Wow they are doing 10 shows of the London "Producers" in the last week of December !!!

[leeinlondon]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 10:26am

They have Monday night, two Tuesday, two Wednesday, Thursday Night, two Friday and Two Saturday shows that week from 27th December to the 01st January.

I can't imagine that everyone will do all shows that week.

[SamIAm]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 5:21pm

Are they measure Lane for a casket now?

10 shows?

GOD, not even an ACTOR deserves to be treated that way

[Tiny-Toon]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 5:28pm

WOW! That's alot!

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 5:34pm

Eden could do it, I bet.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 5:36pm

Is this because there isn't an actor's union?

[timote316]

Posted: 10/20/04 at 5:42pm

Well, it wouldn't be all that bad for Nathan and the guy playing Leo... I'd bet their understudies will step in for some. However, the ensemble members, thats a different story lol

That's insane. Funny, I've now said that at least twice in relation to this production...

[leeinlondon]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 4:49am

"Is this because there isn't an actor's union?"

No we have Equity just like in the States. I don't know much about this persoanlly but I am guessing it must have been a voluntary arrangement with the actors in the roles at the time when they set the schedule. I have checked other shows like Mamma Mia that could sell out 10 shows that week and they are doing the usual 8.

[stinky]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 5:08am

But alot of shows do do alot off extra performances over Christmas

We Will Rock You is doing 2 shows everyday from Monday Dec 27th to January 1st. That makes 12 shows in total.

[leeinlondon]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 5:14am

Bloody hell you are right !!

Mind you We will Rock You has a very established large set of understudys that often perform. Even quite early in the first cast you were never likely to see everyone in.

[SamIAm]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 11:10am

I doubt they will use standbys or understudies for the principal roles during that week between Christmas and New Year's...unless there is illness or injury of course.

That is a big tourist week in London and a big theater week (hence the increased number of shows) and people would be plenty ticked off to see an understudy just because the actor is tired. Mind you, I'm not saying the actors WON'T be tired...I think this is a ridiculous schedule myself, but that's another story. I doubt Lane will step out to take a day off or take a performance off.

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 3:17pm

When the US touring cast of Les Miz was in Seoul two years ago, they did 10 shows a week.

Not sure how they managed that...

[Theatreboy33]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 5:07pm

Wow, im worried for Nathan's voice with this type of schedule. I love him in the role and first saw him in its chicago previews, but when i saw it last february, his voice was noticably weaker. I hope he's had time to rest it, what with the TWO WEEKS he's had since Frogs closed. Jeesh, this guy is a machine.

[Bobby457]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 5:12pm

They get paid extra for the performances approx. 1/8 of their salaries per extra show.

We used to do 12 shows a week of Forever Plaid in Las Vegas

[SamIAm]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 5:48pm

Lane is likely on a weekly contract (regardless of how many shows they have) but even if he does get paid extra...who cares...that's a lot of work

There are shows that run 10 shows a week but doing Max B 10 times a week is decidedly different as the part calls for the actor to be onstage most of the evening and is a demanding role to sing when you do it every night.

I feel for the cast doing this show 10 times in one week. It is a marathon, that's for sure.

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 7:41pm

Do you all realize that in Las Vegas most of the show run 10 performances a week usually all twice a night?

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 7:51pm

There is NO WAY Nathan Lane is doing 10 performances of this show in one week. Remember all of is voice problems during the original run that resulted in Brad Oscar having to step in for him so many times? "Betrayed" by itself was killing him night after night and he was cracking on the last note from strain. Ten shows in a single week could verypossibly cause him permanent vocal damage (his doctors here didn't think he should be doing .

I'll bet money that whoever his understudy is will be going on for at least a couple of those extra matinees.

bronxboundespress --

Nothing anyone is doing in Vegas is as hard as playing Max Bialystock eight times a week -- it's the male equivalent of Rose in "Gypsy."

Updated On: 10/21/04 at 07:51 PM

[bronxboundexpress]

Posted: 10/21/04 at 7:53pm

I guess "hard" can be meant in different ways. Flying on a trapeeze or singing Queen music 10 times a week could be hard.

[alterego]

Posted: 10/22/04 at 1:54am

How long is Nathan Lane in the show for? It can't be too long because of the movie commitments. Who will take over and when?What are the advance bookings like in London for the show?

The Melbourne production which opened strongly (in April) was to have run til March 05, last month that was altered to mid December and as of a week ago it is now closing mid November. the cast have a 12 week lay off before regrouping for Brisbane and Sydney. This seems to be the trend with this show, Canada and now here, outside of Broadway long engagements falter. How will London go?

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 10/22/04 at 9:23am

Lane is in the show through Jan 8th, which means his penultimate week will be the 10 show bonanza.

And bronxbound, I don't know about the rest of the We Will Rock You cast in Vegas, but Tony Vincent does not perform at all shows.

[SamIAm]

Posted: 10/22/04 at 9:51am

Alterego: As stated, Lane is in the show until 1/8. The pre pro on the Producers movie starts in mid November with filming in mid February.

Since Brad Oscar is finishing (coincidentally) on 1/9...I'm wondering if Brooks can't find a suitable replacement for Lane in the U.K. whether Oscar will get the call and if he does, I hope he gets a lot more money for staying on and helping them out. He deserves it.

[EddieVarley]

Posted: 10/22/04 at 10:13am

The more I read the more I weep!

This is confounding me, I mean the role of Max is indeed a marathon eight times a week, and now to have EXTRA shows added in to boot!
I'm lighting a candle and praying to the theater Gods for the entire cast to be healthy and strong, "Hey Zero, Saint Jackie Gleason..ya hear me up there?"

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/22/04 at 10:27am

The cleaning person in your office building works harder than that every damn day. And I'm pretty sure they're not getting $12,000 a performance.

Updated On: 10/22/04 at 10:27 AM

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 10/22/04 at 10:30am

$12,500 actually Rath. And this one week of 10 shows, he'll only rake in $10,000 a show. This is after having a longer break than usual for Christmas. Then he'll do one more week and have a decent break to recover himself before he starts shooting the movie. I really don't know how he'll cope.

[Fair 2 Middlin]

Posted: 10/22/04 at 10:38am

I can't imagine that someone such as Nathan Lane would sign on to do x amount of shows without the belief that he could actually do so. All the speculation that he can't or it's too much for him is a little ridiculous.

[EddieVarley]

Posted: 10/22/04 at 10:39am

Cleaning Lady?! In MY building?!

Oh please, I still have crumbs in my keyboard from a bacon,egg and cheese I ate in 1998!