698 replies to this topic

[Mantaray]

Ghostmusicalfan, on 20 June 2012 - 01:03 AM, said:

I don't think the reason Ghost is closing is solely based on ticket sales, I believe that it is due to the fact that Viva Forever is seen as a bigger crowd puller than Ghost.  Sad as this is, replacing what is a juke box musical for a original musical score £££ speak louder than anything else these days.

Ghost will live on via a UK tour which will I am sure be a huge hit and in the long run prove to be a better way to thrive.

It's not being replaced...Ghost is closing because it's simply not making enough money to justify keeping it running. If it wasn't Viva Forever it would just be another show, that's how theatre works. Why would it close if it were still making enough money to run?

[Jamie Kenny]

Why do people always jump to judge juke box musicals without even seeing them? They're not all bad..

[Ghostmusicalfan]

Jamie, i am not judging juke box musicals, I would just prefer to see original scores in the West End instead of relying on songs from the past.  I know recycling is the buzz word of the moment but let's leave that to newspapers and tin cans. Original theatre and musical scores is what we should all be wishing for.

[Titan]

But Ghost isnt original, score yes but otherwise it's just the film on stage with some songs. That's no worse than a jukebox musical

[Mantaray]

Ghostmusicalfan, on 22 June 2012 - 01:52 AM, said:

Jamie, i am not judging juke box musicals, I would just prefer to see original scores in the West End instead of relying on songs from the past.  I know recycling is the buzz word of the moment but let's leave that to newspapers and tin cans. Original theatre and musical scores is what we should all be wishing for.

Surely every new show that isn't a revival of a previous production can be counted as 'original'?

[MusicalBoy]

What Ghostmusicalfan said was that we should be hoping for 'Original Scores' which I agree with 100%

It's true that not all jukebox musicals are terrible, but the fact that they're being produced at such a rate with almost no consideration for the development of original scores (such as Tim Minchin's outstanding work on Matilda, the OK score to Ghost etc.) I find mildly nauseating. I think that shows like Jersey Boys, Dreamboats and Petticoats and even We will rock you at this point have become stale but are able to survive on substandard business and are preventing better things from entering the west end, such as the many brilliant touring productions that have tried to find west end homes.

It's one of the many ways in which the west end is put to shame by new broadway shows and frankly it's embarrassing.

[AndyB2007]

Wanting to stick my 2 pence in, as per the last post, Jersey Boys, We Will Rock You etc may not be his cup of tea, but they make the money to stay open. If they weren't they wouldn't be closing, original score or no original score.

As mentioned before in this thread, if Ghost was still making the money, it would've stayed and Viva Forever would've been told to go somewhere else.
It's sad it's gone, but we have to move on.

[AndyB2007]

Should've said, they would be closing.

[Titan]

I really dont think Broadway is any more original


Once - songs from the movie
Newsies - mixture of old and new
Nice Work If You Can Get It - Jukebox
Priscilla - Jukebox
JErsey Boys - Jukebox
Mamma Mia - Jukebox
Anything Goes - revival
Evita - Revival
JCS - revival
Porgy and Bess - revival
Sister Act - based on a movie however adapted and changed with original score
Ghost - very similar to movie but with new score
Book of Mormon - original
Memphis - original
Rock of Ages - Jukebox
Spiderman - original score based on comics
Lion King - long runner
Mary Poppins - long runner
Wicked - long runner
Phantom - long runner
Chicago long runner

[Pharaoh's number 2]

Apologies if this has been asked before:

I'd like to see this before it closes, and was wondering what the dayseat situation was. Would I be able to get a seat for a Saturday evening, or is it only weekday performances, or just best available? Ta