RAGTIME IS BUILDING STEAM- Page 2

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 8:30am

Those shows would LOVE to get on the morning talk shows and The View or Letterman, but the producers of those shows tend to look on Broadway shows as charity cases, the same way they view segments about books.

The minute-by-minute ratings don't usually rise for the 5 minutes an author or a Broadway performer is on, unless that author or performer is already a TV celebrity.

Without a celebrity, the Today show or The View will only do a book or theater segment if they need to change the pace a bit the way Letterman does.

I loved Ragtime the first time around, and I'm going to be one of the people who sees it in the next few weeks hoping it lasts.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 8:35am

That is absolutely true. Those who are saying "they should do TV" don't understand that it isn't a given that TV shows want to book Ragtime. Musicals are very costly propositions for the morning TV shows to book. The actors and musicians get paid for their appearance. (The shows themselves usually have to pick up the rest of the expense of the appearance for wardrobe, wigs, stage management etc., although they are usually happy to do so).

Complicating it further - when you think about it, the choice of what you would perform from Ragtime on a morning show is really limited. It would make the most sense and have the biggest impact to do the title song, but I don't think any of the TV studios are well equipped to accommodate a 40 member cast. So I'm not sure what's left that is effective out of context - "Wheels of a Dream"? "Journey On"? "Back to Before"? You could do one of those numbers and see absolutely no box office impact the following day.

"Regis & Kelly" tends to hold their Broadway musical performances for "Broadway Week" in May near the Tonys. "The Today Show" has cut way back on booking Broadway. (I think the David Bryan factor probably helped with Memphis.) "Good Morning America," even with its studio in the midst of Times Square, does very little Broadway, although they tend to do it better than "The Today Show" when they do book something. "Letterman" maybe does one Broadway musical a year. "The View," however, does Broadway performances fairly regularly, so that is a possibility now that Whoopi has given her endorsement. But it could possibly be too little, too late and I wonder whether "The View" would go down that road of trying to book a number when the show's prospects have been deemed iffy.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 9:58am

Where's Ed Sullivan when you need him!

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 11:09am

I remember La Chanze and Alton Fitzgerald White performing Wheels of a Dream on the Today Show during Ragtime's original Broadway run. It was also done on CBS' telecast of the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Granted it would be nice to see the ensemble perform on the morning shows, but some of the solos could be done quite effectively (IMO). I would love to hear Christiane Noll sing Back to Before.

[Oldschool]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 11:13am

Rosie had the entire cast on for Ragtime!


Ragtime on the Rosie O'Donnel Show

[lovesclassics]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 12:27pm

I think the marketing for this show has not captured the essence of what resonates with people. The design and ads are focusing on the "big themes" that have come under criticism. The messages are too political and too esoteric. The ads need to somehow express the inner hopes, dreams, and journeys of the three central figures - Tateh, Coalhouse and Mother. They need to move and inspire a general public that doesn't necessarily know the show or the score. They need to be about clear feelings and not complex ideas. They need to be more personal and uplifting.

I mean, really, to the tourist who has never seen the show or read Doctorow, what does "Their Time, Our Time, Ragtime" mean???

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 1:15pm

What, so they should add a speech from Richard Nixon to the commercial?

[lovesclassics]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 1:30pm

How on Earth did you make that leap from my post???

I say it's too political and you think I want to add a speech from Nixon? The mind boggles.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 1:37pm

Here's what they should do:
1- Make a REAL commercial with actual clips from the show.
2- Er... use it? Get it aired! The money will come back!
3- Get more billboards and such. But it should be clear that Ragtime is a Broadway musical! Maybe put some nice quotes on them.
4- Make a contest a la the ITH tour or BBB where the person to mention the show the most on facebook/twitter or get the most clicks on the show's website wins free tickets.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 1:43pm

There IS a commercial with clips from the show that is airing pretty extensively, at least in the tri-state area and also on websites (just saw it as a banner ad on nytimes.com). And to address one of loveclassic's concerns, it also pretty clearly delineates the Coalhouse/Mother/Tateh story strands rather than the original political speech radio and TV ads.

[Nick Plasia]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 1:43pm

Ragtime is building steam....right
down the toidy!

[Oldschool]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 1:47pm

Nick, since you clearly don't like the show, and have posted as much, why the need to crap everywhere?

"Please don't dominate the rap, Jack, if you've got nothing new to say.
If you please, don't back up the track; this train's got to run today."

Stop farting in the wind.

[lisa902652]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 1:54pm

Nick: You are an ass. What is the point of posting negative comments without anything constructive to say?

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 4:19pm

Ah, I'm not in the tri-state area now, so I didn't know that; I just assumed there wasn't one since I haven't seen it online. I'll have to look for it.
And Nick, did you audition for the show and not get cast or something? What's with the hatred?

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 4:19pm

Nick is just a seagull....and apparently a homophobic one at that. Just ignore.

While I hope the title of this thread is true, I think the producers erred in stopping most of the discounts as of opening night. Theatre tickets are just too expensive now, and most people cannot afford to attend nearly as many shows as they would like. (Fortunately most of my tickets are comps, otherwise I could never afford to see as many shows as I do.) Discounts, lotteries, and student rush tickets are important revenue streams that should not be ignored.

It's wonderful that large blocks of seats are deemed "premium" and (in the case of RAGTIME) priced at $300. That's great for people with six-figure incomes or generous expense accounts, but the life-blood of Broadway are the theatre fans who want to see at the very least a show a week. Tourists too would probably take in more shows if the general prices were more affordable.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 4:19pm

What is the point of posting negative comments without anything constructive to say?

Because he is stating the realistic? He's not harping on the show by saying that. He is just stating the probable truth.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 4:30pm

No. He is not "just stating the obvious." He goes out of his way to sneer at and deride any show and it's fans. Look at the history of his posts (those that were not already deleted by the moderators after complaints were lodged) and you will see see a history of someone deliberately trying to rile people without ever adding anything helpful or constructive.

As I said - a seagull.

[Nick Plasia]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 4:32pm

Are you kidding? I loved RAGTIME.
But it's going down, down, down....
That's what happens when people
don't buy tickets.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 4:58pm

frontrowcentre2, I didn't say "stating the obvious". I said "stating the realistic". While it might not be obvious or desirable, it is in fact a realistic truth that Ragtime isn't going to last very long.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 6:10pm

There's no reason he needs to call it "Fag time." That's pretty disgusting.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 6:40pm

No, that's absolutely true. I was referring more to the subject matter than the manner in which he described it.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 12/6/09 at 6:45pm

Agreed, ljay - and Rob has deleted those posts now. Nick's other posts are being monitored.

Notice how both Nick Plasia and TheEnchantedHunter swarm to threads about RAGTIME merely to dump all over it. Makes me think they are the same person posting under two different aliases.


As for the production, we'll know on Monday when the grosses are published whether it has in fact built any steam over the past week. If there is not a significant increase prepare for the official closing notice.

[Nick Plasia]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 12:25am

Ewwwwwwww. I wouldn't
be caught dead near the
Enchanted Punter.

Gross!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 11:37am

You have to consider the source: Nick Plasia is someone who still thinks it's clever that Michael Jackson's plastic surgery made him look like Joan Crawford.

Wow. I never thought of that.

[whatever2]

Posted: 12/7/09 at 4:16pm

as i read last week's grosses, butts-in-seats are only up 1%, and box office is down $75k. that can't be good.