Worst National Tour — Page 3
#52
Posted: 8/31/17 at 12:42pm
This was years ago, but the NETworks Oliver! tour. Probably the most boring night of theater I've ever experienced.
#53
Posted: 8/31/17 at 12:54pm
I don't know who were/are the producers of the Broadway Series at the (now) State Farm Center in Champaign. But these are one-night truck shows. I think all the music is pre-recorded. Presumably, they are non-equity. Put on in a sports arena - so sound is bad, lighting is horrible, sets are cheap, sight lines horrendous unless you are in the overpriced first few rows, and the actors didn't always seem to care. First show we went to, before we knew better: Thoroughly Modern Millie and Trevor's microphone goes off for Speed Test. Show continues. What? We did not renew season tickets. Went only when people gave us tickets except in one instance: couple of years later - Cats because my oldest daughter loves that show, BUT, the set was not a set. It was airfilled - blow up pieces. And, immense disappointment at not being able to go on stage during the interval to see Old Deuteronomy. The only semi-decent show I saw was Will Rogers Follies - at least that group was trying to entertain.
#54
Posted: 9/1/17 at 3:49am
When a tour plays an "Arena Show" there are major modifications to most of the tour sets so that the show can play in the venue. The department most directly affected by this is the fly plot. Any tour that relies heavily in flying in set pieces and drops will look bare and sparse. These modifications are needed due to the ceiling rig in arenas not having the same tech capabilities of a stage house. Tours like Annie and 42nd St. that will rely heavily on drops to fly in scene changes will be most noticeable. On tours like Jersey Boys (beginning its Arena life this fall..as an Equity production..) and Mamma Mia with unit sets and minimal drops/fly's.. it will be basically the same show you would see in a traditional theatre.
If you mean the building formerly known as Assembly Hall at IU-Champaign, that is a notoriously tough Arena for tours to modify into, but the venue is always packed. I wish they would build a good 2000 seat PAC in Champaign, the market is definitely there for it ad deserves better than Broadway in that .
#55
Posted: 9/1/17 at 7:39am
Public User said: "This.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MExOyKh4dI
"
Apparently Garrett Hawe played barnaby in that tour. I'd love to see him replace Taylor on Broadway.
My father (AIDS)
My sister (AIDS)
My uncle and my cousin and her best friend (AIDS, AIDS, AIDS)
The gays and the straights
And the white and the spades
#56
Posted: 9/1/17 at 10:58am
I live in Manhattan - so only see orig. productions thus finding this thread interesting. The inflatable CATS set struck me as the most bizarre even though I can see how it could be safer for the gymnastics? Laughed on the comment of JAW-BRATO in the Camelot tour & seeing it from the back of the house but that of course has nothing to do with quality of a production. Patti LuPone certainly has THAT going on but I saw Warpaint from the 2nd row of the Orchestra so maybe that made it all the more intense to see. Any performer lit half decently should have their mouth visible from the back, don't you think?
#58
Posted: 9/1/17 at 12:05pm
I'm surprised no one mentioned I Love Lucy Live. I saw it with the understudy, Sarah Elizabeth Combs, playing Lucy. She and the show were embarrassing. Felt like a school play.
#59
Posted: 9/1/17 at 2:08pm
I have played that arena in ILL! And it was def. an interesting set up. I mean going from playing all these touring houses to suddenly playing an arena, is def weird. The dressing rooms are miles away so you have to change your show around to accommodate the new space. There wasn't a ton of wing space, so some set pieces had to modify. We played a few arenas, but it was always freezing with the ice underneath.
#60
Posted: 9/1/17 at 2:15pm
RoadGypsy2010 said: "When a tour plays an "Arena Show" there are major modifications to most of the tour sets sothat the show can play in the venue. The departmentmost directly affected by this is the fly plot. Any tour thatrelies heavily in flying in set pieces and drops will look bare and sparse. These modifications are needed due to the ceiling rig in arenasnot havingthe same tech capabilities of a stage house. Tourslike Annie and 42nd St. that will rely heavily on drops to fly in scene changeswill be most noticeable. Ontours like Jersey Boys (beginning its Arena life this fall..as an Equity production..)and Mamma Mia with unit sets and minimal drops/fly's.. it will be basically the same show you would see in a traditional theatre.
