Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark

[AdminAssistant]

Yes, I know, another thread of Admin bitching about Broadway. But this is different, I promise.

First of all, if you don't know about this catastrophe of a musical here's one article: http://theweek.com/article/index/206...oadway-history

So, basically, Julie Taymor (who did the musical adaptation of The Lion King and has directed some awesome films) has been at the helm of this project along with Bono and Edge, who wrote the music. The show was supposed to open in February, but has been pushed back many times, and so far, is costing about $65 million. The musical contains a lot of aerial stunts and fantastic spectacle. And so far, four performers have been injured. FOUR.

Keep in mind, this is not film. The performers have to safely and flawlessly execute these stunts 8 times a week; twice on Wednesday and Saturday, Mondays off. Also keep in mind, this is not in Las Vegas with a Cirque d'Soleil troupe. This is a Broadway theatre, which is not designed for this level of acrobatics, cast with actors and dancers, not trained aerialists. Despite what has been said in the press, the actor who was most recently injured, Christopher Tierney, was not a "stunt performer". He's a dancer. What in the hell is he doing swinging 30 feet in the air??

What really pisses me off, though, is this: http://www.actorsequity.org/NewsMedi....spiderman.asp

Instead of standing up for the safety and rights of these performers, Equity (the union for theatre actors and stage managers) is covering their ass. The president of IATSE (the union for stage technicians) released a similar statement. How many more people are going to be injured? How long before someone is killed? And all in the name of, what, art? Please. More like, in the name of the almighty dollar. I sincerely hope that this is a huge financial failure early on, otherwise, they will be packing this stuff up and taking it on the road, trying to get every rube and idiot in the country to spend $100/ticket to see it. (I do hate tours with a passion, theatre is not meant to be run through a copier.)

But maybe, maybe, maybe if it fails, then Broadway producers will get the message that theatre is not film. The stage is not capable of producing the same art as the camera. Leave the daring feats and the fancy effects to trained stunt men and CGI artists. Let the theatre do what the camera cannot; give the audience a wonderful, live experience. Tell a compelling story, evoke empathy and understanding, mirror our lives back to us from the stage.

I hope that will happen. I have my doubts, since the big, fancy, empty musicals are the ones that rake in $2 million/week and run for 15 years. But maybe now that human lives have been risked. *sigh* Please, please, *please* don't go to this musical. Don't say that you're okay with risking actor's lives for the sake of a few hours of entertainment.

[Ginger Tea]

(I do hate tours with a passion, theatre is not meant to be run through a copier.)

So everyone in the States should only see it on Broadway and those in the UK in London's west end?
Leaving other venues for what AmDram?

That's one of the reasons the Art's are seen as elitist highbrow crap, you have to go to them (in the capitol or major cities) to see it.
One of the many Rocky Horror Troupes toured Cambridge, I've seen them twice since moving here, it's the same cast and crew, not just the script, score and stage directions being handed out to another gang to interperet.

The same Troupe touring is like a music act touring, you wouldn't pay good money to see a covers band on an arena tour just cos the real deal will only play London. So the cast and crew of a broadway show taking it elsewhere with a similar sized stage to do the acrobatics is fine, it's the broadway troupe not going on tour and leaving it to a bunch of understudies and locals that harm theatre as they are seen to look down on you and your venue for not being on broadway.

[Andara Bledin]

I'm with Ginger Tea on that one.

The whole 'theater should only be accessible to those with disposable income and time to travel to specific places' shit is really irritating.

If "theatre is not meant to be run through a copier" then we need to stop performing, say, Shakespeare. After all, it's just the same old stories being trotted out by new actors in new venues. Or even Gilbert & Sullivan.

However, the greater concern over the safety of the actors (and, really, how much different is this than them flitting Peter Pan all over the stage?) is valid and the fact that so many have been injured already is appalling.

^-.-^

[AdminAssistant]

Allow me to clarify my statement about theatre "being run through a copier." Broadway tours are meant to be just like the original production. The sets are modified to travel, usually some of the music is taped so they can travel with few or no musicians in the case of musicals. Actors are cast primarily due to their ability to look like the original cast from a distance. The blocking, the choreography, line readings, etc - all meant to be *just like* the first cast on Broadway. No originality to it.

ETA: I re-read GingerTea's comment, and I want to emphasize. Broadway tours are *not* usually cast with the original cast members from the Broadway production*. With some big shows, there are 4-5 different casts touring all over the world. Some of these tours don't even cast Equity actors, which I can't believe is allowed with so much of the union being unemployed.

