Cinderella the Musical Closing DRAMA | Explaining the Controversy behind the West End closure
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- Опубликовано: 4 май 2022
- OHMYGOD HEY!
Over the Bank Holiday weekend it was announced that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest musical, CINDERELLA, currently starring Andrew Lloyd Webber would close in the West End.
Social Media quickly erupted as not only was the news shocking but it emerged that the show's upcoming new cast including Summer Strallen and John Whaite hadn't been notified before the news was made public.
In today's new video I'm breaking down the news, potential reasons for the sudden closure and the impact on the UK theatre industry...
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All I'm gonna say is that Carrie fucking deserved better. Yes, she originated an ALW role -- but they used her name for alllll the social media and such. To not even tell your big star that the show is closing...just rude.
And yes, the entire cast deserved better, of course. Especially the new cast members. I mean, costume fittings only to just turn around and cut their contracts?!
I remember when it first started Carrie's face was giant on the front of the theatre and she asked them to change it because she was so uncomfortable with it.
Carrie normally vlogs throughout the run of any show she's in but she was notably silent during Cinderella, which was very telling.
Summer Strallen is understandably furious because she apparently turned down something else for Cinderella.
Basically everyone has been treated appallingly and it'll be interesting to see if Carrie, Summer or any of the other big names in either the original or the replacement cast ever choose to do an ALW show again.
Yep! Carrie's lack of vlogs on Cinderella definitely hasn't gone unnoticed. Also such an important point about the cast members who turned down other jobs and auditions because they thought they were about to be employed for a year.
At first, I just assumed that her contract was much much stricter working with ALW and they were really not wanting her to vlog much or maybe the team would have to approve so much of her content. The safest thing was not vlog at all. But then as time went on and it seemed like there was such a change from her being so excited and at least talking about Cinders on youtube to...nothing...that was defintitely noticeably super weird. I took that as more having to do with not wanting to be on youtube at all, understandbly, during her breakup and all but it was such a strange and very sudden change. She even seemed to stop talking about working with ALW altogether, after being so excited about it in the beginning, and I had kinda wondered if she was seeing things for how they really were with his production.
Summer Strallen is in the new cast?! Wow... Her family has a looooong history of being in ALW shows so I wonder how this will affect that?
All this from ALW who has a reputation for being such a great person to work with …. I can’t even …
You took the words right out of my mouth! I was just about to say the same exact thing! Carrie has been very silent about this issue and even the negative publicity she herself has received. I doubt that she and Summer will ever say anything about this in their vlogs because of their sincere love and respect for ALW, and for the fact that if they do speak out publicly against them it could result in them becoming blacklisted. It's better to accept the drama politely with a smile and publicly bow out gracefully cussing in the privacy of your own home than it is to turn on a camera and show the whole world which could someday come back to haunt them. I hope Carrie and Summer are doing well!
If Andrew Lloyd Webber knew that Cinderella wasn’t doing well, then why the heck put the incoming cast members through costume fittings for no reason?! The way they announced that the show was closing, was just terrible! You do not tell your company that your show is going to be closing in about a month just 30 minutes before the curtain goes up.
It's what he does. He did something very similar 10 years ago with the Broadway production of JCS. My friend was in the show. It was actually doing quite well, and didn't deserve to close. Webber decided that he could use the success of the show to make more money with a stadium tour, so he shut down the Broadway show after just a few months with barely any notice. The cast was totally blindsided.
I'm not saying what they did is right by any means but, just to clarify, they didn't tell the company 30 mins before curtain up. They did it AFTER the Sunday matinee and there isn't a Sunday evening performance.
the guy has always been a colicky little pos, berating cast and crew is his primary occupation.
Because new casting generated press and some interest that might have revived this dead horse
Also, if Cinderella wasn’t doing well, why on earth is he spending all this money transferring it to Broadway?? No show made on the West End transfers to Broadway and vice versa if it’s not going to make money.
Would love to have seen Carrie’s reaction when she found out Cinderella was going to Broadway. I can’t even imagine how she must have felt
The continuing ego of Andrew Lloyd Webber is so horrifyingly fascinating. He's managed to make not just one but several legendary musical productions that have left him one of the richest musicians on the planet. People far more constrained than him still find the time and energy to show respect.
This is the part that amazes me. We should probably have a retrospect on the timeline of all of Andrew Lloyd Webbers failures that have lead him to be a complete ass to people.
His career post-Phantom is very VERY uneven. Tim Rice was a guy that was able to get the best of his skills. After that... cats & phantom were a big success... but i think he is quite hurt that everything after that has been a disappointment, he is unable to achieve high success anymore.
@@tonk82 It's not too uncommon to need another talent to really bring out your best traits. I've seen many an artist go off alone only to realize that.
