Outrageous Back to the Future tour scam!

[phantom1978]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 3:11am

I saw the show twice in Seattle and the last performance was missing set pieces. The show was clearly loading out outside and they must’ve loaded out the McFly home and other elements early cause all we got were backdrops. The sets were there days before. Totally ridiculous. We paid the same price and got less show. I want my money back from the shady producers.

Updated On: 12/23/24 at 03:11 AM

[JasonC3]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 5:31am

If you want your money back, posting a message isn't likely to do it.  Did you speak to the theater staff?

[seaweedjstubbs]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 7:39am

A show loading out during the show is highly unusual for a tour. Any chance those set pieces just happened to not be working on the last night? Could’ve been that there was a mechanical issue but they still wanted the show to go on.

But I understand wanting your money back. I also wanted my money back after sitting through that show on Broadway.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 9:03am

I get this. When I saw Paradise Square on Broadway, the turn table didn’t work. I didn’t even realize there was a turn table until a friend went and said that was the only thing that was good about it LOL

[nealb1]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 11:16am

When you spoke to the Stage Manager about your concerns of the sets, and asked for a refund, what was the response that you got?  

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 11:18am

If this is true this is such a terrible precedent. I know non-equity tours tend to cut certain set pieces depending on the venue and how much time to load in/out, but an equity tour should not be doing this. Seems like they should’ve invested in a jump set if they’re having tight turnarounds. Definitely reach out to the customer service at Broadway Across Americas Seattle department [e-mail]

Updated On: 12/23/24 at 11:18 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 9:09am

phantom1978 said: "I saw the show twice in Seattle and the last performance was missing set pieces. The show was clearly loading out outside and they must’ve loaded out the McFly home and other elements early cause all we got were backdrops. The sets were there days before. Totally ridiculous. We paid the same price and got less show. I want my money back from the shady producers."

A few things to keep in mind:

• You didn't get less show. You got the full show. If they did actually reduce select set pieces for a certain performance date, there are a multitude of reasons why they might have done that. Stuff happens. A performance with minor tweaks is better than no show at all. You're behaving as though they cut the character of Doc Brown.
• You are not promised a specific set when you buy a ticket, in the same way that you are not promised a specific cast at a given performance date. Theatre is a living and breathing thing and will never be exactly the same night to night.
• Trying to compare prices and seats across dates holds no weight in an age of dynamic pricing, whether you're a subscriber, a full-priced buyer, or a discounted buyer.
• If you feel so inclined to ask for a refund, manage expectations and don't expect any more than about 20% at best, given the amount of the runtime those units are on the stage, their size, and their relation to the actual plot/storytelling. Also keep in mind this would be real "Karen Behavior"...but if you feel it's a worthwhile use of your time, u go gurl.
• While the situation may be crummy, I doubt it was done with any malicious or "shady" intent and it's def not a "scam".
• What's the old phrase about "if you leave a musical singing the set, you know it's a bad show"?

Updated On: 12/23/24 at 09:09 AM

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 11:21am

Ermengarde, what an incredibly intelligent post. 

[phantom1978]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 1:14pm

The show literally had replacement sets and props.  Examples:

Doc Browns huge chair in the opening of act 2 become a small stand.

The Pinheads sign was reduced to a crappy looking banner.

And more. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 4:11pm

Wow, if you're this upset set by replacement sets and props, how do you react when there is an....dare I say it.....an.....UNDERSTUDY?????

 

 

 

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 4:22pm

Oh, look. Sweaty Oracle just picked up on this even though he “doesn’t read the boards” lmao

[phantom1978]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 6:15pm

I have no problem with understudies. But don’t bait and switch paying customers with paired down major set pieces when your loading out the same day. 

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 7:22pm

phantom1978 said: "I have no problem with understudies. But don’t bait and switch paying customers with paired down major set pieces when your loading out the same day."

Was the Deloreon there? 

Like... there was plenty of downtime before they start their next leg of shows on the 26th, they weren't loading the show you're just assuming that they were when there could have been a myriad of other reasons for why the set pieces were missing. 

[MinneapolisMichael]

Posted: 12/23/24 at 8:17pm

I can assure you this did not happen.  They use automation on this show - ie the sets move onto the stage via automation vs stagehands standing behind the set manually moving the set on and off the stage. I suspect there may have been an issue with the automation and thus a plan B was put into place. 
Several reasons that they would not load out a set piece during the show are

- when a show does a load out, they need upwards of 50 stage hands to load out the show - those stage hands report to the venue around the end of the show because the show crew has a 30 minute meal break after the show. 
- the trucks that the show is loaded into during a load out - have a specific order and a specific truck that they are loaded into. This show has maybe 10 trucks and a venue can usually have 2 trucks in the loading dock at a time 

- the load out for back to the future takes 10-15 hours depending on the venue

sorry to hear that you didn’t get the show that you were expecting but having worked on this show for several weeks (and knowing most of the cast and crew), and having worked on countless other tours, I can assure you that they do not load out sets early just to get a head start on loading out a show. It doesn’t work that way. 

[phantom1978]

Posted: 12/24/24 at 8:30pm

So they bring alternatives with them for the McFly home, the diner, etc? I mean it was missing a ton of stuff that I’d just seen days earlier. 

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 12/27/24 at 2:28am

phantom1978 said: "So they bring alternatives with them for the McFly home, the diner, etc? I mean it was missing a ton of stuff that I’d just seen days earlier."