*Sometimes, shows/tours that run for a very, very, very long time will re-insert an original cast member in order to revive ticket sales, which is why Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal toured with RENT toward the end of its run.

Pretty much every place that has a Broadway-quality (more than 500 seats) road house also has regional theatres. Local theatres hiring local, professional actors that do high-quality work. What I'd like to see for Broadway is shorter run times, so that the rights can be released to these professional, regional theatres, and you can see your favorite plays and musicals there, probably for much less. Yes, it might be a different interpretation, but I see that as a good thing! Plays aren't meant to be performed the exact same way, with the same sets and the same costumes, for all eternity. This might actually encourage greater attendance at these regional theatres, and might end Broadway/West End's current monopoly on commercial theatre.

However, my big gripe here is that the commercial theatre world has gotten so caught up in doing things bigger and bigger, more and more spectacle, that now people are getting hurt. There have been other injuries in other big spectacle musicals, the one I can think of off the top of my head is Idina Menzel breaking some ribs during Wicked.

Andara, I don't know the specifics of what kinds of stunts or how many, but it looks like its much more complicated than Peter Pan.

[lordlundar]

Yeah, I would say the investors need to walk away from it. So far, the only ones paying to see it just want to see how horrible of a train wreck it it is, but even those people are getting tired of it. It just doesn't have the standing value that's needed for this type of show.

(I actually think if the Cirque du Soliel company got a hold of it, it would actually be better than anything done for broadway, but then again, high energy acrobatics are their strength)

[Andara Bledin]

Plays aren't meant to be performed the exact same way, with the same sets and the same costumes, for all eternity.

I wish someone had given the New D'Oyly Carte that memo. Of the four separate stage productions of The Mikado I've seen, theirs was the flattest, blandest, and least inspired production ever. Quite a feat when one considers the source material. It comes as no shock at all that they couldn't stay in the game.

However, I have no quarrel with a single company keeping to a single formula and taking that specific formula on the road to be experienced by a much wider audience than just what can make it to a specific locality. Although hiring stand ins that are chosen for their likeness to the original actors as opposed to their acting ability is a crime against theater.

^-.-^

[AdminAssistant]

It just doesn't have the standing value that's needed for this type of show.

(I actually think if the Cirque du Soliel company got a hold of it, it would actually be better than anything done for broadway, but then again, high energy acrobatics are their strength)

According to that article, it would have to run at capacity for 5 years to break even. That seems....unlikely. Cirque du Soliel is absolutely the *perfect* company for this, and I can't for the life of me understand why Taymor didn't work with them.

[Ginger Tea]

With that clarification, yes I see your point on the copier line, I originaly read it to be from a semi-elitist POV.

When I saw Vampire Rocks a thinly veiled rock opera that was more of a really good rock anthem covers band with a throw away story, I didn't see it with Toya Wilkox, I missed the year previous one night gig.
Instead I just assumed this other woman was playing her part, apparantly not, the couple next to me saw the Wilcox version and it was a totally different story altogether, She played a Devil queen and for one reason or another, they didn't cast someone else for the part for this run, they just wrote her character out (explaining why the 2nd half was just rock anthems)

If how ever, I found she was reprising her roll only for major cities and we were getting the B-story (same cast and crew sans Toya) it would suck, but I don't think she even did the Halloween special the following week.

We've had numerous 'big' shows at the Corn Exchange, none of which have taken my fancy
Aria
West side story
Joseph and his technicolour dream coat
to name 3, how many are using West End troups I've no idea, we didn't have a named Joseph that I can recal, least not a name that would mean anything to me, unlike Jason Donovan on the west end one year.

Have to admit, I'm not drawn too much by cast names, just 'Do I want to see this show?' If I am paying good money to see it at the CornEx over the smaller venue's, I do however expect to be given good production values and not some 3rd rate troupe in a large venue.

Similarly, it's been embarasing to be at a rock gig there and the turn out is so small that it would be more suited to the Junction, it may not be 'small' in numbers, but when you consider capacity it looks small, better to sell out the Junction than to only sell 1/4 of the CornEx.
I know theatre and gig's are two totally different beasts, but there is an analogy there somewhere if I've worded it right.

[Boozy]

According to that article, it would have to run at capacity for 5 years to break even. That seems....unlikely. Cirque du Soliel is absolutely the *perfect* company for this, and I can't for the life of me understand why Taymor didn't work with them.

Because Cirque du Soleil is a company that creates their own shows with their own specific syle. They don't hire their performers out, and they don't attach their name to something they haven't produced.