Honestly any amount of stunt casting could have worked, you could have had so many possible stunt cast options for this show, wether it be actual celebrities or well known theatre names that could have convinced die hard fans to see the show. Here are just a few that I’ve thought of from the top of my head (I’m not suggesting any of these would actually happen, they’re just ideas lol): Jennifer Simard as The Stepmother, Patina Miller as The Stepmother (I don’t think either of these count as Stunt Casts but let’s be honest a LOT of people would pay just for them), Dove Cameron as Adele or Marie, Maude Aptow also as Adele or Marie, Jordan Fisher as Prince Sebastian, Rosé from RuPaul’s Drag Race as Prince Charming, Jinkx Monsoon as The Godmother, they could have had literally anyone from reality Tv that can hold a note in the show, perhaps even casting theatre Tik Tok’ers in the ensemble so they have time to make videos about the show if they want to, the list goes on
So true! It seems like they tried to change almost everything that was good or fine (marketing, title, costumes, etc.) instead of actually addressing the book (story).
Andrew Lloyd Webber's ego just couldn't handle being called out for writing drivel and now lots of people are out of jobs. Its heartbreaking for the cast and crew
@@thomasscallan1718 it was only brought over after the West End drama, didn't really make any changes, put it in a premiere Broadway theatre & expected it to do even better. Then closes as soon as it's not Tony nominated. Def a fair amount of ego was involved. It was basically set up to fail.
If they had made relatively minor adjustments to the plot they really could have marketed this as an alternative to the idea that Cinderella is only 'beautiful' when dressed up a certain way - they could have shown that her inner beauty and strong sense of self is more attractive than a ballgown. This would have had a clearer message and a clearer audience - great for all ages in such an image- obsessed world. Such a shame as this had so much potential 😞🤔
@@therealameliabedelia7821 yep, they could have still reinforced that in this version, without her needing to be conventionally attractive and emphasising other more important attributes - whilst still giving it a modern feeling twist. They could really have made this character and the story feel empowering - in ALW's there are too many different messages and odd side plots when they could have added fullness to the story in other ways I think. A shame for the talented performers and amazing backstage work for this show to have not fulfilled it's potential and be closing so soon 😞
When I saw this news breaking my brain literally went 'And now we go live to our Bad Cinderella Correspondent, Mickey Jo'. Personally, the way the London cast was treated put the writing on the wall for me, especially the way Carrie found out, and the letter ALW didn't even have the balls to turn up and read himself.... I felt so terrible for the London cast. Being told off in front of your siblings (let's say the rest of the cast/ crew) is very different to being lambasted in front of hundreds (thousands, when thinking of videos on socials) of strangers. THAT was below the belt, both in front and behind of closed doors. I'd bet we haven't heard the half of it in regards to poor treatment.
I’m just excited to see if dear old Andrew will be at the closing, send a letter, or just keep his mouth shut this time (tbh the latter is probably the best- just let the closing be a celebration of the cast and crew that worked so hard)
I honestly think that the best way for this show to have longevity is for them to release the rights so that high schools and local theaters can put on the production. They wanted to appeal to younger audiences so what better way than having their schools put it on?
No, Mickey Jo, you can't take the blame for this closing. A really, awful production on Broadway closed the show. Yes, I saw it (regretfully). After a terrific first number, the rest of the show sucked. Cast was great, show was dreadful. It would never have survived.
Maybe an unpopular opinion here but at its core...the issue with the show is that we dont need another retelling of Cinderella. Even if the writing was better the show was doomed from the start. Cinderella is probably the most retold, remade and overdone princess story in history. Doing a by-the-book pretty princess version is almost more attention-grabbing these days than a 'modern' 'edgy' twist on the story. It was simply a concept that did not need to exist in the first place.
Honestly, now that you said it I think you're right - if a theatre somewhere said 'hey, this is going to be Cinderella - yes, just as it is' or even if it was a film, I'd actually probably be more curious to see it than any other piece of princess media in ages...
This was my exact thought when I first heard about this musical and I'm sureprised it isn't bought up more when discussing it. Whenever people want to do an edgy retelling of a fairytale they always go for Cinderella and it's getting tiresome. Plus "fairytale but with a twist" stories where popular back in the 00s and 10s but not much anymore. Had Bad Cinderella come out a few decades earlier then maybe it would had found a bigger audience but for now no one cares about edgy/dark/quirky/etc retellings of fairytales specially Cinderella
@@greeeeenery - Yet, some moronic theater producers thought it was a good idea to bring “Once Upon a One More Time” to Broadway. Which looks even worse than “Bad Cinderella”, if that is even possible.
