West End Gossip

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Ooo ouch Marlow and Moss can’t sing can they? Should’ve got someone else to perform it for them! I have a hunch this new musical won’t be the success SiX is… feel like that was a one hit wonder for them. Happy to be proved wrong though…
 
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*whispers* I think Mamma Mia is absolute tosh and couldn’t wait for it to be over. I’m not interested in who the father of your daughter is, just decide so I can go home. I feel so passionate about this that I completely went agin Meryl Streep after the film and cannot watch anything she is in
 
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Mamma Mia was the last show I saw pre-pandemic (Feb 2020) and for I while I was worried it might be the last thing I’d ever see… (Work trip, not my choice!)
 
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Absolutely love Mamma Mia (the show not the movie), my go to happy show. I think its the best of the jukebox genre
 
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I’ve never seen Mamma Mia. I’m a die hard ABBA fan since I was 7 years old (I’m 52 now). The thought of people murdering ABBA classics and making a cheesy musical puts me off!! I know Bjorn and Benny were involved with the musical but it’s not for me.

I’m a Miss Saigon, Les Mis, Wicked kind of girl!!
 
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If you've only ever seen the film version, it's dismal compared to the proper stage show. Like nearly all film versions of musicals!!

And the stage version now, at the Novello or out on tour, is a shadow of the original show when it was at the Prince of Wales and I think before that the Prince Edward theatres. It's so "small" and disappointing now in every respect. Cast, band, and the dreadful set that the cast drag around by hand, compared to the full automation it had on the far bigger stages of the two original theatres. If it came out now in the version that plays today it would close after six months if that.
 
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I agree about the movies, although the sequel is very enjoyable.

I've not seen the Novello production but the tour just before Covid was very good. A few set pieces scaled back but otherwise just as good as I'd seen in london over the years
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I know Six has a massive young fanbase, but it does also have wider appeal due to its subject matter.

This new show just sounds soooo young from the title alone, love island meets some teen netflix show. A load of young people moaning about being single (let's not even cover how sad it is so many seem to need to be defined by a relationship).
 
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I saw it at the Prince of Wales and hated it, I would never have watched the film if I hadn’t have been outvoted by my friends! Let’s face it, it was never going to be a ‘deep’ storyline, but I had hoped they would be able to come up with something a bit better, but I also know I am in the minority!
 
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I freaking LOVE Mamma Mia!!!

My other favourite musicals are Les Mis, Phantom and Joseph

What can I say - I'm common!!!

But the scaling back of musical productions is quite apparent in the touring productions I see.

In recent years I've 2 Les Mis shows. The first one was so poor it was shocking. This is was the one with Gareth Gates. He was quite good but everything else was second rate.

The other one I saw was actually very good but from the programme it looked like the majority of the cast were making their professional debuts. But the main cast members were all old pros so the show excellent. And it worked better on the smaller stage of the Glasgow Theatre royal

Obviously cost is playing a part in the scaling back of musical theatre.
 
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The restaged Les Mis is a downgrade for sure, some things are cool but overall its less impactfull. Especially the barricade deaths. The removal of location and date projections is baffling as it makes for less clear storytelling

I don't see Mamma Mia any worse than other musical comedies. It falls into my happy show category, same as Hairspray. Always know I'll be put in a good mood watching it.

Then I have more serious shows I love like phantom, les mis, parade etc.
 
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I've not seen anything from that show that appeals. The crazy pricing structure doesn't help
we had cheap tickets from work and even then i thought it was too much. this is fringe at best. in fact id have enjoyed it more if it had been fringe or at Southwark Playhouse or something. It's the onlyshow i think I have ever attended where i left before the applause so i could get out of that poxy tiny joke of a theatre early. The ladies was the size of a train toilet with 2 stalls.you had to ask people to get out of the way before you could get in or out
 
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They all sound like they are struggling, in my view. The vocals aren’t great.
thsi shocks me as I know one of them and she has an amazing voice usually. I guess the material doesn't suit or something.. tbh as much as i love said queen as a friend /performer seeing Six doesnt appeal at all . Not really into girlband pop stuff.. Thrilled for her career though
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anyone else still sat here wondering how a ft theatre influencer with no other income can afford to keep going to NYC on expensive airlines, going to countless Broadways shows , eating out and staying at hotels in Manhattan? I have a well ish paid job in the City and can only afford a mid priced airline, staying at my partners and eating as little as can sustain and even then I can barely afford to go to NYC for less then a week
 
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Inheritance? Bank of mum and dad? Selling himself on only fans?
 
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I heard him say on one of his recent videos that he was collecting press tickets for the show from the box office so I suspect that many of the shows are comp'd, and it looked like they were staying with friends rather than in a hotel. You can get tickets on the cheap if you know the right people, but it takes a bit of networking and (probably) grifting to get them as much as certain influencers seem to.
 
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A lot of influencers and vloggers have rubbish business sense and don't run their channels like a business, nd are generally awful with money. So what little hs is making is likely spent. Even with free tickets to shows, flights aren't cheap when you go alot and new york itself is expensive to be in. Plus you have sustaining your life in the UK. I doubt there is much savings or pension planning going on for the future.

Theatre is never really going to be a profitable niche. The theatre critic had been dieing out for years. With social media you don't need one person to tell you want to watch. You can find thousands of opinions, for free, on any social media platform.
 
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