Sad Tale Behind the Iron Mask Fiasco???Date: 8 August 2005Media reports in the days after Behind the Iron Mask’s rapid closure last week have painted a sad tale (See News, 4 Aug 2005). By profession, John Robinson - who is credited with the original idea (after Alexander Dumas) as well as the lyrics and music – is an aerospace engineer; he put on the stage musical in order to fulfil his wife’s dying wish. Robinson reportedly sunk £500,000 of his own money into the show, which has been taking an average of just £1,000 a night at the Duchess Theatre. Amongst the unanimously damning reviews for Behind the Iron Mask, the Daily Mail decided, “The real mystery is how it was ever allowed to totter onto the stage.” Flop musical rubber-neckers have only a short time to solve that mystery themselves (See Features, 8 Aug 2005) – performances are now scheduled to finish on 20 August. Related Content |
Buy Tickets
Free Newsletter
Featured Video Featured Editor's Picks
Follow Us
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
- Theatre Tickets
- Top Shows (View all)
- 1. Les Miserables
- 2. The Book of Mormon
- 3. The Audience
- 4. Wicked
- 5. Matilda the Musical
- 6. War Horse
- 7. We Will Rock You
- 8. The Lion King
- 9. Peter and Alice
- 10. Jersey Boys
- News & Reviews
-
- News
- • Let It Be extends booking at Savoy until Jan 2014
- • Photos: Thriller becomes Lyric's longest running show
- • Young Vic's award-winning Doll's House transfers to West End
- • Michael Xavier & Charlotte Wakefield lead Open Air Sound of Music, Jane Asher in Pride & Prejudice
- • Photos: Lloyd Webber unveils £4m restoration of Theatre Royal Drury Lane
- • ZooNation stage hip hop Wizard of Oz for Southbank summer season
- • Charlie & the Chocolate Factory reschedules two previews due to 'unforeseen problems'
- • NYT stages rep season at Ambassadors, Bonneville made patron
- • Fenella Woolgar joins Toby Jones & Imelda Staunton in Royal Court's Transformation
- View all News »
- Reviews
- Interviews
- • Brief Encounter with... Park Theatre's Jez Bond
- • Brief Encounter with... 4000 Miles star Sara Kestelman
- • Exclusive Video: Matilda's Bertie Carvel 'interviews' Tim Minchin at Drama Desk Awards
- • 20 Questions with ... Travels with my Aunt star Jonathan Hyde
- • Brief Encounter with ... Passion Play's Samantha Bond
- • Oliviers: Lee Evans - 'I really wanted to get back into theatre'
- • Brief Encounter with ... Merrily We Roll Along director Maria Friedman
- • 20 Questions with ... Phantom star Marcus Lovett
- • Oliviers: Gillian Lynne - 'I thought they'd all forgotten about me'
- View all Interviews »
- Photos
- • Photos: Thriller becomes Lyric's longest running show
- • Show Pics: Felicity Kendal & Kara Tointon in Relatively Speaking
- • 1st Night Photos: Maureen Lipman joins cast at These Shining Lives opening
- • Photos: Lloyd Webber unveils £4m restoration of Theatre Royal Drury Lane
- • 1st Night Photos: Billie Piper joins John Simm & Simon Russell Beale at Hothouse
- • 1st Night Photos: Bonham Carter & Harman enjoy Passion Play
- • Show Pics: Zoe Wanamaker & Owen Teale in Passion Play
- • 1st Night Photos: Cast party Merrily after opening night
- • Oliviers Photos: Helen Mirren, Luke Treadaway & more winners celebrate at 2013 Olivier Awards
- View all Photos »
- Gossip
- • West End gets Lucky with Tom Hanks?
- • RSC chef serves up grisly 'Titus Andronicus' pie?
- • This House whips across the Thames for West End transfer?
- • David Hare adapts 'Slumdog Millionaire play' for National?
- • Is Douglas Hodge modelling his Wonka on Wilder?
- • Helen Mirren drums up support for Royal outburst?
- • James Corden on board for Nick Payne's new play at Donmar?
- • Will Tony nominated Kinky Boots stride to West End?
- • Oliviers Goss: Thor star Tom Hiddleston back on stage 'by end of the year?'
