The tourist season has well and truely begun! Broadway theatres were at 87% capacity this past week, the highest they have been in quite a long time! Indeed, 8 shows were sold out for the full week! Only 3 shows seen a decline in bums on seats - Mary Stewart (-4.2%), In the Heights (-2.9%) and 9 to 5 (-6.1%). The family shows are also doing much better with The Little Mermaid playing to 92% capacity this week, and Shrek the Musical taking nearly $1 million for the week. The highest grossing show on Broadway is Wicked, unsuprisingly. The show which has the highest average ticket yield, at $125 per ticket is Billy Elliott the Musical.
To see a full list of Broadway grosses from this week, click here.
Tuesday 23 June 2009
Saturday 20 June 2009
West End Live!
Just a reminder to those of you who are planning to head to London this weekend! West End Live will be taking place in Leicester Square! It is a free event where the casts of hit shows such as Wicked, Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia! and so many more put on a free showcase to showcase what is on in the West End at the minute. It's a free event so if you can get down there then it's def worth a look! I'm not going myself but hope to put videos and pics online within the next week! x
Tuesday 9 June 2009
High School Musical @ The Liverpool Empire
You’d have had to be living under a rock for the past few years to not have heard of High School Musical – a brand which has spawned 3 hit films, a concert tour, an ice production and now a stage show.
Based on a Disney Channel original move of the same name, High School Musical’s story is a simple one. Basketball jock Troy Bolton meets Maths club geek Gabriella Montez and both discover that they have a mutual love of singing. Not cool for the kids of East High, who’s school rules means that students shouldn’t leave the security of their cliques. They eventually break free and win the leading roles in the schools talent show, making an enemy along the way in the form of drama queen Sharpay Evans.
After a small technical delay, the show started well enough, but seemed to lack some of the charisma of the film. The dialogue is weak and lost the attention of some of the younger children in the audience. It is further devalued when a lot of on stage distractions occur. One such example is a boy who is pretending to be an earthworm travelling across the stage. Whilst incredibly funny, it is impossible to pay attention to him and to the dialogue taking place. For the majority of the children the worm took preference.
The final twenty minutes of the second act show why High School Musical is such a phenomenon, and is where the show really finds its feet. The singing, the dancing and the energy dispel any memories from earlier parts of the show and the audience ate it up. This was what they came for and boy do they enjoy it! Particular highlights included “We’re all in this Together” and “Breaking Free”, both of which had the audience cheering and singing along.
The leads in Ashley Day as Troy and Claire-Marie Hall as Gabrielle are excellent, and credit must be given to them for remaining in character and not being distracted by a very enthusiastic audience. The rest of the cast were also very good, playing students from different peer groups very well. The high-octane choreography was outstanding, and everyone worked well with it.
The set is exceptional for a touring production – slick in its design and exuberant in colour. Set pieces move swiftly across the stage meaning that scene changes can occur in a matter of seconds – very important when being watched by over 1000 young children.
Whilst this show isn’t ground breaking in any way (think Grease without the filth), it does what it sets out to do very well. It has a good message that everyone doesn’t have to conform to succeed, it has an excellent cast and it has catchy songs which you’ll be humming for a good few hours after the show.
For many children across the region, this will be their first theatrical experience, and if they enjoyed it as much as they seemed to, then the future of the theatre is in very safe hands indeed.
Based on a Disney Channel original move of the same name, High School Musical’s story is a simple one. Basketball jock Troy Bolton meets Maths club geek Gabriella Montez and both discover that they have a mutual love of singing. Not cool for the kids of East High, who’s school rules means that students shouldn’t leave the security of their cliques. They eventually break free and win the leading roles in the schools talent show, making an enemy along the way in the form of drama queen Sharpay Evans.
After a small technical delay, the show started well enough, but seemed to lack some of the charisma of the film. The dialogue is weak and lost the attention of some of the younger children in the audience. It is further devalued when a lot of on stage distractions occur. One such example is a boy who is pretending to be an earthworm travelling across the stage. Whilst incredibly funny, it is impossible to pay attention to him and to the dialogue taking place. For the majority of the children the worm took preference.