You know, I have my doubts that this is the last Mickey Jo video about this show and that alone is incredibly amusing to me, it’s like a bad running gag that refuses to die. It simply keeps Mickey in its clutches 😂 Still very sorry for everyone who worked hard on the show and is now prematurely out of a job…
I was thinking the same - this maybe a show that keeps coming back! 😂and maybe a Euro production could work - I went to see the show in London (as some of the cast go to my gym) - and was blown away by the quality of the *cast* - the show was ‘ok’ - I’ve seen worse and thought it could have been really good with a few tweaks?
The astonishing realization for me is that with this and Phantom closing, this will be the first time ALW won’t be on the Broadway boards since 1979. Wow.
The fact that there are so many theaters dark right now is also indicative of the fact that no one can afford to go see them. Especially diehard musical fans. I would love to see a Broadway musical on Broadway, but I will never have the money to do so. Broadway really needs to work on making Broadway accessible again .
Yeah, inflation (and in the case of NYC, rising crime rates) have really driven theatre traffic and tourism away, which is a double whammy for Broadway and West End because most of the people who attend those shows are tourists. Even Phanton of the Opera is closing after running on Broadway for literally longer than I've been alive. But I'm not sure how much they can reduce the cost considering that, as he mentioned, keeping a show going is often quite expensive itself. Personally, I can wait for tours or for a company closer to where I live to do a production if I want to see a particular musical.
@@hotwax9376 IDK if you live in NY but that doesn't seem right? There's still packed broadway shows, the city is not any more dangerous for people going to Broadway then it was in the last decade. Covid fucked broadway, not NY-ers. I mean I live like 20 minutes from the area. All of my friends in middle school until now have applied for Broadway lottery tickets to see shows (is this not a known thing?). Almost everyone wins tickets eventually for the weekday shows. This is some out of towner mentality. I don't care for the theater district, it's not for me, but this doesn't sound like my reality as somebody who's lived here for my entire life.
With the power of hindsight, I think ALW's absence from the West End closing was likely due to his son's diagnosis, especially with the director's slip about him having personal issues at the time. Naturally, that doesn't excuse that absolute joke of message he sent, but it does explain his absence. But, if this is what happened, he probably should have put out a statement that he wouldn't be there AHEAD of the show. There would still be the inkling that he wasn't attending because if his hurt ego, but one statement about a family emergency (or something else vague but clearly personal) would have saved a lot of heartache for everyone involved. And I mean the cast and crew, not the general public.
At this point it's not an error, it's an intentional choice. This is the fourth? fifth? time. Sunset Boulevard, Phantom West End, West End Cinderella, Phantom Broadway, Bad Cinderella. It's insane.
This time I'm hearing that the press release was supposed to be timed to be released later, but they goofed and released it too early/didn't embargo the news.
I would love a video essay about Andrew Lloyd Webber and his role in musical theatre. It's interesting to me that most conversations around the shows he has composed for highlight him, but not necessarily his collaborators (of course, if you're talking with real musical theatre fans it's different, but I think the casual fan who knows who Webber is probably can't easily rattle off his collaborators). I suppose his role as an impresario complicates matters considerably.
Agreed I want ALL the ALW arcs, & how/where he fits stage history as an impresario, & what that means historically & whether there's room for that role in 21stC theatre. Hmm you just inspired me to put Patti Lupone's memoirs on my reading list (there's supposed to be some ALW highli---oops...lowlights) in her stories & I think I may have found some depositions from her suing him online too. Thanks, Internet Stranger!
Watching this mere hours before auditioning for Dance of the Vampires you cracked me up with that ending. Do have to say though that the one flopping on Broadway is a different version to the one that's so successful in Germany and Austria, but having said that yes. You're absolutely right, Bad Cinderella would for some reason probably be a giant hit here.
@@MickeyJoTheatre I wonder, have you have seen some shows in Vienna and Germany? Tanz der Vampire is well worth it. Even if you don't understand the language.
I am sad for all the people losing their jobs but am relieved for you that you can put reviewing this show behind you. I am glad I did not miss much by not seeing it based on the reviews it got. Love you! Thanks for all your great coverage and content.❤
I adored the West end production of Bad Cinderella, I felt the cast was sublime and I enjoyed it. I haven’t seen the Broadway version, only clips that were shared on social media platforms, I wasn’t keen on the changes made, but again didn’t see the full show. I’m disgusted that ALW has yet again let his pride and ego come before the performers and crew, yet again screwing over the very people who make money for him. I feel he should of let it run another year in the west end, not rush to close it and try again on Broadway, it was a costly mistake. I’m again devastated for all those out of a job yet again, as they don’t deserve the treatment they’re getting. No one will want to be a part of anything ALW is working on soon as how can you trust him not to do this again.