It is definitely a big hit to the ego once that is apparent. But also accepting that help is good and you're not the lone genius you might have thought can be a good bit of humility. But that might be a lot to expect from the man that made _Phantom of the Opera_ of all things.
The guy's still got good compositions in him so it would be nice to see him find some Rice-equivalent and make a solid show out of it.
@@kueller917 Yeah, i agree. But his ego is too big, and tends to think that when something he does fails, is due to other people, not himself.
He will never do anything better than Phantom and he knows that, he’s had some really good musicals like cats and Joseph but he can never get better and more popular than Phantom
I think the fact that ALW lost the Grammy award for musical soundtrack to the unofficial Bridgerton musical (rightly so, the Bridgerton musical is amazing) also hit his ego big time! If you followed his social media, he seemed quite frustrated and tried desperately to get associated with the winners through tik tok. To me it almost felt like he was trying to preset himself as a mentor, taking Bear and Barlow under his wing, which they definitely don’t need. He seems like he struggling to not be critically acclaimed and fawned over anymore.
Before the Grammy lost...the MASSIVE Olivier snub! I mean, one nomination (for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, who played the Stepmother)! It’s not even nominated for Best New Musical (the top award) or even Best Original Score or New Orchestrations...considering the competitions they had were jukebox musicals (The Drifters Girl, Get Up Stand Up!) or known film IPs (Frozen, Back to the Future). I would understand that Carrie Hope Fletcher had a tough competition against Jessie Buckley or Sutton Foster for Best Actress in a Musical, but the overall state of the London theatre offerings...oh well...at least here in the British theatre, the Olivier awards and nominations mean everything. Had Cinderella got more nominations, it would still be open.
Sounds about right. ALW is famously thin-skinned. For someone who's had so many commercial successes, he's remarkably insecure.
Overall I agree, though he did meet and support them way before they were even nominated, so while I agree it was for sure hard on his ego, I don’t think showing them on his social media has something to do with wanting to take credit or anything
@@22taloosh if not that, it could be that he was trying to associate himself with the new, hot act in town in order to make himself seem more hip and current
@@gregorywiederecht True, he was doing that really nice thing when covid first hit of sharing his musicals on youtube for the weekend, and then after love never dies (which is a terrible musical, that I assume didn't have a ton of hits), he cancelled it out of nowhere. :(
The show is destined to get a ‘Wait in the Wings’ video. So much drama before and during the shows run. And the Broadway opening will be so interesting to see unfold.
I was meant to see the show in January, but that obviously didn’t go to plan. I was gonna go later this year, but I’ve now booked an expensive trip to London (as I live in Scotland) to see the show later this month and make up my mind. I know I’ll love the cast. And I’ve listened to the first half of the soundtrack hundreds of times - saving the second half for watching live.
Wow, imagine if 'Wait in the Wings' actually did an episode on this show. I just started hearing about the controversies behind ALW's Cinderella and I can't, for the life of me, fathom what is going on. I think I'm gonna need Mr. Brendon's help on this one.
Omg yes, can't wait for a chronicle of this mess
Wait in the Wings has done Andrew Lloyd Webbers shows before such as comparing Cats to Phantom as well as Starlight Express so.... it's a high possibility especially since how break necked the closure announcement was.
Just a tip; listen to The Vanquishing of the Three Headed Sea Queen; absolutely bonkers (brilliant tho!) song which was in the concept album but cut it from the musical I guess bc it was incredibly tricky to do live? Brilliant song though. Arguably one of my favs
I would love to see Wait in the Wings get their hands all over this. I’m guessing casting with no intention of it going ahead.
Yeah honestly this goes beyond theater, this is a massive workers' rights issue. ALW acted as an egotistical, fragile tyrant with no regard for the people who rely on employment to live. Not even to mention that ALW wouldn't have a musical without the hundreds of workers that go into making musicals a reality. *He* isn't the musical-the workers are.
This. You have a whole team of actors and crew working every day of the week the run of your show, countless hours of rehearsal and dedicating their physical and mental health even outside of work to being prepared to do your show. They may have turned down other opportunities to do your show instead. They deserve to be treated as good as they're expected to treat their work.
@@accountforwastingtime Haha... clearly you don't work in the industry. Four weeks notice is legally all that is required, and that is what was given. Everything else is narcissistic, egocentric bullshit from the actors. Grow up.
@@Rx6666 This goes beyond just the current cast being cancelled, lots of the anger is very rightfully over the new cast who had literally just signed themselves over to contract and turned down other roles right before this one was cancelled out of the blue. There's a reason so many people were both shocked and confused that so many people would be signed to contract right as a cancellation was going down.