The final twenty minutes of the second act show why High School Musical is such a phenomenon, and is where the show really finds its feet. The singing, the dancing and the energy dispel any memories from earlier parts of the show and the audience ate it up. This was what they came for and boy do they enjoy it! Particular highlights included “We’re all in this Together” and “Breaking Free”, both of which had the audience cheering and singing along.
The leads in Ashley Day as Troy and Claire-Marie Hall as Gabrielle are excellent, and credit must be given to them for remaining in character and not being distracted by a very enthusiastic audience. The rest of the cast were also very good, playing students from different peer groups very well. The high-octane choreography was outstanding, and everyone worked well with it.
The set is exceptional for a touring production – slick in its design and exuberant in colour. Set pieces move swiftly across the stage meaning that scene changes can occur in a matter of seconds – very important when being watched by over 1000 young children.
Whilst this show isn’t ground breaking in any way (think Grease without the filth), it does what it sets out to do very well. It has a good message that everyone doesn’t have to conform to succeed, it has an excellent cast and it has catchy songs which you’ll be humming for a good few hours after the show.
For many children across the region, this will be their first theatrical experience, and if they enjoyed it as much as they seemed to, then the future of the theatre is in very safe hands indeed.
7/10
High School Musical is at the Liverpool Empire until Saturday 13th June 2009
Broadway Grosses - Week Ending 7/06/09
The last week has been quite steady on Broadway in terms of the money generated ($19.7 million compared to last weeks $19.6 million) and in terms of the number of people going to see a show (78.9% of seats filled compared to last weeks 78.75% of seats filled. Some shows did much better than others however. August: Osage County has finally filled more than 50% of its seats for a full week! My friends visiting New York couldn't save Avenue Q from seeing a 5.9% drop in ticket sales. Joe Turners Come and Gone seen the biggest increase amongst any show - up 21.3%. Shrek the Musical seen an increase of 12.3%, at the expense of The Little Mermaid (-13.5%) and Mary Poppins (-8.1%). Most shows did remain quite steady.
For a full list of the Broadway Grosses this past week click here
For a full list of the Broadway Grosses this past week click here
Monday 8 June 2009
Billy Elliot sweeps the Tony Awards!
The Broadway production of the British hit musical Billy Elliot has taken 10 Tony Awards at a ceremony in New York, including best musical.
The three young actors who share the title role got a unique best actor prize. Its director also won a Tony, but Sir Elton John missed out in the Best Score category to Next to Normal.
The show about a miner's son from northern England who dreams of dancing has taken Broadway by storm.
Sir Elton helped accept the best musical Tony, telling the audience: "Thank you for accepting us so beautifully on Broadway.
"We came here at a hard time economically. You opened up your wallets and you opened up your hearts to us. And we love you for it, thank you."
The musical is based on the film of the same name which became a world-wide hit in 2000 and starred Julie Walters and Jamie Bell.
The musical opened at the Victoria Palace in London in 2005, and a Sydney production opened in 2007 in Australia.
FULL LIST OF WINNERS
Best Play: "God of Carnage."
Best Musical: "Billy Elliot, The Musical.”
Book Of A Musical: Lee Hall, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Original Score (Music And/Or Lyrics) Written For The Theatre: "Next to Normal."
Revival Of A Play: "The Norman Conquests."
Revival Of A Musical: "Hair."
Special Theatrical Event: "Liza's At The Palace."
Performance By A Leading Actor In A Play: Geoffrey Rush, "Exit The King."
Performance By A Leading Actress In A Play: Marcia Gay Harden, "God Of Carnage."
Performance By A Leading Actor In A Musical: David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, And Kiril Kulish, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Performance By A Leading Actress In A Musical: Alice Ripley, "Next To Normal."
Performance By A Featured Actor In A Play: Roger Robinson, "Joe Turner's Come And Gone."
Performance By A Featured Actress In A Play: Angela Lansbury, "Blithe Spirit."
Performance By A Featured Actor In A Musical: Gregory Jbara, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Performance By A Featured Actress In A Musical: Karen Olivo, "West Side Story."
Direction Of A Play: Matthew Warchus, "God Of Carnage."
Direction Of A Musical: Stephen Daldry, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Scenic Design Of A Play: Derek Mclane, "33 Variations."