There was never anything wrong with the way this show was ***marketed*** on Broadway--it may be the finest example of putting lipstick on a pig in theater history. The one, unavoidable, unsurmountable, glaring problem with this production was that the show itself is no damned good. MickeyJo hit the nail on the head when he said something about "there is no audience for this show." Ken Mandelbaum, in his popular book NOT SINCE CARRIE, a survey of Broadway musical flops and why they flopped, has a whole section titled "Don't Let This Happen To You," with a subhead, "Don't Write A Show For Which There Is No Audience." Cinderella/Bad Cinderella isn't a family-friendly version of the fairy tale; "family audiences" won't like it. The show isn't nearly as hip as it's trying to be; teenagers and other young people ***always*** notice when that's the case and reject the faux-hip accordingly. The show is simply an insult to the intelligence of any grown-up. Who is supposed to like it? Diehard ALW fans who are also gone on bitchy but weak-tea camp and the latest fashion trends of 30 years ago? Well, apparently there aren't so many of those in London, and even fewer in New York. I think I said here about a year ago that I didn't believe the show would ever arrive on Broadway. (Several other ALW shows never have.) Well, clearly I was wrong about that. But I also said at the same time that producers would be crazy to bring it to New York, and I was right about that. New York is a much tougher market than London. New York critics are much, MUCH tougher than in London, and New York audiences are also tougher (harder to please) than in the West End. Add to that, ALW has never been as popular in New York as in London, and that his New York moment was clearly over. (Since Phantom, 35 years ago, all but one subsequent ALW show has flopped on Broadway.) And Cinderella had *flopped* in London--without a serious top-to-bottom rewrite that might require years and was not forthcoming, how ever was it going to succeed on Broadway? Answer: It couldn't. Of course, none of the show's failure was the fault of the cast. It never is. ALL shows that make it to the West End or Broadway have extremely talented, extremely personable, and very, very hard-working casts. But on Broadway, that's the minimum expectation. To *succeed* on Broadway, you have to be even better than that. Not the cast, but the *show.*
Also: Here's my prediction for the future life of Bad Cinderella (should it live to see another day) 1) The show closes with no tours or subsequent productions 2) It fades into the musical theatre zeitgeist, relegated to a cautionary tale at best and a punchline at worst 3) ten years pass 4) A brand-new production team manages to mount a revival, where the book and score of the show are left the exact same, except now the whole production is in on the fact that it objectively sucks. 5) It becomes a campy cult hit that actually leans into the outrageous melodrama and revels in being a dum glitzy fuzzfest. 6) Double feature midnight showings of Bad Cinderella and Rocky Horror sweep the nation
@@hotwax9376 I think so, providing the new book leans into the melodrama and camp, and a couple of the many sad ballads are cut. I don't think any version of this show could succeed unless the tone is drastically different. I think being too self-serious has been it's major downfall, which is a shame bc it has a lot of potential for genuinely great comedy if it would let itself revel in it.
I'm honestly surprised Bad Cinderella will have stayed open as long as it is, even though it's having a very short run. Because, like you said, its only real selling point was that it was an ALW show. The west end production had the benefit of using both ALW and Carrie's names in the marketing, but all the broadway production had besides ALW's name was a bad reputation. Stunt casting, or casting an actual broadway actor with a hug following, from the get go would have probably given the show a couple more months due to increased interest; but this show was doomed on broadway before it even began. I wish the cast and crew nothing but the best, and that maybe, just maybe, this will be the reminder about ALW's ego being bigger than his talent that finally sticks.
Despite not being a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber, I think its important to remember his eldest son died in March 2023, and I can imagine this being a blow to him so soon after losing a child (and yes, he has behaved terribly) but I am still sympathetic to what he must be going through.
Not to mention that another one of his musicals, Phantom of the Opera, is closing on Broadway after being the longest running show there in history. My heart goes out to him.
It seems almost impossible to screw up the Cinderella story, but ALW certainly did--plastic surgeons, prostitute backgrounds, etc. It all just seems so trite and forced. They lost the soul of the original story, the thing that has kept it around for hundreds of years. So, I think it was less critical condemnation that kept audiences away and more the show not connecting to the audience. The word of mouth was horrible, so there were no fevered fans, and no repeat viewing, like with Bettleguise. I even heard from several 15-20-year-old girls that it was a terrible show. That from what I assume was the target audience. While the performances may be wonderful, if the show is bad, it's not going to work. The bottom line is that Bad Cinderella is a bad show.