But for the record, just because something is legal doesn't mean it's right- or doesn't it mean it can't change for the better. Literally this is the whole point of worker and actor unions. Clearly you must be anti-union. Have fun being a slave to the status quo and wasting your life believing that you don't deserve any better just because it hasn't been better for anyone before.
@@accountforwastingtime Two things - shit happens, particulary in this COVID world, especially in the theatre world in the COVID world. And secondly, what other industry gets more that 4 weeks notice that the business is folding? Get a grip sweetie.
@@Rx6666 that's really not what people are going on about but whatever
ALW literally behaved like he single handedly saved British theatre then did this. The audacity.
"this show didn't deserve the talent that its cast offered" - couldn't agree more! i saw it back in November cuz i wanted to see for myself why it had all these bad reviews. and my god it was awful. the only songs that i liked/were memorable were 'I Know I Had a Heart' and 'Only You, Lonely You'. I found the script cringey at times; the plot was so convoluted and had big moments that didn't have any pay-off (eg the Godmother...i mean why have a whole song about giving her plastic surgery, only to end it with 'well we don't have enough time today, come back for something more permanent' like WHAT??); and i found most of the songs just annoying and repetitive. the cast themselves is what made it watchable and i wish them all the best with future jobs.
I saw several people on social media suggesting they would be boycott all ALW shows after the news broke. Whilst I understand the sentiment, that would only punish other cast and crew at a time when they need our support more than ever.
I just saw Phantom a little over a week ago and the understudy cast were just phenomenal. I feel sorry for them because they’re stuck in contracts atm. I’m making note of this - I’ll never work in the same production as ALW himself. Not if it was handed to me.
I was pondering this too but i don't think a boycott would work tbh, shows like Phantom are too well known, even non theatre goers know Phantom. We just need to make sure actors are better supported legally for stuff like this so ALW can't get away with it again! I'm astounded about how some of the cast and crew found out...even a group zoom call would have been better but i guess ALW didn't have the balls.
@@beckyBWwilliams Boycott productions he’s personally involved in but not of all his musicals, perhaps?
Sometimes, the cast, director and musicians do a better job with his musicals, than ALW himself.
@@tonk82 that is so true!
I sometimes wonder why, when people comment on ALW"S Cinderella, they never mention nor compare it to Rodgers & Hammerstein's CInderella, which is as close to perfect as musicals got in the day it was written. Seems to me that from the get-go, ALW tackled a musicall that had been done before and was done much better by R&H. All three major productions of the R&H version are available on RUclips and all are worth watching (Julie Andrews in 1956, Leslie Ann Warren in 1965, and the multi-cultural all-star Disney cast in 1997 - the best of the three).
Yes!! It seems like a cash grab to constantly re-work things that were pretty much perfect the first time around. Maybe he’d have more success if he just created a new show from scratch rather than a “reimagining” of something already in the culture’s lexicon.
It's hardly known as a show over here which is why I think it isn't mentioned. I get the impression it's much bigger over in the US
Over here Cinderella on stage is almost exclusively associated with panto.
Oompletely agree - a shame the 1957 original does not exist in Colour
i heard julie andrws and im in
@@Cutegreydollwolf you can get the audio CD commercially and there is a kinescope version of the original Television live show on DVD but it is Region 1
I'm so glad to see someone be so candidly critical of ALW - on all levels. He hasn't managed to make a good musical in this century, and he knows it. That's why he's so bitter. He will never reach his early success again.
Also... fuck his Tory affiliations.
He doesn't deserve the talented cast and crew behind the musicals he composes. I get why so many people want to work with him - having his name on your resume is a huge advantage - but the way he treats the people without whome he would just be a bitter old man with nothing to show is disgusting.
As a teacher in the US, everything is sounding painfully similar... In March 2020, we found out about the school closure from parents asking us during dismissal at the end of the day because the governor announced it on the news.
Our district continued this lovely communication by announcing things on the news to families BUT NEVER TELLING STAFF. I literally began telling parents, “I have received the exact same information you have and, unfortunately, nothing more, so I’m sorry I can’t answer your questions.” It was literally things about online homework, school hours, and possible school openings. It’s so unprofessional to not tell your employees these things, and FIRST. I was constantly fielding emails and texts on weekends and like 7 pm on Friday and with no real answers because we were GIVEN NO OTHER INFORMATION.
I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t grant your staff human decency. Especially, when you’re the one the public is going to be addressing and going to when the news breaks. I’m glad people are pissed about it and calling it out. It’s such a common sense thing!!
Same thing happened in Australia - teachers found out everything via the media and the execs up in head office literally buried their heads in the sand and said "work it out yourselves". Our compensation? 5 free hours of accreditation which was peanuts for the amount that was put into remote learning AND teaching kids who's parents dumped them at school because they didn't want to have them at home. It was handled slightly better when we went into lockdown again in 2021, however it caused a massive walk-out of teachers because of how poorly we were treated.
