Spring Awakening Tour- Page 2

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 12/17/10 at 4:36am

Mark's my bus buddy! :)

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 12/17/10 at 4:38am

bwayphreak, we're on a layoff right now. We start back up mid-January in Salt Lake City, so we should be really fresh when you see it.

[PianoMan2]

Posted: 12/17/10 at 5:49pm

I LOVE Mark! I musical directed a Dirty Rotten that he did. I am aiming to see the show in Buffalo!

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 12/18/10 at 2:34am

Awesome! Come say hello if you do! :)

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 12/18/10 at 12:42pm

Hahah tell him Dylan says hi...he was a fantastic Sweeney at BVT's "Sweeney Todd" and a superb Man of La Mancha...

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 12/18/10 at 6:00pm

Sweet! :)

Yeah, he doesn't really get to sing much in this show, haha.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/19/10 at 12:35pm

Looks like it is coming back to Denver for two nights in February. It is also playing in Beaver Creek, CO for one night in January. I won't be here to see it.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 12/19/10 at 1:02pm

^ This tour is doing a lot of two night return engagements in cities the show has already played. Fine with me though! I could see this show over and over again.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/19/10 at 2:19pm

Looks like it. I was reading an article in our local paper this morning and it was mentioned. Looked on their website and saw the dates. The show really isn't on my radar as I have seen it twice. Once at The Atlantic in NYC and the first tour here in Denver.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 12/19/10 at 9:35pm

I've only seen it once on tour and I loved it so I'm glad I can see it again. It's weird though because this production is not part of the Broadway Across America series. Its not even being marketed as a special in the season. Its at the same theatre but its part of the regular season.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 6:23pm

To those seeing the show in LA (or to those interested),

We're doing a cabaret on February 9 after our show (around 11:30) at M Bar. It's going to be awesome! Also, all proceeds go directly to the Trevor Project. Hope to see you there!

[sirrymirrie]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 6:58pm

I saw the national tour last year in Louisville and it was absolutely fantastic. My two best friends and I have onstage tickets for the Friday and Saturday night performances at TPAC in Nashville in February. I cannot wait--we've been counting down for months! I'm sure it's going to be amazing, and that the band will sound great too! :)

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 7:15pm

It's still not coming near me (the closest is three hours away in Buffalo).

[sergio_27]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 7:31pm

The tour is coming to Tucson next week, and the best tickets available are on the orchestra pit. Are these good seats for this play, or would I miss a big part of the action? Thank you.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 7:51pm

I saw it this past Saturday in Tacoma, Wa. Sensational cast. I enjoyed it more than the 1st National Company (which I also loved), especially the Wendla.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 8:22pm

I am seeing the show tomorrow night. I got student rush seats about back in December. I can't wait and I will post my thoughts here when I see it!

[purple1793]

Posted: 1/27/11 at 9:28pm

Updated On: 5/2/11 at 09:28 PM

[Bobby Maler]

Posted: 1/28/11 at 1:20pm

MassofMen: "i wonder why producers would even do an Eq tour then if the talent is the same. Why pay people more if they non-union performers are the same quality?"

In general--though certainly not always--union actors are better and more experienced than non-union actors. The quality is NOT the same. You will see a huge discrepancy between the union and the non-union tours of shows like The King And I, Music Man, etc. If an adult actor hasn't become union after a certain amount of time, more often than not, they are not on the same level as actors their age who consistently book professional union productions.

In the case of Spring Awakening, however, where so many of the cast are young, the playing field is more level. It is understood that even the best young actors may not yet have professional experience, which is why the Broadway producers conducted so many open calls throughout the country to find the best and the brightest. For both the Broadway and 1st national tour, many of the actors they found had to be turned union. In short, there should be no material difference in the quality of the casts between the 2nd national tour and the 1st national tour of Spring Awakening. The only real difference is that the Broadway producers and the original creative team are no longer involved with this production. Their work has been licensed.

In general, Broadway producers are pro-union, but economics and union politics make it almost impossible for 2nd national tours like this one to be union. For a 1st national tour, where you are playing large cities for a week or more in large, theatres with large subscription bases, those presenting houses have the money to pay guarantees which cover all of the costs of a union tour. Smaller venues in smaller cities will not meet those guarantees, and their audience base can only sustain sold out shows for one or two nights. Thus, the amount of revenue is lower all around and it would not make economic sense to give actors, crew, truckers and musicians Broadway-level pay scales.

There has been a lot of discussion within Actor's Equity to allow union members to perform at lower pay scales for 2nd national tours like this, to turn these tours union. After all, it would allow more job opportunities for union actors, would put codes in place which would protect the actors from being taken advantage of, and would help stem the tide of rampant non-union tours. The fear is that allowing a lower pay scale will create a lower base salary level and a de-valuing of the perceived "fair wage" for an actor's work. That is, producers seeing that actors are willing to work for less might be less inclined to pay 1st national tour salary levels. This is a topic that will likely continue to be discussed further, but for the time being, it makes more economic sense for tours playing smaller venues to be non-union.

Hope that answers your question.

[yournamehere]

Posted: 1/28/11 at 10:10pm

Question: On the website now for Spring Awakening, is that the current Wendla and Melchior on the tour? I only ask because the girl looks SO much like Lea Michele but the boy nothing like Groff.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/29/11 at 1:20am

I just got back from seeing this. Wow. I was completely blown away. I saw the first national tour and loved it and went in to this show thinking it would be nowhere near as good. I was wrong. This production and cast completely blew the first touring company out of the water. My friend and I both agreed this was the best show we have ever seen. The cast is phenomenal. Elizabeth Judd and Christopher Wood had an amazing chemistry and their voices were out of this world. Courtney Markowitz was the perfect Ilse. When she sang Don't Do Sadness with Coby Getzug, I was speechless. The orchestra sounded so full and was just spot on. If this is coming to a city close to you, GO. It is worth the drive and time. Even if you have seen the show before, this company is the best I have seen.

[purple1793]

Posted: 1/29/11 at 2:11am

I saw it tonight too and it was amazing! Everyone in the cast was awesome but especially Christopher Wood, Elizabeth Judd, Cody Getzug and Courtney Markowitz! I wish it was playing in Tempe longer so I could see it again!!

[quizking101]

Posted: 1/29/11 at 2:16am

I'll be seeing this in April when it comes to the State Theatre in New Brunswick, NJ.

[supportivemom]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 2:29pm

Just got my tickets yesterday for my daughter and me to see the show March 24th in Jacksonville! We're very excited! We'll have to look for you Mr. Music!

[sergio_27]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 6:20pm

I'm very excited! A couple days ago I didn't even know I was coming to Tucson, and now I have a great ticket for tomorrow's performance. I can't wait!

[tourboi]

Posted: 2/5/11 at 8:29pm

As to whether the producers would bother with an equity tour....

Simple! Different producers!

The first national was produced by the Broadway producers.

The second (current) national tour is produced by NETworks, who acquired the touring rights when the original producers ended the first national. Different producers, different contracts... quite normal.