'Spring Awakening' To Close May 30th — Page 2

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#26

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/12/09 at 6:38pm

"I think it easily could have had a healthy run if they had actually bothered to advertise the show. I'm sure most of the target audience had no idea it existed."

There are posters EVERYWHERE in London, at least as many as for other shows. The Lyric did pretty big promotion for it with all their video blogging etc. What were you expecting? Prohibitively expensive TV coverage, which only the big shows do these days?

The target audience for Spring Awakening isn't tourists, isn't coach parties, isn't foreign school trips. These are the people who keep much of the West End running, and the blue rinse brigade aren't going to see a show about kids wanking off to their piano teacher, no matter how good it is. The target audience is young people, who don't go to theatre unless they pay a pittance for it, and a pittance can keep no West End show alive.

#27

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/12/09 at 7:11pm

Disappointed to hear this news. I saw it at the Novello in April, went in wanting to like it but wasn't sure if I would. I was surprised to find that I loved it, thought it was stunning at times. Shame that a show like this couldn't find an audience, doesn't bode well for "serious" shows aimed at young people.

Had planned on seeing it again, looks like I'll have to make do with A Little Night Music again! No great sacrifice there though!

So, thanks SA for a memorable night down the Strand. . .now MTI, release those rights and we'll shock the hell out of the traditionalists down the back of the parish hall!

#28

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/12/09 at 7:32pm

I hope they can open some kind of tour of this show. Whilst im not the biggest fan of it i think it deserves a life here in the UK.

Namo i love u but we get it already....you don't like Madonna

#29

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/12/09 at 9:22pm

"I'm sure most of the target audience had no idea it existed."

Their target audience owns computers, they know it exists.

2008: Feb. 18- Rent, Feb. 19- Curtains, April 18- Xanadu, April 22- Wicked, April 26- Legally Blonde, May 31- Wicked, June 13- The Little Mermaid, June 28- Wicked and Young Frankenstein, July 2- The Little Mermaid, July 6- A Chorus Line and Legally Blonde, August 16- Xanadu, September 13- Legally Blonde and 13, September 28- Xanadu and Spring Awakening, Oct. 12-GYPSY and [title of show], Oct. 19- Hairspray & Legally Blonde, Nov. 9- Wicked and 13, Dec. 14-13, Dec. 26- Billy Elliot, 2009: Jan 1- Shrek, Jan 2- 13 and Wicked, Jan 4- 13, Feb 17- In The Heights, Feb 19- Billy Elliot, Feb 22- Sweeney Todd (tour), March 28- Mary Poppins, April 4- Mamma Mia!, April 15- Jersey Boys (on tour), April 25- next to normal & 9 to 5 May 1- Billy Elliot, May 3- Spelling Bee (tour), May 8- Chicago, May 21- Wicked, June 6- Everyday Rapture, June 23- The Wiz, June 25- Hair July 15- Shrek, August 9- Wicked, September 7- Rock of Ages, October 11- Next To Normal, October 23- The Marvelous Wonderettes, November 7- Ragtime November 29- Dreamgirls, December 25- Billy Elliot, December 30- Finian's Rainbow, 2010: January 9- Bye Bye Birdie, January 16- Memphis February 17- The Phantom of The Opera, February 18- God of Carnage, March 7- Billy Elliot, March 31- American Idiot

#30

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 2:48am

I am really Gutted! AMAZING SHOW that deserves to do well!

I didnt expect it to do great, but I thought it would make it to September, this is too soon!

But I still feel this show should only just be opening in London on 30th May, and they made the transfer way too soon from the Lyric!

#31

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 3:29am

I'm not really surprised by the number of posts talking about Rent. I saw Spring Awakening in New York just after it opened and people were raving about how totally "new" and "innovative" it was. When I said (after yawning my way through a performance) "it's just like Rent but with period costumes" I was nearly attacked as if I had uttered blasphemy.

What an innovative plot idea it had too -- teenagers wanting to have sex and their parents forbidding it. Gee, I wonder why no one ever thought to do that story before?

