along...it won barely any awards and wasn't a hit, so any ideas of how to do so?

It's a very well regarded show nonetheless and there have been a couple of critically-acclaimed revivals around the country and in the UK since the Broadway production. Search for reviews of those (the Kennedy Center production from two summers ago's Sondheim Festival should still have reviews on line).

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as with any kind of marketing, it's important to note who you're trying to sell it to. how can you appeal to the demographic you're targeting, and to what extent can they be safely fed BS?


If the people are going to be familiar with the show's past track record (say, if u were at a musical theatre conservatory) then I'd use something along the lines of "It's Not As Bad As They Say".


If this is a high school or college, just throw in a vague reference to WICKED and they'll think it's somehow related. "POPULAR? Not this plucky little show! Flying with Sondheim, you'll be Defying Melody!"

or my favorite thing to do is throw around the term "critically-attended" enough times that people lose sight of it's lack of meaning.

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Updated On: 3/12/05 at 06:27 PM

"We think it's an A-OK show!" (with the hand gesture for "OK".) Works everytime.

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I saw a TV ad for The Phantom of the Opera that quoted a review that read "pure spectacle!" (as in, pure spectacle, no substance or worth) just use phrases like that and assume that people won't realize what it really means!

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If it won ANY awards, just advertise it as "award-winning". I don't care if it won a Tony for a category like Best Costuming; I would advertise it as "Tony Award-winning". I take advantage of everything!

Avenue Q has the "Did We Mention We Won a Tony?"