Playbill Question - OBC

[musicandtemiror]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 2:25pm

I noticed something when the cast of a show - OBC is there the playbills are in color but then when they leave they turn black and white?
Is that right?

Also if anyone has any pictures (offical) [like the first one that you click on this website]
http://www.playbill.com/multimedia/search.asp?EVENT_ID=1985
for older - not playing shows - such as Movin Out, title of show, jesus christ superstar, peter pan, or others - if you could pm or post them to me it would help so much with my school project!

Thanks!

[Mealz1042]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 2:28pm

It's not neccesarily only for the OBC, I didn't see the OBC of several shows but I have colored playbills. When I saw Avenue Q in March 2006, the playbill was colored and when I saw it in May 2007 it was black and white.

I think its just a matter of how much the theatre can afford. Colored playbills look nicer but they're also much more expensive to produce.

[musicandtemiror]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 2:31pm

Cause I know A Chorus Line's OBC's playbill was Color and plain red with the title and then I saw it in the begining of September and it was a the logo (the line) and then the title with black and white

[Just_John]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 2:31pm

That's not how it works. It's just up to the producers of the show and if they want to put more money into the show to pay for color. Wicked's playbill is still in color and the oringial cast left a long time ago. Xanadu's is in black and white and the original cast is still in the show.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 2:36pm

I was at a performance of Chorus Line when they were making the transfer from color playbills to black and white - they were handing out both, probably trying to get rid of the extra color ones.

Usually, when most shows open, the playbill is in color for a bit.

When shows decide that they want to save money, they print the cover of playbills in black and white. That is why shows that pull in exceptional grosses tend to keep their playbills in color since they don't necessarily have to worry about saving money - Lion King, Wicked, and Jersey Boys (I think), for example. Mary Poppins prints the most expensive kind, the Showbill. The color is glossier.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 2:41pm

I have another Playbill question I'll tack onto this thread.

I've been to three Opening Night performances so far, and at none of them did the Playbill have the gold sticker on the front saying "Opening Night." Is that only done for the Playbills they sell through the website or was it actually done at the theatre for Opening Nights in the past? (The shows ranged from small plays to a big mega-bucks musical.)

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 2:45pm

Are you sure you went to the "official opening" usually closed to the public or was it a press opening?

[zepka102]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 2:49pm

Opening night of Legally Blonde didn't do the sticker either. I was upset about that.

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 2:51pm

Are you sure you went to the "official opening" usually closed to the public or was it a press opening?

Yes, all three times were the official opening nights, with the afterparties and the reviews coming out late that night/early the next morning.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 2:54pm

Maybe only certain shows do the sticker then.

[myManCape]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 3:08pm

I have been to a fare share of openings and never once received a playbill with a sticker. Thats a playbill.com gimmick.

As for the B&W vs Color... Search.

[myManCape]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 3:20pm

Mary Poppins prints the most expensive kind, the Showbill. The color is glossier.
What?
Know what your talking about before making dumb comments.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 3:24pm

The stickers cost extra, if they're handed out at the actual opening night.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 3:48pm

I have also never gone to an Opening Night where they had the sticker.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 4:27pm

Opening Nights also usually have it printed at the top of the title page. And, on some occasions the day or two after the Opening Night, you'll end up with one that has that printed (as is the case with my friend's WICKED playbill)

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 6:28pm

"Know what your talking about before making dumb comments."

Huh? myManCape, compare your Showbill for Mary Poppins with any other color page in a Playbill, and you will see that the color is richer. What's so dumb about that? It was just an observation. Are they not more expensive?

Also a reason why they print the Showbill is to give the show more control over the content it prints:

"because the theater's owners, Disney, do not want a program with cigarette and liquor advertising"

https://tinyurl.com/345qqt

Also, I got this off another post on BWW:

"The difference is that SHOWBILLS are more expensive. They do not contain the articles that all the Playbills contain. They only contain a few articles pertaining to the show you are actually seeing. There is some advertising, but it's limited."

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardname=bway&thread=936229#3038002

Updated On: 12/27/07 at 06:28 PM

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 6:43pm

I saw HIGH FIDELITY two days after it opened and I have the OPENING NIGHT thing listed on my cast page.

[myManCape]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 6:58pm

Im sorry to tell you that you have been misinformed. 1st of all they are printed by the exact same company and look exactly the same (Yes I did compare them just to make sure I wasn’t crazy I also compared a Lion King Showbill).
Secondly they cost the same. Read this:
http://www.playbill.com/features/article/112023.html

Like you said they are printed to control the advertisements. Why would that cost more?
In fact its Playbill that pays the theatres for the right to distribute the program. Why would it cost anyone more to distribute a different type of program?

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 7:01pm

I naturally assumed it cost more because the color is actually richer.

I saw Mary Poppins back in May and Spring Awakening the same day. I looked at a makeup ad that appeared in both publications and the one that appeared in the Mary Poppins Showbill was richer in color. I don't know if it has changed since then, but I know what I saw.

The article doesn't say anything about the actual cost of printing the Showbill vs. Playbill, even though they are owned by the same company. It would cost more to print something that has better ink quality, no?

Updated On: 12/27/07 at 07:01 PM

[myManCape]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 7:52pm

Their exactly the same.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 10:08pm

You can keep saying that, and yes, I know THEY'RE owned by the same company, but you saw what you saw, and I can assure you I saw what I saw. I'm 100% sure my Mary Poppins showbill used a better quality printing color than my other playbill. Otherwise, I wouldn't have made that "dumb" comment. Perhaps it has changed since then.

Updated On: 12/27/07 at 10:08 PM

[musicandtemiror]

Posted: 12/27/07 at 11:42pm

okay

does it matter!!!

-- off topic

--shrinks away in shame

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 12/28/07 at 12:04am

It's not off topic. If you really think it was, then maybe you should've posted on the off-topic board. It does matter to me because I'm curious.

Also, maybe you should refer to Google Images to search for Playbill pictures for your school project...

Updated On: 12/28/07 at 12:04 AM

[BroadwayEnthusiast2]

Posted: 12/28/07 at 12:18am

MyManCape, as far as I know, it is definitely more expensive to print Showbills. If it wasn't more expensive, why wouldn't every show do Showbills? The reason for Showbills is to have control over the ads- wouldn't every show want control over their ads and be able to put in more "special features" like those in the Mary Poppins Showbill?