Non Equity Tours

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 11:17am

I'm seeing the Memphis non equity tour in November and wondering what I should expect. I've never seen a non equity tour and I know a lot of broadway people here think that they're horrible but I live in Boston, see many equity tours, and I go to NYC often to see Broadway shows. So I've seen many levels of talent and the shows that come to Boston are just as good as New York. Just wondering how the acting level is for a non equity tour and would the set be the same as the equity tour? The first time I saw Memphis it was perfect and don't want it to be wrecked by a crappy tour.

[jaxandmci]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 11:57am

I can't speak for Memphis but we've had a string of non-equity tours here in Jacksonville recently with very mixed results. Some have great talent but bare bone staging. Some have Broadway-like staging with embarassingly bad talent. Others are just dreadful in all aspects and one was just stellar and every bit as good as it's Broadway counterpart.

The great: Rock of Ages
The so-so: American Idiot, Dreamgirls, A Chorus Line
The awful: West Side Story, Hair

Memphis is part of our 2013-2014 season as well and I'll probably see it again but go in with low expectations. I'm sure they will have to simplify some of the complex staging and set changing elements in many of the tour venues.

[DEClarke]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 11:59am

Non-Eq can be great or not-so-great. It depends on the cast director. Since it's Non-Eq they don't have the union's protections, so most of the actors will be "fresh" and "new."

The current BEAUTY AND THE BEAST tour is Non-Eq. The sets and effects are scaled back as is the Orchestra Pit. The talent on the stage (when I saw it) was good. Not phenomenal, but good.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 6/25/13 at 12:08pm

Great points guys, thanks for the help. The thing with Memphis is that it's pretty hard to cast. Huey is a very unique role. Felicia and Gator and not that hard to cast. But Delray and Bobby I think could be very hard to cast. Judging from the shows jax put in the great, so-so, and awful category this would probably fall in the so-so. It's kinda hard to judge considering I haven't seen it but that's my guess. Thanks for the help guys!