If you mean the building formerly known as Assembly Hall at IU-Champaign, that is a notoriously tough Arena for tours to modify into, but the venue is always packed. I wish they would build a good 2000 seat PAC in Champaign, the market is definitely there for it ad deserves better than Broadway in that ."
Why do these shows even book arenas? If it's such a hassle. Do they even sell them out? It's interesting to know that they have cut down on flys.
My father (AIDS)
My sister (AIDS)
My uncle and my cousin and her best friend (AIDS, AIDS, AIDS)
The gays and the straights
And the white and the spades
#61
Posted: 9/1/17 at 2:32pm
From what I remember they cut the arena in half and then section it off. So it's not the same set up for like a Justin Bieber concert. It's only a smaller section that is available.
#62
==> this board is a nest of vipers <==
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
Posted: 9/1/17 at 2:42pm
Call_me_jorge said: "Easily the bodyguard, with Matilda being a close second(which is unfortunate as it's one of my favorite shows)."
Didn't see The Bodyguard, but must agree about Matilda; loved it on Broadway, the tour was very disappointing.
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
#63
Posted: 9/1/17 at 3:53pm
RippedMan said: "From what I remember they cut the arena in half and then section it off. So it's not the same set up for like a Justin Bieber concert. It's only a smaller section that is available."
Exactly. Some Arenas and local presenters are better at creating a "Theatre" within the arena by hanging Black drapes around the arena to cut off the side being used for audience seating and the backstage area. Some arenas do not put in the time and effort. Almost every arena show I have been a part of has had HUGE audience numbers, 2000+ in almost every circumstance, this has been for some of the more family friendly productions that have toured recently..
Arena's are never ideal, but many productions would never reach certain areas of the country if not for the Arena shows. Plus, those audiences are some of the most excited and grateful when a show they love gets to THEIR TOWN. It is a huge boon for the local economy.. restaurants, parking, etc. Plus, if one future Broadway Star (or even Broadway Fan) gets bit by the Broadway bug from seeing a huge hit like Mamma Mia or Jersey Boys in Fargo or Bismarck, ND, even better.
#64
Posted: 9/1/17 at 4:31pm
jtishere said: "The 20th Anniversary RENT tour was fairly underwhelming. The worst I've seen would have to be a non-equity Beauty and the Beasttour from several years back. I'm not sure it rose above theme park level."
I remember when everyone was talking about that tour in the worst way...
#65
Posted: 9/1/17 at 4:34pm
The worst I ever saw was a tour of Camelot staring Lou Diamond Phillips. It was painful.
#66
Posted: 9/1/17 at 10:19pm
Public User said: "This.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MExOyKh4dI
"
This tour gets a lot of hate but I adored it. A trio of us had our tickets upgraded from nosebleeds to 4th row minutes before curtain and Sally, while not perfect, was infectious and delightful from beginning to end. Sadly, this video doesn't show her at her best, imo.
#67
Posted: 9/1/17 at 10:35pm
I'm sure a NETworks tour of great Comet would be high on the list for worst tours I've seen
My father (AIDS)
My sister (AIDS)
My uncle and my cousin and her best friend (AIDS, AIDS, AIDS)
The gays and the straights
And the white and the spades
#68
Posted: 9/2/17 at 3:20pm
I almost forgot about The Boy Friend directed by Julie Andrews. In its best moments, it was bad community theatre. The couldn't give tickets away. Literally! I only went because I received an email from Ticketmaster for comps. When I attended the show, the Chicago Theater was only about 30% full.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#69
Posted: 9/2/17 at 3:30pm
brendasugarbaker said: "Public User said: "This.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MExOyKh4dI
"
This tour gets a lot of hate but I adored it. A trio of us had our tickets upgraded from nosebleeds to 4th row minutes before curtain and Sally, while not perfect, was infectious and delightfulfrom beginning to end. Sadly, this video doesn't show her at her best, imo."