Actually, the Amazon Prime show was so much worse there’s just so many things such as did not make sense and I watched it and I was thinking this had an all-star cast and I just felt sorry for them because I was just like this is absolute trite. I didn’t get to see the Broadway version, I am I just didn’t have the money to go and see it and I’m really gutted because I really wanted to see it. However I have seen the UK version a few times and I saw it near the end and I think they almost had it more or less right. They just needed further tweaking just to make things a tad clearer
Honestly, i can see this show as a future Carrie. I feel like in different hands down the road a revival could be a hit. Just needs time to work out the kinks and make it less superficial and more grounded.
something that makes me sad about all this is I think it hurts the chance of Ever After ever coming to Broadway, which I had the chance to see with Sierra Boggess in Atlanta and was absolutely incredible!!
My daughter & I saw the matinee show on April 16th. We went in blind but truly enjoyed it. It was laugh out loud funny at times. The cast is very talented. Sad to see it end so soon.
Totally agree with you. The cast got a lot of unnecessary social media fire, and the people working the show (cast and crew) are amazing. The creative was not. It just wasn’t a well written show. I appreciate that you acknowledge the cast and crew in all of your reviews because they really are amazing people.
Thank you for all of your coverage of this show over the years! I bought tickets to one of the last performances - I watched slime tutorial of the West End production, and I'm excited to experience it in person. Given my first name (Ella), Cinderella retellings always fascinate me, and I had such high hopes for this show. But I'm just as much of a fan of trainwrecks! Bad Cinderella is not Andrew Lloyd Webber's most interesting failure, but it is a failure I am alive to see and to enjoy. I want to support the hardworking cast, and I just ordered a bucket hat of my own.
To be fair dance of the vampires was very very verrrryyyy different on Broadway from the version that keeps being performed in Austria, Germany, Hungary etc., the US version probably would have flopped in Europe as well - if they wanted similar success for Cinderella here then I think they would still have to massively rework that show for this market.
It’d be such a long shot but I’d LOVE to see the lightning thief on Broadway. Maybe in the future when the Disney + show comes out it’ll have the momentum to maybe fill an empty theater.
No matter how you feel about the show this still hurts. As I said on a previous video the best bet here is a tour because most theaters in the US people lock into a subscription no matter the line up so it will work fairly well. The other seats will be grabbed by me & others curious just to say they saw it. Now I'm off to go listen to more of the KPop Cast Recording because the tunes are super catchy & the production quality on it is bonkers good.
honestly as someone who really wanted to see it but doesn't have the $ or health to go to NY, I really want it to tour. But I think I'm the elusive target audience lol cuz the casts have been stellar and I'm a fan of campy fun
I am taking two of my dearest friends in the world to the final performance. For one of them, it will be his very first Broadway show. This will be my second time seeing it, and I couldn’t be more excited.
In 2021, I was in a very low point in my life and making efforts to find the light again. I was incredibly intrigued about the upcoming ALW Cinderella project, and was thrilled to find your videos about them. Following your reviews and comentary throughout the show's rollercoaster of a life, death, life and death again, as well as having a community in the comments to talk about all my thoughts with, has been an incredible source of levity for me these past few years. I'm so pleased I've found your channel through this baffling journey. Subscribing to you has certainly been the opposite of a costly mistake, a fruitfully wise decision.
I saw the show on March 29th in anticipation of it not getting Tony nominations. I figured it would close and I guess I was correct. It was a weird show and really long. I appreciated how hard the cast worked with what they were given.
"Prima Facie" and "Parade" are both limited runs that will close in July and August, respectively. If they don't open new shows in these empty theaters quickly, there will be five theaters all in the same area that will be dark. That's kind of creepy! (I'm counting the Majestic, which is technically on 44th, but the back of the theater is on 45th near the others.)
@@kelseighingram - True…. same goes for the Majestic. The smaller theaters, in question, are better suited for plays over musicals. So, they are bound to find occupants.
@@tiffanypena2880 it won't be the AIDA you know though. Disney made changes as there is a revival in the Netherlands at the moment. They took out songs and changed it. It's a testing ground to update it.
I’ve been planning my first (and likely only) trip to Broadway for October of this year. Really hope that by the time I start thinking about buying tickets that the industry starts getting revitalized. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this closure, especially considering the current economic condition.
Been a while since I watched the previous videos and it's probably been said before but the fact that he owns merch of a show he doesn't even like is. Amazing. (Also a damn cute look, help.)