It was the ‘I tried to tell you’ at the start that got me 😂 I’m obviously so sad for all the cast and crew but I think this show has been fated from day 1. I don’t know the theatre well so I don’t know if it would work but I would love to see the open air production of Legally Blonde move onto the west end and possibly to this theatre if it could?
A little bit cynical but worth mentioning I think - Broadway also protects their actors and creatives more when it comes to workshopping new projects, and ensures they get their due for their creative work in making new shows (Hamilton lawsuit for example). The West End doesn’t offer these protections or proper pay for actors and creatives - would it be beyond the realm of possibility that ALW wanted to workshop to the high heavens whilst in the UK before taking it to Broadway (an audience he seemingly cares more about impressing?) to avoid having to cede any more money than he has to or hand over any creative control over the project? For example, if it goes to Broadway, Carrie will likely have no monetary or named recognition for the creative work she undoubtedly put into shaping the role of Cinderella, given she’s been involved in the project since its workshop stage. It will be considered all his own work.
It's true because love never dies looked better in australia compared to the London production i feel he don't care about the uk
Thanks for this, my heart goes out to the cast and crew. On a future resident for the theater - I would love for you all to finally get Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. That theater is definitely adaptable enough for the immersive staging, and the cast needs are very large and diverse - the current cast could just transition to the new show!
PATTI WARNED US ABOUT THIS GODDAMMIT.
Edit: commented this before you addressed it in the video 😂
Sorry, but I would NEVER work under ALW. He seems impossible to please! I’d gladly do his shows, provided he himself had no part in the production. I mean everyone can’t be wrong!
Not just Patti and the cast for Cinderella - the London cast for Love Never Dies (by then Ramin Karimloo, Celia Graham, David Thaxton, Liz Robertson) found out the show was closing by reading about it in the newspaper. And that was after the revamped version of the musical (aka the one that got filmed with Ben Lewis, Anna O'Byrne and Simon Gleeson) opened in Melbourne, because apparently ALW couldn't be bothered to extend the revamp to the London production after months of it flailing on the West End and only staying there because ALW's name and "Phantom of the Opera" were stamped on it.
I guess the cast didn't complain as loudly because a lot of them were slated for being in the POTO 25th anniversary in some capacity and probably really didn't want to get fired from that gig, but yeah. That's another instance of that kind of situation happening.
@@irinakermong1217 exactly omggg
ALW has always had a bad habit of thinking he is Phantom, I mean look who was his first Cristine. Twisted little man.
@@notverynotoriousg5674 Euh. You’re starting to put me off the show altogether. Yuck.
@@tatemitchell1479 There is an upside, the union is suing him on behalf of the new cast. I think history has moved on and left ALW types behind, and that isn't a bad thing. He always had a penchant for parading around with his latest diva, and I doubt Patti was comfortable talking about him until relatively recently. A friend of mine recently brought up Dorothy Stratten, and her husband obviously isn't exactly a protagonist in her story, but just how creepy Peter Bogdanovich was is never mentioned.
Literally dropped what I was doing the second the notification came through!
Same I have been waiting for this video for so many days!!
I have been waiting for your opinions on this closing. I enjoy your videos and theatre reviews so much.
All of this is why I hold exactly ZERO respect for ALW.
I would be shocked if this did well on Broadway, by the way.
As an American who frequents Broadway, I can agree with you. I honestly misconstrued this show with Rodgers and Hammersteins Cinderella, and I’m sure many others will too. The plot doesn’t feel executed properly and I think the instagram backgrounds and TikTok curtain calls won’t be able to save it. Americans may be surface level sometimes but we’d see right through the frills of this show.
I cannot tell you how much money and how many limbs I would give for a West End Hadestown
“The ego of ALW cannot even be housed in the Gillian Lynn Theatre. That’s why he has to tannoy in from a different country.” HAHA!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I love this! 🙌 You just gained a sub!
In other news, Maxwell Sheffield is absolutely thriving right now
🤣
I've only ever casually watched a handful of random eps of The Nanny and even I got that one!
Brilliant!
Lmaoooo
He has performed at the Palace Theatre in Manchester NH (20 minutes from me) in A Christmas Carol. I really those tickets were more affordable because I would have fan girled him so bad afterwards. I loved The Nanny. Have you heard that The Nanny is going to be a Broadway musical?
