West End Gossip

[shakeygal]

I have no idea who pays that kind of money for a kids show that looks really dated now (well I think it does). But yes those are the official prices for the central stalls and dress circle!

I checked Frozen for the same dates and it maxes out at £150 per premium seat.

They are probably just chancing their arm, those shows are far enough away that they can reduce them several times as the dates get near if they aren't sold.

Either way I'll stick to just picking things up at Todaytix and whenever other offers pop up

I have to admit, I went to see The Lion King not long ago and was so disappointed. It was like half the cast didn’t want to be there, aside from Rafiki, Scar and Mufasa - all of whom outshone the rest of the cast and who carried the show on their shoulders. It looked slightly worn down (especially the costumes). When Circle of Life finished, usually it gets HUGE applause- there was hardly any. The costumes were showing signs of needing some desperately needed TLC.

I saw the show when it very first opened on Broadway, with the OG cast, and it has, now, definitely lost its magic. The puppetry is nowhere near as impressive anymore - especially compared to War Horse and Life of Pi.

 

[Mark81]

I saw the uk tour last year and loved it, but it was miles better than the last time I saw it in London.

 

[shakeygal]

I saw the uk tour last year and loved it, but it was miles better than the last time I saw it in London.

There’s something about the London production that kind of makes it feel like it’s a let down.

 

[RunRunRun]

Frozen doesn't sell anywhere nearly as well as The Lion King, in fact its likely to close within the year. The lion king is also mega popular with tourists, and Americas for example would be used to paying that type of money for shows.

That’s a shame, I’ve seen Frozen twice and absolutely loved it. Plus seeing all the little ones beaming because they’ve seen Elsa in real life, it’s magical. My daughter talked about the dress change for months after.

 

[Mark81]

That’s a shame, I’ve seen Frozen twice and absolutely loved it. Plus seeing all the little ones beaming because they’ve seen Elsa in real life, it’s magical. My daughter talked about the dress change for months after.

I agree it's a great show (and I don't particularly like the movies). It really struggles out of school holidays and weekends and often has top levels closed. It's done way better than broadway though, especially when you factor in covid

 

[Venuslurker]

Frozen was much better than I expected, I was genuinely impressed and moved and really enjoyed it. It's a bit of a shame it's considered a "kids show", the audience were definitely rather "relaxed"

 

[emmer_moans]

Frozen doesn't sell anywhere nearly as well as The Lion King, in fact its likely to close within the year. The lion king is also mega popular with tourists, and Americas for example would be used to paying that type of money for shows.

Is that because it's been open for a while and the initial buzz is gone?

 

[Mark81]

Is that because it's been open for a while and the initial buzz is gone?

Possibly and also its seen more as a kids show and doesn't have the disney nostalgia that say lion king does goe adults. Plus the lion king is a much more inventive and impressive show and is for both sexes and all ages while frozen tends to lean towards appealing to girls mainly.

 

[shakeygal]

Possibly and also its seen more as a kids show and doesn't have the disney nostalgia that say lion king does goe adults. Plus the lion king is a much more inventive and impressive show and is for both sexes and all ages while frozen tends to lean towards appealing to girls mainly.

Unfortunately, the majority aren’t there for Kristoff and Olaf, you’re right in that it’s primarily aimed at girls.

 

[ShinyEspeon]

I last saw lion king in 2015 and it was so tired looking, and the little simba was awful “I just can’t wait to be king” fell so flat. It’s a shame it’s not improved since then. I think it would be better to close that show and let it rest rather than Frozen which is visually way more impressive. It’s a shame the latter isn’t selling so well

 

[filthycop]

Another one seriously disappointed with Lion King - saw it just before lock down and felt dated, worn, tired. I agree exactly with this - it was exactly my experience:

I have to admit, I went to see The Lion King not long ago and was so disappointed. It was like half the cast didn’t want to be there, aside from Rafiki, Scar and Mufasa - all of whom outshone the rest of the cast and who carried the show on their shoulders. It looked slightly worn down (especially the costumes). When Circle of Life finished, usually it gets HUGE applause- there was hardly any. The costumes were showing signs of needing some desperately needed TLC.