ALW is the M.Knight Shyamalan of Musical Theater. He had a run of great shows, but his work slowly faded with each show after Sunset Blvd, yet somehow he puts out show after show, and he never seems to listen to others for guidance. Sadly, the creative wheelhouse is getting pretty dry. Musically, his best work has melodies that are memorable, they advance the story, they are beautifully orchestrated, and they are not overused. His later work takes a small riff and repeats the living hell out of it. For example, in Bad Cinderella, I was so tired of hear the repeated melody line in "Unfair". So many more songs repeat the same annoying melody line. A great example of a good use of a melody line is in Evita's Rainbow Tour "There you are, I told you so. Makes no difference where I go..." I think that piece is only used once in the show, but I love listening to it. Musically, his top shows are Phantom, Evita, Aspects, Sunset, Cats, JCS, and Starlight. I even love much from Variations, Tell Me on a Sunday, and Joseph. His worst, most repetitive shows include Bad Cinderella, Woman in White, and Beautiful Game, all of which were made after the mid 90s. ALW is known for taking little pieces of someone else's music and breathing beautiful life into it with great orchestrations, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Mickey Jo, I would love to hear some of your thoughts on his previous works!
Totally agree with the European tour idea, it could even be adapted into a drag show, which might capitalise on the camp-a-bility element and give it a kind of Rocky Horror cult status, perhaps generating potentially huge audiences going forward? Surely will be interesting to see what happens next?!
As a German I want to raise emy hand for the "European" community and Dance of teh Vampires. Mickey I invite you to go see it and review it and realise that it has nothing to do with the Broadway version that was silly and campy. I know you're just making fun but Dance of the Vampires deserves so much more and a lot of respect. Running for over 25 years... (bad) cinderella could never live up to this.
your BAD hat has not yet failed to make me giggle. will be sad if this is really the end of the saga for ALW's cinderella... if only bc i love following it from your videos. on the bright side for you, maybe you're free at last!
Great vid! You should put Cards in the video where you mention another video you've made on (BAD) Cinderella. And put a link to the playlist in the description!
@@clevm002 - Definitely…. the entire “Phantom” closure just seemed like a marketing ploy, to regain interest in the musical and boost ticket sales. Which is why I suspect, what happened in London will happen on Broadway. Reopen the show but with the pared down but more modern set, and a smaller ensemble. So, having it move into the Imperial is not out of the realm of possibility. “Bad Cinderella” always seemed like it was keeping that theater warm for something. As it is one of the nicer theaters on Broadway.
Mickey, thank you for another awesome vlog. Questions: 1. As you know, a cast member posted on Insta that a popular website announced the closure before the cast were "officially" notified. Others have denied this. Do you have any additional info? 2. Your insight into productions, and what the issues are, leads me to believe quite strongly that you would make an amazing director - or someone to go into a production to try and turn it around. What would you do to Cinderella / Bad Cinderella to try and keep it afloat? 3. Please tell us more about the stunt casting... 4. I agree completely about ALW. The man has seen his son lose his life. I believe he will always associate this with Nick's passing. But thank you as always for an incredibly thoughtful vlog!
Thank you for documenting this whole thing so well! Sad to see any closure, and I've suspected for a little while now that ALW's son was a big driver in why he didn't show up for the closing performance. Might I ask what that lovely glow is? Your skin is always immaculate!
There are an eerie amount of similarities between this show and the show Merrily We Roll Along, both ended their original run after less than 100 shows, both were written by famed playwrights, hell, both have even won the same WhatsOnStage award. I really wouldn't be surprised if this show is appreciated in a few decades in the same light
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Good point, time will tell (anything can happen) but I doubt it, there is not one single piece of music worth preserving from Bad Cinderella. The ballads are ridiculosuly simple and repetitive, the lyrics are crass...Merrily suffered from a book not fit for staging, not even Hal Prince could stage it successfully. Merrily is musically coherent, and those songs have stood the test of time (good thing going, old friend, opening doors) in my view, Bad Cinderella is not musically coherent, the book fails and the music also fails to build a narrative, true musical phrasing is absent. The best music in Bad Cinderella does not come close to the worst music in merrily (let's not even dare talk about lyrics) and I don't really like merrily. ALW has been missing the mark musically since The beautiful Game (inclusive). WDTW was about the threshold, since then it simply fizzled. LND COULD have worked, and in fact it did with the Australia re-work, but even then, you can clearly hear the inability to produce the soaringly coherent scores he used to, Sunset is the last true example of his old prowess. Aspects of Love, now running again in the West End, is actually reminding me of some of his panache for drama and good melodies (with some exceptions) after that he did Sunset and that was pretty much it. The fact is, it is a musical with bad music (no pun intended) and no real story. &Juliet, and Six have done a much better musical job, for example.
This was a fun show to watch, I enjoyed bad Cinderella twice on broadway sucks to see it closing. And I feel bad for the cast and crew, and everyone else who works in that venue.