Nail and Head come to mind here. I have a feeling we will see Carrie back in Heathers soon as the pro recorded version would be great with her back in it and of course a good selling point :D
Yes, and original Heather Duke was in her role for quite a long time. Can't remember the name of the actress now. My bad
@@darkangelw8472 Tshan
Fun fact: Patti named her pool The Andrew Lloyd Webber memorial pool. I always found that hilarious 🤣🤣
Watching in 2023 and you hitting thr nail on the head for whats going in the theater
Very well said. This is the first video I'm seeing of yours. I worked at a theater that was working with ALW and there were some stories. Big oof. I've liked most of his musicals but he needs to remember why he started. For the craft...I hope and deflate the ego. And if he can't then he may want to consider retirement. His treatment of his close team is better than his treatment of the performers and crew of the show. Which is just sad. I don't understand why it is so difficult to just be a decent human in this world. I guess because the scumbags keep getting rewarded for their scummy ways but that is another discussion for another time 🤣
I think Broadway has been ALW’s priority for a long time now, looking at the reaction Cinderella has had in the West End. When the show does transfer to New York, I think it’s going to be drastically rewritten and reworked.
Does the world really need more Cinderella movies/musicals?
Only if they are good.
The whole current/new casts, backstage crew, and front of house staff should just all pull a Patti LuPone and sue ALW for all his money so he can’t create another musical to ruin
Literally been waiting for your video on this! obsessed
As an American, I think this show would need to be completely reimagined for the States. I felt it was based in the Panto tradition, which is uniquely British. The over-the-costumes and behavior of the stepmother and stepsisters is much too cartoony for an American audience. One could keep the songs, but ditch most everything else.
They are completely re working it for Broadway
Oh wow. Take a look at how hopeful you were 😢😅
Hello from the USA!
Just stumbled across you RUclips channel .... and what a find it is! Luv your assignments ... you really know your musical theatre and have done your homework.
I find you a rather brilliant truth teller. Certainly look forward to more of your offerings. 👍🤗💞
I can’t wait to see what they put in the Gillian Lynne theatre. Yes the way this was announced was horrible, but I saw Cinderella the day this news was announced and it was a disappointment. I hope the Cinderella cast members get good employment opportunities in whatever replaces Cinderella
It’s been rumoured that ALW’s Aspects of Love is getting a revival so if that’s true it’ll most likely be going in there
@@aimeequick3567 i Hope for a cats return i know it won't happen because the movie destroyed the rep of this musical
I’ve been waiting all week for your video and reaction
bestie I have been waiting for this!!!
This is my first time seeing one of your videos and I must say I love your pillows! The first one I noticed was Enjolras and then I recognized all the other ones.
I'm so glad I found your channel, as I have no one IRL who I can talk to about this kind of theater drama!
While I'm a fan of ALW's classic work, it's so frustrating to see him desperately scramble to stay relevant.
I'm American, and it's a really interesting contrast to see how the attitudes towards Broadway differ from the West End. For example, it's almost unheard of here for something to tour and then go into a Broadway theater, which is really reserved for debut productions. The only example I can think of is the "Percy Jackson" musical. Here, it seems that once a show is on tour, especially if it no longer has a company running on Broadway, its moment is "over".
Six premiered in Chicago and then toured before hitting Broadway, but the pandemic shut down theaters right before they were supposed to open. Though with the excitement over the UK productions it does feel different.
@@sailorneo it has since opened on Broadway and it was amazing. I saw it in November and had a blast
You are BRILLIANT. Agreed with everything and some of your notes are just brilliant!
Only just found your channel, been waiting on this
I've just discovered your videos with wait in the wings. Someday, the two of you need to do an hour plus long retrospective on this show.
Calling Prince Charming and “aesthetic” role SENT me lol
Mickey jo Theatre 🎭 youre reviews of Cinderella were spot on ALWAYS a Pleasure to read youre Reviews x
I was waiting for this video and I know other youtubers have done similar things. Thanks for explaining it! I think the way they were told was ridiculous and that they should have proper apologies from ALW personally! I'm seeing the show agaim tommorow!
my first thought when I saw this news was how excited I was to watch ur video on it heheheh
The show was losing 100k plus per week from day one apparently, so no, it's never really been a big seller. Bottom line is ALW does not care about people, he cares about his image. He had to close because of the money loss, buy tried to do it over Bank Holiday hoping the story of its immense failure would get buried. Also, this show will go to Broadway just like Love Never Dies did.
Jesus H Christ.... if a show is losing "100k plus per week", what the hell do you think a producer would do? Keep it running for the sake of "people"? Grow up.
@@Rx6666 Don't tell me to grow up, I am 43 and work in the industry. This has nothing to do with closing the show because its a finical failure, its the how he did it....again.
@@Vertigotheatre1 Hysterical - if you are that age and actually DO work in the industry, you should know better and know how it works when a show closes.
@@Rx6666 I know exactly how a show closing works, the order of how you announce and who you notify first etc, I have been there myself, this wasn't done here, at all. Notifying agents on a Sunday over Bank Holiday? Judging from the amount of Cinderella posts you make on this lads posts then you either work for the company, or you are a mad Webber fan who won't hear a bad word said about him, even though his reputation is dog s**t.