 

[nohopefletcher]

Wicked and lion king both need updating they both just look like something from the early 2000s

 

[kev1974]

Wicked and lion king both need updating they both just look like something from the early 2000s

Yep

So much has improved in lighting, projection, and set automation technology since those shows were designed. Of course they may have swapped out many of the individual fixtures for modern LED versions doing the same thing (a lot of shows did this when they were dark during Covid), but until the actual lighting design is updated to make use of what modern lighting etc can do in terms of movement and colour changes etc then those shows will always retain their retro look.

 

[shakeygal]

Yep

So much has improved in lighting, projection, and set automation technology since those shows were designed. Of course they may have swapped out many of the individual fixtures for modern LED versions doing the same thing (a lot of shows did this when they were dark during Covid), but until the actual lighting design is updated to make use of what modern lighting etc can do in terms of movement and colour changes etc then those shows will always retain their retro look.

I agree. The production of Wicked in Brazil looks absolutely amazing. During Defying Gravity, they have Elphaba “mount the broom” and fly her over the audience. What do we get? Not that. If Back to the Future can have the spectacle at the end, then The Lion King can invest some extra money, at the prices they charge, to update lighting, costumes etc.

 

[Mark81]

Lion king has actually cut stuff and got cheaper. The aerial ballet in can you feel the love tonight, and the entire 'Morning Report ' song was cut.

 

[Realitybites]

Wicked and lion king both need updating they both just look like something from the early 2000s

Both the recent Brazilian and German versions of Wicked have made it look modern and fresh in different ways. West end needs to take note.

 

[kev1974]

The problem with making big changes to a show is that as well as the up front cost of people to redesign things and the new equipment itself, you would have to close it for 2 or 3 weeks. Take the old lights, set pieces, winches etc down and then put the new ones up and then wire it all up. Then reprogram which takes days and then maybe re-rehearse with the new stuff depending what got changed. It can't just be changed over one Sunday.

The cost of those several weeks of zero ticket sales is why they rarely update running productions.

 

[ThePsephologist]

Very pleased to have found you theatre boss on Tattle! Am on theatre board but it’s pretty heavily admined so it’s nice to be here for a gossip!

 

[Glaschelle]

Lion king has actually cut stuff and got cheaper. The aerial ballet in can you feel the love tonight, and the entire 'Morning Report ' song was cut.

I've mumped about this before but a fair few years back me and the old dear went to see a touring production of Les Mis....... it was god awful. Fantine couldn't sing - not just having a cold or couldn't hear the music - she flat out couldn't sing. It sounded like they'd dragged some one off the street to sing one of the most famous songs in musical history. The whole production was terrible. Gareth Gates was the best thing about it - yes it was that bad. Any way a wee while later I see Cameron McIntosh on TV talking about the 're-invented, scaled back production that was touring the UK' let me assure you, the ticket prices weren't scaled back.

I can imagine that staging shows like this aren't cheap. But then neither are the tickets - I've paid £80 to see Aladdin and that's not the top price seat.

And as with the Lion King, how much money have they made out of the show??? How much money do they make out of merchandise??? And its still not enough that they have to cut the quality of the show.

We also saw a cheapo production of the King and I this year - think they'd spent all the budget on Trixie from Call the Midwife and she didn't do our show.

 

[emmer_moans]

I've mumped about this before but a fair few years back me and the old dear went to see a touring production of Les Mis....... it was god awful. Fantine couldn't sing - not just having a cold or couldn't hear the music - she flat out couldn't sing. It sounded like they'd dragged some one off the street to sing one of the most famous songs in musical history. The whole production was terrible. Gareth Gates was the best thing about it - yes it was that bad. Any way a wee while later I see Cameron McIntosh on TV talking about the 're-invented, scaled back production that was touring the UK' let me assure you, the ticket prices weren't scaled back.

I can imagine that staging shows like this aren't cheap. But then neither are the tickets - I've paid £80 to see Aladdin and that's not the top price seat.

And as with the Lion King, how much money have they made out of the show??? How much money do they make out of merchandise??? And its still not enough that they have to cut the quality of the show.

We also saw a cheapo production of the King and I this year - think they'd spent all the budget on Trixie from Call the Midwife and she didn't do our show.

I'm cynical and think profits made go into the pockets of the producers and sets/props etc only get updated when stuff is broken.

Thing is, most people will be priced out of coming to the shows as cost of living becomes tough.