LOTR Premiere Review *SPOILERS WITHIN*- Page 2

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 2:52am

Sounds interesting. I take it we'll never see it in NYC (except as maybe a special event at Madison Square Garden or Radio City). At 3 hours, 40 minutes and likely insane weekly running costs, it probably would have a very hard time turning a profit on Broadway -- though the mere thought of it must have Local One (the stagehands' union) salivating. The overtime would be absolutely outrageous (stagehands used to call Angels in America the "cash machine" because every minute beyond three hours had to be paid at a much higher rate -- that's the reason the show lost $1.1 million on Broadway ... though it made all of that back and more on the road where the union rules are different).

[Matters]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 2:54am

The audience was quite good overall, I'd say it was a mix of theater people, LOTR people and just your average folks (rich folks probably) looking for a night out (I'm a bit of all three minus the rich part). They were really supportive and applauded all the great effect moments that truely deserved applause. Towards the end some people got restless and thats understandable, after all it was nearly midnight and a lot of people had kids there. No doubt that everyone was exhausted at the end, but it was a very positive atmosphere from my standpoint. I found that during the two times they had to stop the show people were sort of relieved to get to stretch their legs. During that time I, myself, decided to spite them by taking out my cel phone (really more as a joke) and I called my friend in Kingston just...because. Shes a big LOTR fan and I had time and felt it was a good story so I called her and told er how the show was really good and how it stalled. Others made calls too. So yes, good audience. I sat next to a really nice family and talked to them abit, good people, the whole audience. But tired people.

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 2:55am

Margo,

Toronto has unions too. It is by no means cheap here either.

Akiva

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 3:05am

Fantastic review too. :) Sad that James didn't stand out as Frodo. Oh well.


Act I ends with Gandalf and the Balrog, where did act Act II end?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 3:07am

Oh believe me I know that there are unions in Toronto. Angels had an Equity tour with union stagehands at every stop. But the rate they were paying in NYC was so much greater than everywhere else that the tour was not only able to make a substantial enough profit to wipe out the show's million dollar deficit, but on top of that return a decent profit to the investors.

There's a reason so many pre-Broadway shows have tried out in Toronto over the years -- compared to NYC, the costs and union minimums are downright cheap.

Updated On: 2/5/06 at 03:07 AM

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 3:09am

I see.

By any chance do you happen to know how much extra each stagehand was being paid for overtime in NY for Angels? I think I have a few proffessors that would love to know that.

Thanks for the info everyone,

Akiva

[Matters]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 3:18am

Act II ended with Strider raising the dead warriors in what I think was supposed to be a black sea. It was amazing, I can give more details on it if you want.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 3:22am

A good question, Link. I'll see if I can find out. Someone told me the figure at the time, but in the decade since I've forgotten. I know that in certain circles Angels is the stuff of legend -- beyond the obvious quality of the show itself -- for its overtime costs. There have been only a couple of shows on Broadway in the past few decades that have had a three hour+ running time and part of that is because of union costs (though the fact is, not many people write plays that long anyway).

Interestingly, I know that both the last revival of Long Days Journey Into Night (with Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Denehey, Robert Sean Leonard and Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Iceman Cometh (with Kevin Spacey) managed to turn a nice profit, despite three hour+ running times. I'm sure that was partly due to the famous names in the cast making each virtually soldout for much of their limited engagements and partly due to the fact that curtain time was 7pm rather than 8pm (I can't remember, but I seem to recall that the big union overtime rate kicks in at 11:01, regardless of the length of the show; if that's true then Angels may have done better with an earlier curtain time).

Updated On: 2/5/06 at 03:22 AM

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 3:26am

I would love that Matters. But I can wait until morning so you can sleep. If you were me though, I'd be exhausted but all wond (wound? wond, how the heck do you spell it?) up.

I need to go to bed.

[SirLiir]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 3:30am

Thank you Margo for the insight. I do hope we NYers get a chance to see it some time.

