'preview' question

[ally_kay_on_broadway]

'preview' question#0

Posted: 12/15/05 at 8:58pm

When musicals are previewing- do they keep the full original cast? For example, the new LOTR musical will open in TO and most likely move to broadway somewhere down the road. Will they keep this cast? Or replace it? Are their contracts signed to last until the end of the previews or are they lasting until it closes in TO and packs up to NY?

How does previewing work exactly? At the end of it do they shut the show down for awhile and work out the kinks (from technical to intrumental to the script)?

"talent is wanting something hard enough to work for it" - my drama teacher :)

[BSoBW2]

re: 'preview' question#1

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:00pm

It depends. Some shows do. Some don't.

Depends on contracts...if they can find a better actor...etc.

Most likeley a show this big, will probably.

[ally_kay_on_broadway]

re: 'preview' question#2

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:02pm

BSoBW2- u mean they will probably replace the cast?

"talent is wanting something hard enough to work for it" - my drama teacher :)

[theatreboi11]

re: 'preview' question#3

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:03pm

It really depends on a lot of things. I know my stage management professor SM a show for Daniel Sullivan and it stared Meryl Streep. The show then moved to Broadway and, due to differences between Mrs Streep and Mr Sullivan, he decided to recast her part for the Broadway run. I am not sure how rare of an occurance this is but it does happen.

(Martha Graham from a letter to Agnes de Mille) "There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening That is translated through you into action, And because there is only one of you in all time, This expression is unique. If you block it, It will never exist through any other medium And be lost. The world will never have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, Nor how valuable it is, Nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours, clearly and directly, To keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware Directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, A blessed unrest that keeps us marching And makes us more alive than others."

[BSoBW2]

re: 'preview' question#4

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:05pm

They will probably keep the cast...if they can...and if they are good.

[Yankeefan007]

re: 'preview' question#5

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:05pm

If they can find better actors (read: celebrities), they'll be hired...same reason why Will Ferrell and Uma Thurman replaced Brad Oscar and Cady Huffman in The Producers film.

The preview period (usually a few weeks) is when all the bugs are worked out. The show is frozen (no changes made) by the last two or three previews.

[theatreboi11]

re: 'preview' question#6

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:06pm

It will alos depend on how far down the line they bring the show to Broadway. I am assuming it will be hard to keep the whole cast if its a few years away.

(Martha Graham from a letter to Agnes de Mille) "There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening That is translated through you into action, And because there is only one of you in all time, This expression is unique. If you block it, It will never exist through any other medium And be lost. The world will never have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, Nor how valuable it is, Nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours, clearly and directly, To keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware Directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, A blessed unrest that keeps us marching And makes us more alive than others."

[theatreboi11]

re: 'preview' question#7

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:08pm

Didn't they do rewriting and changes in Lennon after the previewing period? Not sure if the exact tiem frame for freezing the show is correct. I would assume they work right up to opening night before they freeze it.

(Martha Graham from a letter to Agnes de Mille) "There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening That is translated through you into action, And because there is only one of you in all time, This expression is unique. If you block it, It will never exist through any other medium And be lost. The world will never have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, Nor how valuable it is, Nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours, clearly and directly, To keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware Directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, A blessed unrest that keeps us marching And makes us more alive than others."

[BSoBW2]

re: 'preview' question#8

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:10pm

I hate that term "frozen"

No show is ever frozen. Shows can be changed until the closing performance. IE: Scarlet Pimpernel.

[Yankeefan007]

re: 'preview' question#9

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:10pm

There were no changes after Lennon was frozen (a day or two before the critics came).

[theatreboi11]

re: 'preview' question#10

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:12pm

I had never heard of a show changing after openeing. I mean it makes since when you bring in new performers to maybe change things here and there. Very intertesting!

(Martha Graham from a letter to Agnes de Mille) "There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening That is translated through you into action, And because there is only one of you in all time, This expression is unique. If you block it, It will never exist through any other medium And be lost. The world will never have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, Nor how valuable it is, Nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours, clearly and directly, To keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware Directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased. There is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer, divine dissatisfaction, A blessed unrest that keeps us marching And makes us more alive than others."

[BSoBW2]

re: 'preview' question#11

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:18pm

Even some staging in Wicked has changed with the new cast. But I'm not so much talking about cast.

There's an article about David Yazbek where they talk about shows changing because of the critics.

Lemme see if I can find it.

[ally_kay_on_broadway]

re: 'preview' question#12

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:18pm

thank-you for enlightening me everyone

i'm just wondering because i am seeing the show in its second week. In fact, just a day after i am attending- they are closing it down for 3-4 nights to work things out (or so the box office told me)

I wasn't exactly sure how the whole 'preview' thing works.

Will they have an Original cast recording there to purchase? I'm thinking it will probably be available much MUCH later.

"talent is wanting something hard enough to work for it" - my drama teacher :)

[BSoBW2]

re: 'preview' question#13

Posted: 12/15/05 at 9:19pm

Found it:

"After Camelot opened to bad reviews, Alan Jay Lerner continued to work on it. Hey, for that matter, after Hello, Dolly! opened to great reviews, Gower Champion returned to make a big change -- which was for the better. You can, too."

http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/6108

There's one example.

[RentBoy86]

re: 'preview' question#14

Posted: 12/16/05 at 12:45am

BSoBW2 --- thanks for that. I really liked that article.

Not to threadjack, but what happened in Hello, Dolly? What was the "major" change?