@@Vertigotheatre1 To be fair, I don't actually care what someone who runs an amateur theatre company in Manchester says.
I know I’m in the minority, but I have never been an ALW fan. I don’t like most of his work, but now I don’t like what he has done as a person! Shameful to treat his performers with such disregard:(
I don’t really like him either. I do have fond memories of “Joseph” (mostly because my mom is a huge Donny Osmond fan), but other than that, I don’t like any ALW musicals.
The only ALW shows that I like are Jesus Christ Super Star & Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor DreamCoat.
Been waiting for your video on this
We’d probably need a video essay on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Flop Era…it’s been coming since the backlash of Love Never Dies…
I've been waiting for this video 🍵
So glad someone's made a video about this!!!!!! You're v v intelligent, fantastic video!
Oooooooh I been WAITING for this video boy
Evita was the first show that came into my head when you started talking about bringing an existing show into the Gillian Lynne!
I have been waiting for this video 👏
I have been waiting for this one
Couldn't agree more - ALW is morally shambolic by every definition and in every environment. Also, his shows suck.
WTF cats is a great show
But his movies sucks
Phantom was outstanding imo, and I have a real soft spot for Evita too. But goddammit I can’t like _him._
@@samuelblachon95130 I have to disagree with you there. I saw Cats just to see Kerry Ellis and the whols time I had no flipping clue what was happening at all... shouldve at least had a story line. Also the film version was critically panned.
@@oliviadaly4795 i know about the Movie but i like cats
I got to see the show back in September, and though I enjoyed it, it wasn't anything special. As my mum likes to put it: a good musical will make her cry, and she didn't shed a single tear. Carrie was definitely the main selling point; I even ended up saying that to any friends of mine that asked if the show was worth seeing. Had she not been in the show I highly doubt I would've ever gone to see it. I feel bad for the cast and crew because they all did an amazing job and, regardless of why this happened, they were all royally screwed over by ALW. I guess he couldn't handle continuing with a musical under his name where his effort was the least enjoyed part (it wasn't bad, but pretty much everything else was better, except for the plot, the plot was just bad).
There's no way this show will end up on Broadway when it's apparently lost so much money here, I think they just said that to save face
I recently saw Cinderella and me being a big fan of Carrie i of course loved it, not just because of her but the whole cast and the moving seats I just loved it. It saddens me so much that they’ve been treated the way they have, no one deserves to have this regardless of what job your in. After everything theatres went through during covid you would think they’d have more compassion as humans to tell the current cast and the cast that were meant to be joining in advance. You know, out of human decency.
Also I saw that the director of the show was on his way home from somewhere (I think Australia) and he only found out once he got off the plane after it had been announced. They must’ve had so many opportunities to tell the cast, crew, and FOH that this was happening and yet they never did. It’s made me think twice about seeing another ALW show however it would be unfair to all the other shows performers to completely boycott ALW shows
Thanks for highlighting this. I've only seen what Carrie has said in bits and pieces. I've really enjoyed seeing clips online and listening to the songs. Shame it went like this.
The closure of this show is basically ALW throwing tantrum and taking his ball home because people were meeeeeean!
He has really got too big for his britches. Very entitled.
Having read the comments here, it seems to me that this all boils down to ALW's profit margin. Another thing, the Theatre isn't the healthiest place to be, psychologically speaking. What do you call a roomful of narcissists? The Broadway cast of "Cats."
Omg, as a huge Cats fan, I snorted out loud... It's funny cause it's true. XD
I previously disagreed with your opinions on Cinderella but think you’ve hit the nail on the head with this video
As an American, I have to say I'd be extremely surprised if this Cinderella ever opened on Broadway. Stephen Weed never did; Love Never Dies never did; Woman In White played 13 weeks on Broadway in 2005-06, and then out. Earlier ALW shows like The Beautiful Game and Whistle Down the Wind never made Broadway either. ALW really isn't that big a deal to New York audiences any more, as far as I can see; though Phantom is still running (to tourists) on Broadway, it opened 34 years ago, and ever since then its been a long string of flops, disappointments, and early closings for ALW shows in New York, whether original productions or revivals. I share your opinion of ALW as a person. I hope I'm never asked who I think is the world's biggest spoiled baby, because I'd be seriously hard pressed to decide between ALW and Donald Trump.