[Matters]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 3:38am

i may as well do it now, i'm not up to sleeping even though I'm tired...i'm telling sombody about LOTR via msn and i'm in the midsts of reliving it right now so I should tell all. Ok, so the end of Act II....

Strider comes all the way downstage center, right to the edge, audience members could in theory touch him if they wanted. The stage is set in darkness and hes in a lone spotlight. In the background you can see somthing flowing that looks almost like hardened lava, only its flowing. It starts to consume the stage and gets to the point that its right up to the edge of the stage with strider. The lights dim up a bit and the black thing (which looks sort of like a really big, textureized garbage bag) begins to flow and you're not sure how its moving, it just is. Almost like waves. Theres a big wave and then a hand bearing a sword pierces the sea(i think its a sea) and a soilder begins to emerge. Then another one. And another one. Almost instantaneously the stage is full of countless dead warriors breaking through the black thing (literally, they make a hole in it and climb out) and then they all do some syncronized sword movement and then a blackout.

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 3:45am

Sounds absolutely fascinating.

Margo, I'm watching All About Eve this very moment for the first time ever. :)

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 3:47am

Rentaholic,

I hope you're enjoying it.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 3:55am

"...and then a blackout"

Niiiiice.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 3:55am

According to the press kit, the Toronto production is costing $27 million (!) If that figure is true, the show would have to run 3 years at capacity in the "Princess of Whales" theatre just to break even.

IF it goes to Broadway and costs that much, the New York producers will feel justified in rasing the top ticket price (aside from "premium seating - something the Mirvishes haven't started doing here...yet...nor have they take on lotteries and offering cheap seats either...) to $200. Then EVERY other musical on Broadway will raise their top ticket prices even small-cast one-set musicals and shows that paid off long ago.

The fact that LOTR does not use music to advance the plot or develop character bodes badly for those few of us who still take musical theatre as a serious artform. If LOTR is a success others wil copy its formula grafting rock, pop, folk and contry songs onto shows spinning off successful albums but robbing us of through-composed theatrical scores. Maybe it really is the end of the line for the traditional Broadway musical.

[blaxx]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 4:56am

Well, plays with music are really nothing new, and I really don't think this show would get this kind of attention and budget if it wasn't for the success of the film.
They are truly trying to take advantage of as much as they can, when it comes to this very profitable franchise, but I wouldn't seriously expect to revolutionize anything in the artistic sense.

[blaxx]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 4:56am

Well, plays with music are really nothing new, and I really don't think this show would get this kind of attention and budget if it wasn't for the success of the film.
They are truly trying to take advantage of as much as they can, when it comes to this very profitable franchise, but I wouldn't seriously expect to revolutionize anything in the artistic sense.

[Kevinoes]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 9:49am

I was walking through the mall yesterday in St. Catharines, ON (about 2 hours outside of Toronto) and a girl was wearing a hobbit costume around in tribute to the show's opening...that's just mother ******* creepy! And obsessive.

[Craig]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 10:07am

Just looked online. The tickets are expensive by Canada's usual standard. Top ticket price is $125 canadian. For us in the US - that works out to be below current top prices by a bit.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 10:18am

3 hours and 40 minutes??

Jesus.

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 10:27am

hey, nice reviews!
one question, though: is gollum played by an actor controlling a puppet, or just an actor who is small and thin or something?
thanks! the show sounds great!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 10:55am

I could easily see this bypassing Broadway and ending up in Vegas.

I could also see them breaking up the acts into three different shows and selling tickets individually or as some kind of group package.

But my guess is, whatever they end up doing, they are going to probably have to re-evaluate on some levels because most people (even die hard LOTR fans) aren't going to sit through a four-five hour quasi-musical-quasi-play-quasi-spectacle, no matter how interesting it may be.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 11:37am

I'll probably never see this, but if it gets a recording I may buy it... I am a HUGE Brent Carver fan.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 11:42am

thanks for posting this......not sure it's my kind of thing, which this tells me.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 2/5/06 at 11:42am

thanks for posting this......not sure it's my kind of thing, which this tells me.