Well, the example of Dance of the Vampires (Tanz der Vampire) was that the Broadway production was actually a parody of the German production, instead of the movie. Tanz der Vampire (the German/Austrian) is an awesome show.
Your entire journey is what inspired me to finally see it on Broadway and I just saw it last night before the closing announcement. Glad to have seen it, but it was unsurprising outcome 😅😂
Dance of the Vampires was changed beyond recognition for Broadway. Nevertheless it's surprising that it has been around for 25 years (is there anyone who hasn't seen it yet?), especially after having been scaled down so much.
I haven't! But it primarily seems to be playing in German speaking countries... I always considered DOTV, Elisabeth and Rebecca as productions that are German staples and hard to transition to English speaking audiences.... For whatever reason though.
I haven't! I'm hoping to catch it the next time I'm ... okay, the next next time I'm in Europe; I'm not going further south than Scotland this next trip.
I was at the Eurovision grand final rehearsal last night, and ALW was included in the montage of footage at the start of the show. He got quite a few boos.
I was at Dreamcoat Stars recently and someone asked Jonathan Dudley if he enjoyed being in Cinderella and he literally just sighed, looked at the audience and said “no.”
@@MickeyJoTheatre agreed! He said it was enjoyable being on stage actually performing but all the behind the scenes drama ruined it for him. And it was interesting hearing that direct from a performer, especially when he could’ve just lied and said it was all sunshine and rainbows.
Truly sorry for Lord Lloyd Weber's loss. Nobody needs to post details about it here. We all know how to use the internet. There have been ALW shows over the last decade or two that surprised me, that confused me, as projects that he would not have been interested in, such as School of Rock. He never seemed to me to be the type to write music for a movie adaptation. Even Cinderella/Bad Cinderella was a show that had already been done. I wonder if a part of the problem with the Broadway production may have been the potential thought - by both theatre-goers and critics - that he was trying to outdo Rogers and Hammerstein. I don't know whether that thought ever entered his mind, probably it didn't. But we've all known for many years that he has a (well deserved) ego. Of course he did. He wrote the amazing music for Phantom. If it weren't amazing, it wouldn't have run for 35 years. But this could paint him as a has-been. As box-office poison. And if this is his swan song, that would truly be sad.
Rogers & Hammerstein definitely played a role in the vitriol towards “Bad Cinderella”. As several parts of ALW’s score seem to plagiarize the former’s iconic “Cinderella”. The female producer was also desperate to market this dumpster fire as a Rogers & Hammerstein-esque show.
I'm not a theater critic, but I share your love for live theater. I had the good fortune to be taken to numerous theater productions growing up in the 70's (not to mention going to theater productions in NYC and/ DC later in life. My church has a theater group (The St. Mark's Players) is doing a production of "The Color Purple" (the musical version) this month. I also went to the National Theater production of "Six" and really enjoyed it. That said, from what I heard about this production, I don't regret not seeing this version of "Cinderella". I would like to see "& Juliet" though, especially if it plays at a DC theater.
I think it would've done better if they didn't change things (like making Cinderella a stereotypically attractive Latina instead of a Mid/plus sized actress) 🤷♀️
@Arianna Galluzzo I think if ALW wanted to work with her, it should've been in an Evita revival 🤷♀️ I think if Carrie transferred with the show (or you got Bonnie Mulligan or Lindsey Mendez after their current projects) it would've done well. I think the changes just sucked all of the magic out of the show itself. I also think having a rotating Prince Charming stunt cast would've worked well.
If anyone else made a string of such terrible business and creative mistakes it would be career ending, but because it's ALW no doubt he'll just bounce back yet again without learning a single thing
I just hope someday Broadway will be more open to streaming live performances. I understand nothing compares seeing a show live in the theater itself. But here in America very limited people can do that. This is the way they can recoup their money as well as branching out to a new audience that can neither afford a ticket or travel to one location in the states.
So….alw admitted the west end opening was rushed, yet they still rushed the show to broadway anyway?!?! Obviously he couldn’t handle having a failed show and tried to force something that clearly needed more workshopping and maybe a better script 😬
The real stunt casting move would be to cast Mickey in the show. Now THAT would increase ticket sales.
He would HAVE to be Prince Charming!!