- View all Gossip »
- Broadcast
- Regions
-
- Scotland
- • Hairspray (Tour - Glasgow)
- • Matthew Bourne's Highland Fling (Tour - Glasgow)
- • Thriller Live (Tour - Glasgow)
- • Birds of a Feather (Tour - Glasgow)
- • Doctor Fautus (Glasgow)
- • Goodnight Mister Tom (Tour - Glasgow)
- • Slick
- • The 39 Steps (Tour - Glasgow)
- • The Rocky Horror Show (Tour - Glasgow)
- View the Scotland site »
- • Hairspray (Tour - Glasgow)
- North East
- • Dogs Land (Leeds)
- • Bohemian Rhapsody (Tour - Darlington)
- • Noises Off (Tour - Sheffield)
- • The Taming of the Shrew (Sheffield)
- • Opera North announce 2013-2014 season
- • Brief Encounter With ... Adrian Lukis & Victor McGuire
- • Michael Longhurst On ...The History Boys
- • The Count of Monte Cristo (Tour - Harrogate)
- • Joshua (Leeds)
- View the North East site »
- • Dogs Land (Leeds)
- North West
- • Five Reasons To See ... Carnaby Street
- • Mugabeland! (Salford)
- • Dukes stages outdoor Robin Hood, 5 July
- • The Gambit (Manchester)
- • Library Educates Rita at the Lowry, 26 Sept
- • Sutra (Salford)
- • Platform 0.2 (Manchester)
- • Blue Remembered Hills (Tour - Liverpool)
- • The 39 Steps Tours to New Brighton, 10 June
- View the North West site »
- Central
- • High Society (Birmingham)
- • High Society brings glamour to Birmingham Hippodrome
- • 20 Questions with ... Midnight Tango's Flavia Cacace
- • Sutra (Birmingham)
- • Midnight Tango (Birmingham)
- • Royal Shakespeare Company's Nursery celebrates 50th anniversary
- • WIN Tickets for Little Voice in Coventry
- • Rent in Concert (Birmingham)
- • Bicycle Boy - A Preview
- View the Central site »
- • High Society (Birmingham)
- South East
- • Murder in Play (tour - Stevenage, Gordon Craig Theatre)
- • Matthew Bugg on the past, present and future of Miss Nightingale
- • If Room Enough (High Tide - The Rifle Hall, Halesworth)
- • Chewing Gum Dreams (High Tide - The Cut, Halesworth)
- • Smallholding (High Tide - The Cut, Halesworth)
- • The Kindness of Strangers (Norfolk & Norwich Festival - mobile, Norwich)
- • A Pageant (Colchester, Mercury Theatre)
- • Blackout (Norfolk & Norwich Festival - The Garage, Norwich)
- • North North North (tour - Peterborough, Key Theatre Studio)
- View the South East site »
- • Murder in Play (tour - Stevenage, Gordon Craig Theatre)
- South West
- Scotland
-
- Specialist
-
- Edinburgh Festival
- • Curtain comes down on 2012 EIF, final ticket sales up 9%
- • Awards flurry as Fringe closes, Edinburgh Comedy Awards, Herald Angles & more
- • Edinburgh Guest Blog: Once a monkey, always a monkey
- • Bereavement The Musical
- • Top ten Fringe one-liners revealed by public vote
- • Reanimator The Musical
- • Virginia Ironside: Growing Old Disgracefully
- • Beats
- • Bottleneck
- View the Edinburgh Festival site »
- Off-West End
- Opera
- Year of the Producer
- • Year of the Producer: Emma Stenning on reopening Bristol Old Vic
- • Michael Coveney: Roar of the Greasepaint, Smell of the Crowd
- • Year of the Producer: Clive Conway's Eureka Moment for An Audience With
- • Year of the Producer: The Donmar Warehouse's Kate Pakenham on … Commercial vs subsidised
- • Year of the Producer: Julius Green on … How to close a West End show
- • Year of the Producer Blog: Kate McGrath on co-running Fuel
- • Educating Rita (Tour - Oxford)
- • Year of the Producer: Barbara Broccoli's Eureka Moment for Chariots of Fire
- • Year of the Producer: Chicago's Barry Weissler On ... Celebrity casting & getting your hands dirty
- View the Year of the Producer site »
- Arts Cuts
- • Time Out acquires Whatsonstage.com, plans future brand growth
- • Kent Leaves Tricycle After 27 Years, Cites Funding
- • Photo: Stewart Leads Equity to Downing Street
- • Drastic Cuts for Yorkshire's Red Ladder
- • Sky Unveils Fund for Projects & Emerging Artists
- • Guest Blog: Philanthropy & Emerging Artists
- • Equity Actors Call for Post-Austerity Arts Summit
- • Cuts: Theatres Trust Say Buildings Hardest Hit
- • Boss Blog: Who's Squealing Like a Stuck Pig?
- View the Arts Cuts site »
- Olivier Awards
- • Oliviers: Lee Evans - 'I really wanted to get back into theatre'
- • Full list & Photos: 2013 Olivier Award winners
- • Oliviers Photos: Helen Mirren, Luke Treadaway & more winners celebrate at 2013 Olivier Awards
- • Oliviers Blog: A view from the red carpet & Piazza
- • Ten of the Best: Quotes from the Oliviers acceptance speeches
- • Oliviers: Michael Frayn - 'I don't think I'm going to write anything else'
- • Oliviers Goss: Thor star Tom Hiddleston back on stage 'by end of the year?'
- • Michael Coveney: Olivier big winners and Stratford long runners
- • Glenn Meads: Oliviers 2013 Blog - View from the armchair
- Edinburgh Festival
-
- Press Releases
- News
-
- Theatre Club
Welcome to the Whatsonstage.com Theatre Club
- Top 5 reasons to join from just £30
- 1. Priority booking for hosted Outings
- 2. Member-only Club Nights, with top-price tickets at reduced prices
- 3. Regular free tickets to shows
- 4. Discounts for several bars and restaurants around London
- 5. FREE ticket to a top West End show when you join - currently Monty Python's SPAMALOT
- View all Club benefits | About the Club | Member-only offers | Current free tickets
- Awards
- Forum
-
© Whatsonstage 1996-2013
