Why was RENT a Flop in London ????- Page 2

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 10:58am

I saw it in London in 2000 w/ Debbie Kurup (sp?) and that cute guy from the British soaps. I loved Debbie, but the other cast members didn't quite seem to "get it." The whole NYC experience and the East Village in particular is very very American. Just the social politics alone.

Also, it was kind of uncomfortable when the British actors dropped the American accents and the audience is thrown from the East Village into "Oh, right, I'm in a theatre in London."

The success of the German tour doesn't surprise me. Berlin has that artistic, seedy underbelly that the East Village had in the 80s.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 12:37pm

it was a smash hit in Germany, and also did well in Iceland

[RYANWOODS]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 12:56pm

RENT should still be at the shaftesbury i think! the show has failed to have a show run longer thana year since it left. RENT was infact a success, two years and then returned twice at The Prince of Wales after successful tours, they came back to Lonodn for about 3 months over the xmas period.

I loved RENT and wish it would return to the WE very soon.

The "curse" of the Shaftesbury still hasn't been lifted the new 4 million pound musical THE FAR PAVILIONS is a flop too - a 50 strong cast and big orchastra and no full houses and cheap tickets galour will close the show in months.

However - the curse maybe lifted - Other boards have mentioned that HAIRSPRAY will now open there...London really needs this show!

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 1:00pm

Hairspray won't lift the supposed curse and Rent's two return engagements to the West End cannot be truthfully described as successful either.

[JenD512]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 1:17pm

I saw Rent in London twice in 1998, and I noticed both times that a lot of the audience was American, and had seen the show either in NY or on tour.

With the exception of whoever was playing Maureen (who was frightenly bad),I didn't think the show was bad over there--but I think at the same time I was so happy to be seeing some of the OBC again that I didn't pay attention too much to the flaws.

They did make the cover of Time Out London over there, which was cool. And it wasn't for lack of advertising, we saw ads for it all over London. It was definitely a little surreal, I remember the Shaftesbury had pictures of the East Village in the lobby, they changed the Ted Koppel line to "CNN", and a few of the accents slipped on the ensemble cast: Alexi sounded totally British, and Mimi's mom used "Mummy" during the last voice mail.

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 1:31pm

The Far Pavillions plays there ? Ok, then I stand corrected, the theater was dark everytime I was in London, except my most recent one ! And I am sure Hairspray will take London by storm at whichever theater it plays !

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 1:37pm

that cute guy from the British soaps is Adam Rickett, thank you very much, and he's a bit more than just cute...

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 1:41pm

"Hairspray won't lift the supposed curse"

What makes you say that?

[Love4Cheno]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 1:47pm

CATS- you're right, he's totally dreamy.

PS- I have the Icelandic Cast Recording, and it. is. HILARIOUS.

I cannot listen to it without doubling over in laughter. Nothing sounds remotely like what the orchestrations should be. "Out Tonight" isn't remotely rock. It sounds like a karaoke version of a techno song.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 1:54pm

If Rent is not played properly, it can come across as very whiney, which I'm sure doesn't sit well with the British "stiff upper lip" mentality.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 2:05pm

Mister Matt - it's the wrong venue for Hairspray I think. The buzz for that show isn't overwhelming over here, so once the die hards have seen it, unless it's somewhere VERY visible I don't think it will survive.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 2:09pm

Mister Matt:

Your pic is AWESOME!

Huge "Soap" fan

[RYANWOODS]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 2:21pm

I disagree - people are very interested in the show over here!

I saw it with Adam Rickett (pictured) and saw him in bar me and friends went to after the show - he came in and we spoke for a while - a nice guy.

[breakneckspeed]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 2:55pm

I just wanted to add that when I saw the original Toronto cast -- Krysten Cummings was phenomenal -- and the best Mimi I've seen to date, and I've seen the show many many times.

I didn't know all about her problems though - sounds unfortunate.

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 3:06pm

Hah...i really really want to hear Caprice as Maureen. I have heard very interesting things. Apparently there were rumors that she was lipsynching her performance, but I highly doubt it.

Akiva

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 4:43pm

Well, I mean you have to think. If a show came over here to B'way and was about a bunch of twentysomethings living in London in the early 90s and had all these inside British jokes in it, I don't think itd do too well either. I hear people saying that Billy Elliot won't be a success on B'way because it's too british, well maybe that was the case for Rent over there.

[devonian.t]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 5:12pm

Yeah, this was exactly my point about the transfer of Billy Elliott.

Incidentally, I thought Krysten was just stunning and FULL ON as Mimi. Very sorry to hear of her problems.

She is not exactly busy now- I hope things are better for her because she was dynamite.

[Quasi]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 5:28pm

I don't know but as far as I know Rent was a big flop here in Germany. It was planned as a long-run in Duesseldorf but nobody was really interested in the show. They sent it on a tour but it wasn't really successful anywhere in Germany. It's a shame but most actors were foreigners and it was hardly possible to understand their interpretation of German.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 5:35pm

When I spent the summer in Hamburg, Rent was doing very well.

Billy Elliott is a poor example. The movie was a hit in the US. Elton John is a hit in the US. I don't think the musical will have much of a problem here.

Now, something like Blitz! probably would be "too British" for the general American audience, but for reasons entirely different than I think people use the excuse that Rent is "too American".

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 5:36pm

Nobody in Europe has AIDS, duh.

[Mr. Tuttle]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 5:49pm

Maybe Londoners don't want to see a show about whiney 20 somethings and hear boring music.

Could they have good taste?

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 6:11pm

"If a show came over here to B'way and was about a bunch of twentysomethings living in London in the early 90s and had all these inside British jokes in it, I don't think itd do too well either. "

Hmmmm, change the early 90s to 80s and doesn't TABOO spring to mind ? Or am I alone here ?
Updated On: 6/16/05 at 06:11 PM

[Feathah]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 8:10pm

Off on a tangent here - I rememebr hearing that the Dublin production of Rent was vastly different from most others. What were the big changes? Anyone know?

[alterego]

Posted: 6/16/05 at 9:29pm

Was Adam Ricket in Eastenders? His father was in a 1980's rock band, can someone please tell me their name. This has been bugging me for months.

RENT is now starting to be done by community theatres here in Australia. I noticed an audition notice in a local paper just recently.

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 6/17/05 at 7:19am

Yes, Caprice did lip-synch her songs. Badly

Adam Rickets was (I believe) in Coronation Street, though couldn't swear to it. I had no idea who he was, but my friend was very excited about seeing him on tour - she was therefore a bit disappointed when he came out looking like Rubert Bear in the first act, and even more when it was announced that he was indisposed for the second act!