Honestly any amount of stunt casting could have worked, you could have had so many possible stunt cast options for this show, wether it be actual celebrities or well known theatre names that could have convinced die hard fans to see the show. Here are just a few that I’ve thought of from the top of my head (I’m not suggesting any of these would actually happen, they’re just ideas lol): Jennifer Simard as The Stepmother, Patina Miller as The Stepmother (I don’t think either of these count as Stunt Casts but let’s be honest a LOT of people would pay just for them), Dove Cameron as Adele or Marie, Maude Aptow also as Adele or Marie, Jordan Fisher as Prince Sebastian, Rosé from RuPaul’s Drag Race as Prince Charming, Jinkx Monsoon as The Godmother, they could have had literally anyone from reality Tv that can hold a note in the show, perhaps even casting theatre Tik Tok’ers in the ensemble so they have time to make videos about the show if they want to, the list goes on
@@salty_pearl05 however, like Mickey said, theater performers wouldn't want to touch it
@@salty_pearl05 - Jordon Fisher would never leave “Sweeney Todd” for “Bad Cinderella”. Seriously, what are you smoking?
@@ChienaAvtzon I wasn’t ever suggesting it would happen lol, I just stated it as an idea they could have gone for if it would have been possible 😂
Bad Cinderella is a testament to the importance of good writing.
And hopefully, a testament to the fact that Cinderella has been made so many times no one is excited about this same story again!
@@strawberrylime33 It was also trash writing, regardless of what it was adapting
@@strawberrylime33 Amen.
So true! It seems like they tried to change almost everything that was good or fine (marketing, title, costumes, etc.) instead of actually addressing the book (story).
@@AKMorehouse - The lyrics are music are terrible too.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's ego just couldn't handle being called out for writing drivel and now lots of people are out of jobs. Its heartbreaking for the cast and crew
In fairness, he provided the job to begin with.
I don't think it's his ego, the show was running at just over 50% capacity so it was losing a fortune
@@thomasscallan1718 - If anything, it was the producer’s ego. She could not accept there was no audience for this show.
@@thomasscallan1718 it was only brought over after the West End drama, didn't really make any changes, put it in a premiere Broadway theatre & expected it to do even better. Then closes as soon as it's not Tony nominated. Def a fair amount of ego was involved. It was basically set up to fail.
@@accountforwastingtime If it was running at near capacity and making money it would not be closing, regardless of Tony nominations is more the point
off topic but....the bucket hat/pink collar combo is everything
Thank you! Discovered it for a press night outfit a few weeks back!
If they had made relatively minor adjustments to the plot they really could have marketed this as an alternative to the idea that Cinderella is only 'beautiful' when dressed up a certain way - they could have shown that her inner beauty and strong sense of self is more attractive than a ballgown. This would have had a clearer message and a clearer audience - great for all ages in such an image- obsessed world. Such a shame as this had so much potential 😞🤔
That’s the message of R+H’s Cinderella. Ella is beautiful because of her kindness, generosity of spirit and desire to do good in the world.
@@therealameliabedelia7821 yep, they could have still reinforced that in this version, without her needing to be conventionally attractive and emphasising other more important attributes - whilst still giving it a modern feeling twist. They could really have made this character and the story feel empowering - in ALW's there are too many different messages and odd side plots when they could have added fullness to the story in other ways I think. A shame for the talented performers and amazing backstage work for this show to have not fulfilled it's potential and be closing so soon 😞
That would make more sense but only because it’s the plot of nearly every other Cinderella
When I saw this news breaking my brain literally went 'And now we go live to our Bad Cinderella Correspondent, Mickey Jo'.
Personally, the way the London cast was treated put the writing on the wall for me, especially the way Carrie found out, and the letter ALW didn't even have the balls to turn up and read himself.... I felt so terrible for the London cast. Being told off in front of your siblings (let's say the rest of the cast/ crew) is very different to being lambasted in front of hundreds (thousands, when thinking of videos on socials) of strangers. THAT was below the belt, both in front and behind of closed doors. I'd bet we haven't heard the half of it in regards to poor treatment.
Yuppp
When I saw it I was immediately like
Ok, where's the mickey jo video
I’m just excited to see if dear old Andrew will be at the closing, send a letter, or just keep his mouth shut this time (tbh the latter is probably the best- just let the closing be a celebration of the cast and crew that worked so hard)
The worst part is that ALW will not learn from this and will blame the cast and crew. It’s not fair to them.
Yes, he is NOT the most likable of people.
I honestly think that the best way for this show to have longevity is for them to release the rights so that high schools and local theaters can put on the production. They wanted to appeal to younger audiences so what better way than having their schools put it on?
I second this! Endless possibilities for rewrites and aesthetcs to contrast conventional beauty and conventional ugliness.
Its a bit risqué for schools no....they'd have to cut the sex worker /stripper subplot and the shirtless hunks
@Athul Nair there's a schools les mis so I'm sure there could be a schools bad cinderella
@@NairAthul there is literally a 'school edition' of Miss Saigon. There aren't any changes from the standard show...