#32

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 3:51am

I'm gutted. I'm not sure if it's a reflection on the appeal of the show, but they way the transfer was handled made me think it would end up the victim of some piss-poor decisions. The whole 'secret show' campaign did nothing except rile up the ticket agencies, and the public didn't give a sh*t. They should have given it longer and milked the success of the Hammersmith run to build up an advance. Such a waste of a show.

#33

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 4:06am

what was the 'secret show' campaign?

I think musically its better than Rent, but thats just personal taste. But I do remember leaving the theatre and thinking what exactly was the point of it all. The book never seemed to catch fire.

#34

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 4:20am

Musicals that enter here just don't seem to have the brains behind advertising/marketing.

I went to brighton last weekend for the festival and no-one hadheard of this show there. there are countless of arts schools, clubs and minded-people but because no advertising was done outside of London no other schools or groups the show should have targeted got a chance to get together to see the show.

Anyway - i like that cameron dosen't house a flop, keeps the west end fresh.

I've a feeling Witches could make a enterance to London again to fill this sudden gap..!

#35

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 4:25am

Dewynters tried to rile up all the ticket agencies by going on about this 'secret show' that was to start at the Novello which was going to be really exciting. Everybody guessed it was Spring Awakening, but I don't know what their intentions were as there were obviously no tickets to sell and nobody could push it as Spring Awakening because there was no official confirmation. In the end, a perfectly decent show moved from its sell-out run to a larger venue with only a few posters dotted about and only a few days to build up an advance. Ridiculous.

#36

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 4:45am

It was ridiculous - but ticket agencies really were a waste on this show anyway. They don't promote shows unless they get good inside deals.

This show needed awareness to a younger audience - hitting performing arts schools with fantastic group rates and much more splash for its arrival - why it was secretive is stupid!

#37

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 5:31am

Dewynters did no less for this show than for any other.
I live and work in the West End and it was everywhere- the tube, buses, taxies etc, everywhere.
The British public just didn't buy into the hype it received on Broadway.
They couldn't have put tickets any cheaper or they would have been giving them away.
Its a West End show, it needs money coming in.
Its business and business needs money to survive.

#38

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 5:51am

I think that given time, it would have done much better, but it hit the West End with virtually no advance, and with people less willing to part with their money, the reviews just weren't enough to get audiences in. It needed to be more shameless in its marketing... really it needed to go on telly. It was all those well timed TV appearances that gave Priscilla the kick it needed and I reckon Sister Act and Legally Blonde will probably do the same. I just think Spring Awakening took for granted that they could recreate the success they had at the Lyric, but in a limited run at a small venue, there's more of an urgency for people to get tickets while they can and an open ended run in the West End just doesn't give that.

#39

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 6:03am

As we have said on here many times by many people -the transfer was way way too fast. As big a success as it was at Hammersmith there was absolutely no rush for it to come in so fast.
I don't remember a show doing a transfer so fast, I really don't.
That, I think, was its main problem.
Its only 9 weeks ago since it closed at Hammersmith and only now should it be in its second or third week in town.
Those 6 weeks in between would have work so much in its favor.

Updated On: 5/13/09 at 06:03 AM

#40

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 6:30am

Lots advertising in the city.. but outside.. all those adolesents and arts students that could get to see it... only take 50mins from Victoria to Brighton for instance.

The transfer was way too quick also, as everyone said indeed...

#41

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 6:43am

But all the advertising (tube, buses, taxi) was the sort that would appeal to conventional established theatregoers (like me) when it should have been using new communication methodologies to reach unestablished young potential theatregoers.

Like Sparkles, I'm gutted for the cast, gutted that a decent new musical (OK - arguable - let's not have that debate again) has failed and gutted that I probably won't get chance to see it again.

"Their target audience owns computers, they know it exists."

Not necessarily, if they don't know about it to search for it. It has to come to them, not vice versa.

I think the West End establishment is beginning to show its age on allowing this to fail.

#42

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 6:56am

This is what effect Drowsy to some degree; it need more specialised advertising.

