[Ian]

Starting a new thread here, rather than hijack the Sound of Music one, but the following extract from Strallen fan caught my eye ....

More to do with the fact that Connie had more publicity and the show was selling to people who weren't necissarly musical fans. The Hollyoaks thing worked for the most part but it didn't really have the pulling power that HDYSAPLM had; Summer was not in Hollyoaks long enough to make a big enough impact on the nation like Connie had done.

We are now a few years down the road from the start of the Reality Casting shows on TV and their impact is showing signs that it not the great introduction to theatre that has been claimed.

Research by SOLT (Society of West End Theatre) has indicated that there is a major boost for the individual show being cast, and this might have a knock-on effect for other musicals (tickets unavailable at one fully booked theatre means that regular theatre-goers will select another show, not necessarily their first choice), but that the "new TV" audience do not, generally speaking, go to other shows.

Furthermore it is not automatically making a star of the winner, only making a star of the winner in that production. "They're Playing Our Song" made much of the fact it was starring Connie, but the fans who flocked to the Palladium have not engendered the stampede for tickets at the Menier that "Sunday in the Park" or "La Cage" achieved. Don't misunderstand me here, TPOS I believe has done respectable business, but a fairly short limited-run in such a small theatre perhaps ought to have done better. Millions watched and voted for Connie, there were less than a fortnights worth of tickets of full Palladium houses available for the entire run at the Menier, and they didn't all sell.

It will be very interesting to see what Lee chooses next, and how the show fares at the box office.

[strallenfan]

awww I inspired a thread haha.

I don't have a problem at all with reality tv casting, I think it can give a boost to the careers of some very talented people that may not have got the break they deserved. Plus I do like the fact that it gets more people to go see something they wouldn't of seen otherwise. I do think that it is going to be overdone though; I'm glad that ALW is taking a year out of casting a show through TV.

It doesn't always work though. I know many people didn't agree with the Hollyoaks/SoM thing and I felt that was sad. I actually think that was a really inventive way of getting people to go see the show. Unfortunetly I don't think it was the right show to do it with. However much I love Sound of Music now, I think that the show wouldn't appeal to the majority of Hollyoaks viewers. If it had been with more teen friendly shows like Wicked, Hairspray or even Joseph, it may have worked a bit better. It did work in the short run but didn't sustain enough interest from the public. I still meet people now who just think it was a storyline in a soap and don't know the truth behind it all.

[Reich]

Connie may have gained some fans from HDYSAPLM but why hasn’t the MCF had a sell out? Are they real fans? – I think not.

Connie’s so called fans are more likely to be fans of the Saturday evening tea time lifestyle. Familiarity of music, reality voting and finally a bus trip to London to see their favourite in a show they know really well. If Connie was now in another big West End musical (with a familiar title) I guess it would be selling really well.

Connie or any of them haven’t been around long enough to build up a loyal fan base in the same way Judy Dench, Daniel Evans, Elaine Paige or even Stephen Gately has done. It’s happening on the Ex Factor, Big Brother and all those shows. Talent does rise but it needs some history to make it stick.

I saw Connie for the first time in Song and I was really impressed with her (but not the show or production) and I would book to see her again.

[Haz]

I think the problem is that the reality casting viewers are, for the main part, the one-theatre-trip-a-year crowd. Therefore, if the Beeb continues churning out one of these shows a year then they won't see anything else - why would they?

It is an endless debate that has been had on here hundreds of times, and I'm sure will happen hundreds more about the pros and cons of reality casting. On the whole, I'm anti-the concept. Very anti. But even I admit it has its good points. I like the fact that it is making household names out of musical theatre performers. Who, since Michael Ball and Elaine Paige, has really crossed over into the public sphere? If you say Connie Fisher or Lee Mead to someone on the street, I would imagine a good proportion would know who you mean. In contrast, I doubt many people would know (for example) Mazz Murray or Jon Robyns.

I think Lee's career path will be very different to Connie's for various reasons. Though I appreciate that they have both trained, Lee went into Joseph with an established CV in a way that Connie did not. Equally - and I think more importantly - the press have treated Lee far more kindly than they have Connie. Anyone can GET fans with enough exposure. KEEPING them is an entirely different ball game, and one that I think Lee will succeed at much better than Connie clearly has done. I am aware of a couple of things that Lee is considering (and being considered for) post-Joseph and they have (pleasantly) surprised me. If either of them come off, he is far from taking an easy route, and I think that's to be admired.

