Do TV Talent Shows Spell the End for Traditional Casts?
July 9th, 2008 by NathanWe’ve all heard the likes of Webber and Mackintosh banging on about the positive effect their reality casting competitions have on the West End. “The shows attract new audiences!” they beam, thrusting sheets of box office figures every which where; “Look!”
Despite this marked enthusiasm, a new report by the Society of London Theatre suggests distinctly otherwise…
In his annual report, Richard Andrews claimed that though shows like Joseph and The Sound of Music attract “new, younger, first-time audiences”, he explained that “Whether these new theatregoers will return to see other shows that don’t feature ‘him or her off the telly’ remains to be seen.”
Ooooh; that’s not good news is it?
He continued:”So far, the difficulty of selling performances of these shows when the star has been absent through sickness, holiday or scheduling does not seem an encouraging sign.”
Blimey.
But then, hang on a second, SOLT’s report insists that its takings are up £70m on last year and that no fewer than 1.1m new people are coming to the West End. Surely that has to be a success doesn’t it? Even if Andrews takes this million strong surplus as an entire collective of star-gazers and celebophiles (which has to be a pretty offensive and unimaginative, let alone a sludgy, sticky and tarry conclusion) then what about the existing 12.5m theatregoers? How are they going to be adversely affected? What I mean is that if watching experimental new theatre or classically trained Shakespeare is your bag then a load of polystyrene-fingered youngsters sitting next to you on the tube is hardly going to put you off.
True, the staging of new writing is down on last year. This is, naturally, a bad sign for the future. But that’s the fault of tubby tabby producers isn’t it? New audiences are attracted to big names granted, but if theatres fail to husband new material then this trend will puff itself out in no time. It would be just, well, a little bit silly if producers tried to sell the same thing over and over again to the theatre-loving populace wouldn’t it?
I suppose the upshot is that popular stars like Jodie Prenger, Lee Mead and Jessie Buckley are causing a stir in the West End at the moment. They’re quite simply and unquestionably the theatrical flavour of the month. However, if producers took half a step sideways and looked into staging lower budget, lower priced new shows then fears about the effect a few series of a TV show are having on a £469.9m business would all seem a little frivolous don’t you think?
What do you reckon anyway? Think Reality TV shows like I’d Do Anything are a help or a hinderence to the West End as a whole? We’d love to hear what you think.
Technorati Tags: andrew lloyd webber, cameron mackintosh, id do anything, jessie buckley, jodie prenger, joseph, show and stay, sound of music, theatre, west end shows, west end theatresRelated Posts:
Denise Van Sh-Outen!
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July 22nd, 2008 at 9:01 pm
I would love to go to the theatre more often than I do now, and would quite happily go and see musicals and plays with no reality stars in them. Only the cost of the tickets makes me not go more often. Bring the cost down and I would go twice as often.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Ms Norman,
You’re quite right; the cost of going to see big West End shows is one of the main reasons that prevent people from enjoying live theatre more often. However, there are always ways around this. First of all always book though a respected and trusted seller, NEVER EVER buy from a tout outside the theatre. We’ve heard countless tales of people buying non existent seats or paying way over the odds for severely restricted views.
Also, it might be an idea to go in larger groups as this can get you a hefty discount. What’s more, if you’re travelling to the capital by rail, a group of 4 are eligible for a substantial group saving.
If you’re looking for a ‘ticket only’ sale then we’d advise you look into buying straight from the theatre box office. However, it can work out cheaper and more enjoyable if you lump in the ticket price with a theatre break package. Websites like ours offer amazing prices for West End tickets when purchased with a short stay in a London hotel. In fact, at the moment we’re offering a free hotel deal when you purchase tickets for a selection of shows.