lol
#70
Posted: 9/2/17 at 8:48pm
The 1990's tour of Hal Prince SHOWBOAT after it went Non-Equity (Even the set was falling apart)
The 1st National of SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE...Snooze
The Current THE LITTLE MERMAID (not the performers fault but the production..yikes)
On a side note, the fact that MATILDA is even on this list astounds me. I thought the tour was excellent. I thought it was adjusted from Broadway for tour as well as it could be and the Matilda I saw (one of the Can-Tildas) was brilliant
"He wants to know who cares. I care you stupid fool we all care..." John Wilkes Booth (Assassins)
#71
Posted: 9/2/17 at 10:29pm
AEA AGMA SM said: "The non-EquityRagtime, mainly for the "orchestra" that consisted entirely of two synthesizers."
AEA, I didn't see that tour, but I bought tickets for it for my sister and her family in North Carolina as an early Christmas present. I knew the tour was using the sets, costumes and staging from the just recently closed last equity tour, which I had seen at NJPAC in Newark.
They loved it and excitedly called to tell me about it while on their way home from Greensboro to Winston-Salem. You can tell when your family is just being polite; they were really thrilled to have seen the show. I'm glad I didn't know about the two synthesizers or I might not have splurged.
That tour starred Kenita Miller and Quintin Earl Darrington as Sarah and Coalhouse. Miller went on to play Sarah at Papermill and Quintin played Coalhouse in the Kennedy Center revival that moved to Broadway.
BTW, they saw the show the first Saturday after 9/11. My sister told me half the house screamed when the explosion went off in Act II. She said nobody knew whether it was part of the show or whether they were under attack.
Maybe we're not talking about the same tour?
Meanwhile, the worst national tour I saw was in the early 1970s: opera star Patrice Munsel as Margo in a bus-and-truck Applause. She was unbelievably bad. The star of that show turned out to be the then unknown Pia Zadora in the Bonnie Franklin role. She brought the house down with both her numbers. People were so relieved to see an actual entertainer. Tiny, enthusiastic girl with a huge voice.
#72
Posted: 9/2/17 at 10:47pm
Yeah, you're probably thinking of the NETworks tour that went out back in 2001-2002. The most recent non-Equity tour was just out last year, so Quentin Earl Darrington and Kenita Miller definitely didn't star in it.
To be fair, it was directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge based somewhat on her Kennedy Center/Broadway Production (the set was definitely scaled back even further without the massive three story structure), and the cast was very talented (if not a bit young for the parts in some cases). It truly was those synthesizers that sucked the life out of it. I would rather have heard a two piano version of the score over that horribly artificially canned sound that was coming out of the pit.
#73
Posted: 9/3/17 at 2:29am
Thanks, AEA. I started thinking halfway through my response that maybe we weren't talking about the same tour and revised my post midway through.
I suspect I'd hate to hear Ragtime done with a couple of synthesizers. But the most affecting performance I saw was a stock performance done in a converted 400 seat barn, cast of 18, band of 5. My late partner said as we walked to our car "Every time you take me to see Ragtime it gets smaller and better."
#74
Posted: 9/3/17 at 9:27am
Well, that Julie Andrews production of The Boy Friend DID have Sean Palmer scurrying around in his cute, little bellboy's uniform.
Shame he's so short, though.
#75
Posted: 9/3/17 at 9:41am
Have to give another vote for Matilda. Saw it in Detroit and one of the biggest problems was the sound. All musical numbers and 2/3 of the dialogue were completely inaudible. The Fisher has wonderful acoustics so it was not an issue with the venue. The story did nothing for me also. It's the only show I've ever left at intermission. Even the dreaded Beauty and the Beast tour scored higher for me.
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