Scenic Design Of A Musical: Ian Macneil, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Costume Design Of A Play: Anthony Ward, "Mary Stuart."
Costume Design Of A Musical: Tim Hatley, "Shrek The Musical."
Lighting Design Of A Play: Brian Macdevitt, "Joe Turner's Come And Gone."
Lighting Design Of A Musical: Rick Fisher, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Sound Design Of A Play: Gregory Clarke, "Equus."
Sound Design Of A Musical: Paul Arditti, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Choreography: Peter Darling, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Orchestrations: Martin Koch, "Billy Elliot, The Musical"; Michael Starobin And Tom Kitt, "Next To Normal." Special Tony Award For Lifetime Achievement In The Theatre: Jerry Herman.
Regional Theatre Tony Award: Signature Theatre, Arlington, Va.
Isabelle Stevenson Award: Phyllis Newman.
Tony Honor For Excellence In The Theatre: Shirley Herz.
Best Musical: "Billy Elliot, The Musical.”
Book Of A Musical: Lee Hall, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Original Score (Music And/Or Lyrics) Written For The Theatre: "Next to Normal."
Revival Of A Play: "The Norman Conquests."
Revival Of A Musical: "Hair."
Special Theatrical Event: "Liza's At The Palace."
Performance By A Leading Actor In A Play: Geoffrey Rush, "Exit The King."
Performance By A Leading Actress In A Play: Marcia Gay Harden, "God Of Carnage."
Performance By A Leading Actor In A Musical: David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, And Kiril Kulish, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Performance By A Leading Actress In A Musical: Alice Ripley, "Next To Normal."
Performance By A Featured Actor In A Play: Roger Robinson, "Joe Turner's Come And Gone."
Performance By A Featured Actress In A Play: Angela Lansbury, "Blithe Spirit."
Performance By A Featured Actor In A Musical: Gregory Jbara, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Performance By A Featured Actress In A Musical: Karen Olivo, "West Side Story."
Direction Of A Play: Matthew Warchus, "God Of Carnage."
Direction Of A Musical: Stephen Daldry, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Scenic Design Of A Play: Derek Mclane, "33 Variations."
Scenic Design Of A Musical: Ian Macneil, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Costume Design Of A Play: Anthony Ward, "Mary Stuart."
Costume Design Of A Musical: Tim Hatley, "Shrek The Musical."
Lighting Design Of A Play: Brian Macdevitt, "Joe Turner's Come And Gone."
Lighting Design Of A Musical: Rick Fisher, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Sound Design Of A Play: Gregory Clarke, "Equus."
Sound Design Of A Musical: Paul Arditti, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Choreography: Peter Darling, "Billy Elliot, The Musical."
Orchestrations: Martin Koch, "Billy Elliot, The Musical"; Michael Starobin And Tom Kitt, "Next To Normal." Special Tony Award For Lifetime Achievement In The Theatre: Jerry Herman.
Regional Theatre Tony Award: Signature Theatre, Arlington, Va.
Isabelle Stevenson Award: Phyllis Newman.
Tony Honor For Excellence In The Theatre: Shirley Herz.
Special Congratulations must go to Angela Lansbury who has won her 5th Tony Award!!
Friday 5 June 2009
I'm in London!!
I've just got back from London! Unusually though, I didn't go and see a show! I was in the capital to see the European Premiere of Britney Spears new concert tour and it was spectacular! Much has been said about Britney's singing abilities in the press - does she mime or does she sing live? Whilst I think that most of her vocals - if not all - were pre-recorded and definately not live, I don't believe that most fans expected her to sing live! They were there for the dancing, the performance and to witness the comeback of Britney herself. After a nightmare year and a half, it seems that Britney has had the mother of all comebacks. Some people in the audience I'm sure were there hoping that she would fail, but the vast majority wanted to see her strutt her stuff and deliver something on these shores that she's not done in over 5 years!
She didn't seem as alert as I remember from her last tour, and whether that's down to her nerves or her medication, I don't know or care. The spectacle of the show was put on to possibly hide the fact that it may be a little early for her to return to the limelight, but it was done very well and the general positive reviews from people will hopefully mean that she will take this forward into the next tour in a few years time (if she wants to), and deliver a better performance! This was the first steps of a comeback and it was definately a success!!
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