8
Can you put the saga in a playlist or add links to your previous videos please xx
ALW had far more failures than hits. It is incredibly difficult to put a hit on stage, knowing that there just isn’t a whole lot of real singular talent that goes into making musicals. No ONE person is a sure thing. They are such a complex mixture of moving parts that it takes a whole TEAM of talent to make work right, and when it takes a whole team, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep a solid, singular vision from beginning to end. ALW has had horrendous failures, that had it not been for his overly inflated reputation, would likely never seen the light of day otherwise. Love Never Dies, for example, seems a pretty obvious example. Never mind the fact that the Phantom of the Opera has its share of glaring issues and cringy parts that are rough to sit through, itself. Being American, we don’t get the same exposure to ALW that you do in the UK. We don’t have game shows where the prize is a role in an upcoming West End production if Les Mis (we don’t even really see Cameron Macintosh ever, in fact). We don’t have publicly funded documentaries about the man the myth the legend. He is just the English bloke who wrote a couple musicals that only people from New York City are generally interested in. Broadway is it’s own tiny little ecosystem that lives, thrives, and dies on itself, and those around it. People from Omaha, Nebraska could not care less whether the US Version of Cinderella ever comes to stage or not, but they will buy the shite out of those Hamilton tickets whenever they roll around (3 national touring companies! Can you believe that?).
ALW has no edge, these days. He is not a contemporary, and has seen more projects massively flop when they try to reach a larger audience (think Cats and Phantom of the Opera in the theaters) than successes in his tiny safe-space bubble that is the West End and/or Broadway. Nobody talks about ALW productions these days, unless they are the has-been tours of the essential PoTO that comes around every so many years. Wicked, Hamilton, and Disney musicals (cringe) are the buzz these days. ALW is simply too risky if a IP if you ask me.
This all being said, I loved School of Rock. It’s the kids and the cast’s energy that made that show so fun to watch, though, as even that show has horrible parts. Can’t credit that whole bit to ALW anyway, and no one who hasn’t paid close attention over the last years even knows that musical ever existed. So I suppose, in summary, I just want to say that Lord Lloyd Andrew Weber, or whatever James Corden called him, is in this commenter’s opinion, incredibly overrated. Thank goodness for his having saved the genre in the 80s, though, so that we might still have something to watch today. Where would all of these beautiful and storied theaters be today had he not turned the musical world upside down in his earlier days?
A revolving stage can cost anything from £2500- £7500 per week just for the staging not the running costs which can vary with power companies in the UK ( ex GSA production Crew)
Coming through with the facts people need! Thank you for this! 🏆
Although if i remember rightly the Les Mis revolve is actually owned by the show these days.
When Lord of the Rings was in the west end that one was about 15K a week and needed 1.5 hours to be reset before the next show
I am amazed by the way you go right to the point (especially Lloyd Weber's ego), and, if I may add, I enjoyed your English too, and overall you always specifies arguments not just opinions. So thank you and good luck
I laughed out loud at the "maybe I'm the villain" part! Thank you, I needed a laugh.
Brilliant!! Great to see the modestly-talented (I'm being kind) Lloyd Webber getting the comments he deserves. His behaviour has been little short of a disgrace
Your right . Producers are going to be producers . It's up to the actors union to protect the talent.
Ticket sales for Cinderella were soooo bad. There were shows with almost no advanced ticket sales - when I went whole rows and sections were empty. I think that played a big part, especially because even with Carrie involved they couldn't sell out.
ok I like the idea of hadestown back in London
Terrible show. No thanks.
said no one ever
How long did it run for in West End? I can’t find anything about it 🤷🏻♂️
I love your reviews and I completely agree with you on Cinderella -- in EVERY respect; things need to change for performers. I would just love Be More Chill to come back and fill that theatre. xx
Yikes. I mean, when he took LND to Australia as a really far "out of town" reworking before Broadway put the writing on the wall for how far he'd fallen. Even the best creative team possible in Oz couldn't pull off that miracle.
Devastated and livid for the cast and crew. We've had a hard enough time over the last two years. Talk about sticking the knife in.
Carrie had to have known. She tweeted something cryptic on April 25th (which was when some of the cast was told), when she commented a response of "that's not correct info anymore
Patti was probably personally DMing all of the cast members with a martini in one hand and asking them if they need anything from her.
Pool party anyone?
@@manyagaver1946 she just invites them over to dip their toes in the Andrew Lloyd Webber Memorial Swimming Pool.
you did not stutter sir! As an australian literally and figuratively watching all this unfold from afar, this is the best i've heard about this situation thus far.
I think you might be onto something with a new show at the GLT. I don't know if ALW is currently working on anything new, but it would be like him to kick out an older show for his new darling. Though going through the bother of costume fittings mere days before is really weird... In any case I hope the staff and crew get better employment soon as possible. They least they deserved was proper notice!
I love your videos.
Great video Mickey and I think you are right about this, it's ALW's ego getting hurt due to the show not doing well and I agree that his most recent works like the dreadful Love Never Dies and Stephen Ward were major flops. School Of Rock was great though and I did love it. The cast/crew of Cinderella have been treated very shamefully
Ooo! Can you review Singin in the Rain?