Also, in my humble opinion, I think Connie was the most like Maria as herself. I think Lee was the most like Joseph when he acted as Joseph. He can apply that acting to any role you care to name and probably pull it off (within reason). How many other Maria-esque roles are there for Connie?

I continue to maintain that the 2nd/3rd/4th placed contestants in these programmes probably have the best ride. They're on the show long enough to show some ability and diversity (hopefully... with the notable exception of Jessie!) but without being pigeon holed. Connie will be 'that Maria girl' for a very long time (if not forever). In contrast, Aoife and Helena for example, have gone off and played 4 or 5 different roles in the time that Connie was 'just' Maria. I know whose career I'd rather have.

[Red Momma]

[quote name='strallenfan' date='Sep 26 2008, 03:07 PM' post='49129']

I don't have a problem at all with reality tv casting, I think it can give a boost to the careers of some very talented people that may not have got the break they deserved.

[quote]

No No No. If they are that talented and if they are being sent by their agent to the musical theatre auditions where the breakdowns are right for them, they are going to get a job sooner or later.

OK it may not be the lead in something as big as The Sound Of Music, but they will work and get understudies and then roles.

There are many equally talented people in the West End and tours, whose big break will come eventually, through sheer hard work, and not within the false atsmosphere of a reallity show.

Connie got lucky, but I do not doubt for one minute that she would not have made it, but while she may have a great voice, she is no mover and possibly did not get past the dance cut.

Horses for courses.

[allthatjazz]

This is an interesting debate. I tend to agree that the 2nd and 3rd placed contestants seem to do better out of these shows. I will be interested to see how Connie's career goes in the distant future. I will also be very interested to hear how popular Rachel Tucker becomes now she has joined We Will Rock You. Personally I would have loved her to win the competition but am now glad that she missed out because she could have a much more credible and long lasting career than Jodie. I also hope that Jessie gets an interesting offer soon, I thought she was fantastic throughout the series and didn't deserve some of the non-constructive and personal comments that came her way from 2 of the judges.

[emkay]

Connie may have gained some fans from HDYSAPLM but why hasn’t the MCF had a sell out?

I think that has less to do with Connie and more to do with the show itself. For one thing, They're Playing Our Song is not nearly as well-known a show as The Sound of Music. Also, it seems to be a more dated, limited-appeal kind of show. In addition, it got mixed reviews in the press--mostly owing to the show itself and not the cast, but I think that average theatregoers would be less inclined to go to a show they've never heard of that got mixed reviews, no matter how much they like the stars. As far as I've heard, though, TPOS has had packed houses most nights. The whole run didn't sell out far in advance like some other Menier shows, but it is filling the seats and doing very good business, despite the fact that it is a lesser-known show with a more limited appeal. I do think that a lot of that draw does have to do with Connie. I think with the reviews and relative obscurity of the show, it probably would have done less business if someone else had been in it.

[strallenfan]

No No No. If they are that talented and if they are being sent by their agent to the musical theatre auditions where the breakdowns are right for them, they are going to get a job sooner or later.

OK it may not be the lead in something as big as The Sound Of Music, but they will work and get understudies and then roles.

There are many equally talented people in the West End and tours, whose big break will come eventually, through sheer hard work, and not within the false atsmosphere of a reallity show.

Connie got lucky, but I do not doubt for one minute that she would not have made it, but while she may have a great voice, she is no mover and possibly did not get past the dance cut.

Horses for courses.

I agree with what you're saying and I actually admire the people who work their way up through the ranks more. But I do understand the people that enter TV casting shows; it gives them a platform to get more work and helps them raise their profile so I see nothing wrong with it. I didn't say that I just meant the winners; Rachel Tucker is a really good example (thanks allthatjazz), I've heard really good things about her as Meat and plan to go and see her. But I doubt she would have got there if she hadn't of done the show; nothing to do with her talent in the slightest.

Also, I don't think winning the show IS going to give you a long career, just like they say on the show; It's not a talent competition, it's a casting competition.

I also don't think that saying a show "is not well known enough" is an excuse either. I would go see anything any of the Strallen sisters are in (SoM and MM are PRIME examples; I would have not seen either if they hadn't of been in them). If she had a big enough fanbase, they would have seen her.