It seems marketing agencys just press a generic button these days to advertise. Leaflet Print, Contact ticket agencies, posters, front of house, tube, railway, whatsonstage, discount in papers, taxis etc ... no real thought or uniqueness seems to get considered.

#43

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 7:00am

I think thats a bit harsh towards the advertising companies just because this show has failed you!
Take a look at all the world class advertising they do, you simply cant knock them like that.
They sell the show only to the level the producers let them!

#44

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 7:29am

Ver true point... producers are very naive sometimes. But surely ad agencies are there to advise... i guess it whether they listen. But to me from dealing some of these agencies some of account managers there couldn't market a prostitute to a brothel.

#45

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 7:36am

The obvious story of young, raw (mostly)untrained, hugely talented kids living the dream of being cast in the west end just wasnt picked up. Athough it was a main talking point in word of mouth.

They needed a show like 'The Word' to do totally f*cked on, although Mama who bore me could have been done on T4 and similar.

The group of us who went in Hammersmith booked entirely on the strength of the preview at the WOS awards the year before. Doubt we were the only ones who went on the strength of one song, the songs could/should/would have got more people in there.

It does feel like a bit of a wasted opportunity, but as a show with such limited appeal (narrower than ave q) it was never going to run for long, and certainly not at the novello.

#46

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 7:38am

Novello - the new shaftesbury... the curse ended in 2007 for the shaftebury and seems to have travelled to this theatre!

My idea? Transfer Les Mis here and get to work re-furbing the Queens!

#47

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/13/09 at 9:57am

The thing is this show DOESN'T have limited appeal. I have taken so many people to see it and they have all loved it, with the exception of about two people. Yeah it will mostly appeal in the age group of 15-30, but that kind of group keeps Avenue Q chugging along, and if this show had been handled better - publicity, theatre etc - then I think it could have been the hit it really deserved to be. I still think we should be celebrating the amazing cast and production and the fact that, at the end of the day, a four month run for a pretty arty musical based on a German Expressionist play which appeals mostly to penniless young people during a recession isn't too bad.

Still, you have to question whether the apocalypse is nigh when Spring Awakening can't survive yet around the corner Dirty Dancing is packing them in...

Updated On: 5/13/09 at 09:57 AM

#48

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/14/09 at 4:35am

This is what frustrates me. A musical like this opens and closes and why? Because the general British public ant familiarity and cheap laughs. If it isn't based on an out of date bands music or cheesey film then it doesn't stand a lot of hope anymore. God forbid it doesn't stunt cast because then you've got a flop. It's depressing that this is what musical theatre has come to

Jesus Loves You... Everybody else thinks you're an idiot!

#49

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/14/09 at 10:50am

I am so gutted. Mainly because I was meant to see it for my birthday in July had on stage seats and everything. This was one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had in a theatre in a long time and it will be very sad to see it go. I just hope it tours, personally I think it could make so much more money touring, example, all my friend are obsessed but haven't seen it for the simple fact that they can't get to London. I can imagine this is the case for a lot of people my age around the country, they'd love to see it but can't get to London. I hope so anyway, I know its got a target audience somewhere in the UK, maybe it just isn't London.

THEATRE 2016: Grey Gardens; SwkPlayhouse, Cats; London Palladium, Into the Woods; Royal Exchange, Show Boat; Sheffield Crucible, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Prsicilla Queen of the Desert; UK Tour, Narrative; RWCMD, Mojo; RWCMD, The Barber of Seville; WNO, Rabbit Hole; Hampstead, The Marriage of Figaro; WNO, Figaro Gets a Divorce; WNO, Tom: The Musical; UK Tour Upcoming: Anything Can Happen; RWCMD, Cysgy'n Brys'ur, Long Day's Journey Into Night; Bristol Old Vic, Only the Brave, The Caretaker; The Old Vic, People Places and Things, Blue/Orange; Young Vic, Bernadette Peters, Carole King, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I & II

#50

re: 'Spring Awakening' closes May 30th

Posted: 5/14/09 at 12:45pm

Slightly happier, just exchanged my July tickets for next Saturday's Matinee :)
Very excited now, and I'm stll in the same seats! GOOD TIMES!

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