Entirely possible. On tour, different theatre's have different limitations. There can be limited wing space, limited fly space, and even limited deck space. This means that there may be alternate set pieces to meet these limitations. If an element, or elements, are not going to work on a given night, it may be necessary to swap things out so the show can go on. In any case this is less a scam than it is an overreaction on your part.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 12/27/24 at 10:44am

jimmycurry01 said: "phantom1978 said: "So they bring alternatives with them for the McFly home, the diner, etc? I mean it was missing a ton of stuff that I’d just seen days earlier."

Entirely possible. On tour, different theatre's have different limitations. There can be limited wing space, limited fly space, and even limited deck space. This means that there may be alternate set pieces to meet these limitations. If an element, or elements, are not going to work on a given night, it may be necessary to swap things out so the show can go on. In any case this is less a scam than it is an overreaction on your part."

Omg stop gaslighting this person. phantom1978 had seen one set one day and a new set days later at the SAME theatre. That is NOT normal no matter how you slice it and stop bootlicking for these producers. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 12/27/24 at 10:51am

The “marty and the pinheads” drop seems to have been downgraded for the Costa Mesa stop.

Original drop

Costa Mesa drop

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 12/27/24 at 10:56am

On tour, different theatre's have different limitations. There can be limited wing space, limited fly space, and even limited deck space.
 

A first national tour playing the same spaces as The Lion King and Wicked should and would not have any issues with space in its theatres. It’s purely economic.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/27/24 at 11:14am

Call_me_jorge said: "jimmycurry01 said: "phantom1978 said: "So they bring alternatives with them for the McFly home, the diner, etc? I mean it was missing a ton of stuff that I’d just seen days earlier."

Entirely possible. On tour, different theatre's have different limitations. There can be limited wing space, limited fly space, and even limited deck space. This means that there may be alternate set pieces to meet these limitations. If an element, or elements, are not going to work on a given night, it may be necessary to swap things out so the show can go on. In any case this is less a scam than it is an overreaction on your part."

Omg stop gaslighting this person. phantom1978 had seen one set one day and anew set days later at the SAME theatre. That is NOT normal no matter how you slice it and stop bootlicking for these producers."

Nobody is gaslighting them. People are offering informed explanations for what may have happened. It’s certainly not a scam, an early partial load out, or the implementing of new set pieces for cost reduction (why would they do that at the end of a tour stop?).  

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 12/27/24 at 11:26am

Theatre space limitations and limited technical capabilities with theatres around the country are factored into these national tours so these things are considered when tours head out. Years ago in South Florida, Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center always had the First National Tours as they were fully equipped to present these touring productions in their full staging, which Miami Beach’s Jackie Gleason Theatre was not. Now Miami has the Arsht Center which can house First National Tours like the Broward Center. 
 

In the case of this thread here, this person saw the BACK TO THE FUTURE tour days earlier and at the same theatre. At the final performance, this same production at the exact same theatre used backdrops and reduced set pieces whereas days earlier, the full sets were used. He didn’t see the tour in one city and is complaining about the same touring production at another city. 

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 12/27/24 at 1:12pm

BrodyFosse123 said: "Theatre space limitations and limited technical capabilities with theatres around the country are factored into these national tours so these things are considered when tours head out. Years ago in South Florida, Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center always hadthe First National Tours as they were fully equipped to present these touring productions in their full staging, which Miami Beach’s Jackie Gleason Theatre was not. Now Miami has the Arsht Center which can house First National Tours like the Broward Center.


In the case of this thread here, this person saw the BACK TO THE FUTURE tour days earlier and at the same theatre. At the final performance, this same production at the exact same theatre used backdrops and reduced set pieces whereas days earlier, the full sets were used. He didn’t see the tour in one city and is complaining about the same touring production at another city."

Yes, but if elements are not functioning, and there is already an alternative for theatres that cannot utilize certain aspects and that requires the use of a back-up plan, they will use that backup plan. Prior to switching to education, this was my full time job. I did this stuff professionally, traveling from place to place and putting on a show somewhere new every week. I can tell you from firsthand experience that these things do happen.

Clearly alternative set pieces were available, and they were clearly used. Sh!t breaks. I assure you, the explanation I have offered is certainly a plausible reason as to why they saw some different set pieces. 

Furthermore, in the possible, but not probable, event that this was due to an early, partial load-out, a few changed set pieces does not amount to a scam.

Side note: I was once doing a show and the Whole Hog lighting console, which operated the intelligent lighting, completely crapped out 40 minutes before curtain. The entire show had to operate on the ETC board, (which operated stationary instruments) with no intelligent lighting. It was lighting design on the fly; it was intense, and it certainly didn't look the same as the previous performance. It's live theatre; it changes every day, and the audience doesn't always get to know why.

[Dropscrim]

Posted: 12/27/24 at 3:54pm

Yes, they slimmed down the tour while they were in Seattle.

(This happens all the time.)

No they weren't loading it out while the show was going on.

No you're not going to get a refund.

Yes, you're being ridiculous.

If you hadn't seen it already you never would have known.

Hope this helps.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 12/27/24 at 4:08pm

Yeah, this thread is embarrassing. They weren't, like, hanging out in the truck just waiting for you guys to get out of the theater so they could load the last set piece so they could be early for their next destination. It was slimmed down like the above poster said. You aren't getting a refund just because you didn't like how it looked. So, get over it?

"Scam" 😂

Updated On: 12/27/24 at 04:08 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 12/27/24 at 4:56pm

It does seem odd to trim it down mid-show week? Like why not implement those changes in the next stop? That does seem odd.