I just watched a video of Bad Cinderella yesterday am. I loved the song and the staging was great. The way this closing announcement was handled was atrocious. I feel horrible for all the cast crew and other staff and all the new people who were coming in that are out of jobs. I will be reluctant to support this production if it comes to Broadway because of this.
I teach MT & I have always hated ALW. I’ve always found his work incredibly contrived & cookie cutter. I refused to see Cinderella as I felt that the main theme being a plagiarism (yes, I went there!) of R&H was brazen. I have tickets for the School Of Rock tour in Cardiff at the end of the month. So we’ll see if that changes my opinion of his work. But as a human….he will always be disgraceful.
I’m going to one of the Bristol shows
1) i actually like ALW’s first show, Joseph, I enjoy every song. But all the rest of his shows seem like one+ AMAZING song, surrounded by a lot of mediocre ones. Yes, Music of the Night is amazing. Yes, Memories is amazing. Jesus Christ Superstar has at least 3. But the greatest shows had every song be amazing!
2) have you seen the three Harry Potter musicals here on youtube?
School Of Rock is DEFINITELY better than the man ever is.
I'm glad you said that - i thought i was going mad about the similar opening score
@@PipReads I don’t mind the occasional musical “quotation”, but to have the main theme of the entire show consist of that quotation is plagiarism, in my opinion.
Your bit on ALW being a Tory is why I have subscribed (and also because you’re great)
I really had no hope for Cinderella when it was announced 😕 the music was okay, the promos were not great as they weren’t telling us ANYTHING about how the show or story was significantly different than the other many shows by the same name other than Cinderella being “edgy” which completely changed when she had her “glow up”. So all this isn’t really a surprise, but I do sincerely hope that the cast finds work in better shows and better producers!
If you get a chance listen to The Vanquishing of the Three Headed Sea-Witch; that was a brilliant song which they inexplicably cut from thr musical.
I foresee being notified in the press/social media being a regular thing.
great video and all but HOLY SHIT MAGIC GOES WRONG ON THE BACKGROUND I LOVE YOU
Damn. This is horribly, horribly unprofessional. I feel for the cast, crew, back of house, front of house, and anyone else having to scramble and figure out what's going to happen next. I sincerely want the new talent to find the work they deserve.
Me already thinking ALW was a little sus for years because of Patti Lupone's hatered for him and now seeing this:
😮😮😮
I saw this show a couple of weeks ago, my sister had raved about it, I was sceptical. I’m a big Carrie fan but I deliberately booked to watch Georgina Onuorah so I wouldn’t be distracted by Carrie’s performance. Georgina’s vocals were outstanding and I appreciated the diversity in the cast especially for a traditionally white washed fairytale to have a powerhouse of a leading lady of colour, however at times I felt like I was watching a pantomime. I was bored by the plot, bored by the score and I think the show tried too hard to be modern and edgy without achieving either. I’m not surprised it’s closing however the circumstances are barbaric.
I haven't seen it but as it ALW with carrie I was hyped and expecting something amazing. But from clips and the album it's just meh. A few songs of Carrie's that I like but I think that is just down to her voice being stunning. How everything has gone down is just unfair on the cast and was to be cast.
Glad to know that ALW is consistent
16:58 “war horse has a drum” is that a literal drum or is that a theatre term i’m not familiar with?
A drum is a theatrical term for a revolving stage that can rise or sink as in Hadestown.The Oliver Theatre where War Horse was first staged was infamously breaking down when the theatre first opened
That👏🏻intro👏🏻
Made me laugh that he has the gall to even suggest he's the hero behind theatres reopening post covid.. Nica Burns called, and she wants her title back.
Agree with Nica Burns. I also put Rufus Norris and the National Theatre as more deserving to the title of lockdown heroes over ALW. I wonder WTF did the BroadwayWorld UK Awards nominated ALW for their Lockdown Hero award. Good thing the Critics Circle Theatre Awards gave well-deserved citations to Nica, Rufus, and other theatre creatives (like the Jermyn St Theatre, The Old Vic) for their lockdown contributions.
Couldn’t agree more!!!
As someone in a different hemisphere I only came across this show by accident when I came across a few songs on random. I was curious to see it but there is so much saturation with Cinderella right now, from what I've heard it has a brilliant cast and some good rebellious undertones compared with the traditional story but it's not clear who it was written for. The few songs I've heard the singers were brilliant both at singing and acting out emotion so I wish them all the best.
ALW is out of control. Also, I have that tee shirt!
You totally nailed it, MickyJo. Thanks for an insightful analysis of this shameful behaviour of Lloyd Webber
Oh the irony that this was just announced that this will be replacing Phantom on Broadway...lol