@@NairAthul- There is a “school version” of “Sweeney Todd” of all things.
The way you've always compliment and show your love to the cast is so important and a proof of how much of a good critic you are, Mickey.
++
No, Mickey Jo, you can't take the blame for this closing. A really, awful production on Broadway closed the show. Yes, I saw it (regretfully). After a terrific first number, the rest of the show sucked. Cast was great, show was dreadful. It would never have survived.
Maybe an unpopular opinion here but at its core...the issue with the show is that we dont need another retelling of Cinderella. Even if the writing was better the show was doomed from the start.
Cinderella is probably the most retold, remade and overdone princess story in history. Doing a by-the-book pretty princess version is almost more attention-grabbing these days than a 'modern' 'edgy' twist on the story.
It was simply a concept that did not need to exist in the first place.
Honestly, now that you said it I think you're right - if a theatre somewhere said 'hey, this is going to be Cinderella - yes, just as it is' or even if it was a film, I'd actually probably be more curious to see it than any other piece of princess media in ages...
This was my exact thought when I first heard about this musical and I'm sureprised it isn't bought up more when discussing it. Whenever people want to do an edgy retelling of a fairytale they always go for Cinderella and it's getting tiresome. Plus "fairytale but with a twist" stories where popular back in the 00s and 10s but not much anymore. Had Bad Cinderella come out a few decades earlier then maybe it would had found a bigger audience but for now no one cares about edgy/dark/quirky/etc retellings of fairytales specially Cinderella
@@greeeeenery - Yet, some moronic theater producers thought it was a good idea to bring “Once Upon a One More Time” to Broadway. Which looks even worse than “Bad Cinderella”, if that is even possible.
Completely agree. My first thought when this musical was originally announced way back when was “who asked for this?!”
@@ChienaAvtzon I really hope that title is meant to be sung to the tune of "Hit Me Baby One More Time" cuz that's what I instinctively did 😂
How sweet of Andrew to wait until you got your bucket hat to close the show 🥰🥰
You know, I have my doubts that this is the last Mickey Jo video about this show and that alone is incredibly amusing to me, it’s like a bad running gag that refuses to die. It simply keeps Mickey in its clutches 😂
Still very sorry for everyone who worked hard on the show and is now prematurely out of a job…
I was thinking the same - this maybe a show that keeps coming back! 😂and maybe a Euro production could work - I went to see the show in London (as some of the cast go to my gym) - and was blown away by the quality of the *cast* - the show was ‘ok’ - I’ve seen worse and thought it could have been really good with a few tweaks?
@@ddjr6673which of the cast go/went to your gym ? 😂
The astonishing realization for me is that with this and Phantom closing, this will be the first time ALW won’t be on the Broadway boards since 1979. Wow.
The fact that there are so many theaters dark right now is also indicative of the fact that no one can afford to go see them. Especially diehard musical fans. I would love to see a Broadway musical on Broadway, but I will never have the money to do so.
Broadway really needs to work on making Broadway accessible again .
Yeah, inflation (and in the case of NYC, rising crime rates) have really driven theatre traffic and tourism away, which is a double whammy for Broadway and West End because most of the people who attend those shows are tourists. Even Phanton of the Opera is closing after running on Broadway for literally longer than I've been alive. But I'm not sure how much they can reduce the cost considering that, as he mentioned, keeping a show going is often quite expensive itself.
Personally, I can wait for tours or for a company closer to where I live to do a production if I want to see a particular musical.
@@hotwax9376 IDK if you live in NY but that doesn't seem right? There's still packed broadway shows, the city is not any more dangerous for people going to Broadway then it was in the last decade. Covid fucked broadway, not NY-ers. I mean I live like 20 minutes from the area. All of my friends in middle school until now have applied for Broadway lottery tickets to see shows (is this not a known thing?). Almost everyone wins tickets eventually for the weekday shows. This is some out of towner mentality. I don't care for the theater district, it's not for me, but this doesn't sound like my reality as somebody who's lived here for my entire life.
With the power of hindsight, I think ALW's absence from the West End closing was likely due to his son's diagnosis, especially with the director's slip about him having personal issues at the time. Naturally, that doesn't excuse that absolute joke of message he sent, but it does explain his absence. But, if this is what happened, he probably should have put out a statement that he wouldn't be there AHEAD of the show. There would still be the inkling that he wasn't attending because if his hurt ego, but one statement about a family emergency (or something else vague but clearly personal) would have saved a lot of heartache for everyone involved. And I mean the cast and crew, not the general public.
I can't believe they made the same error twice telling the media before the company was all informed. Crazy deja vu.
At this point it's not an error, it's an intentional choice. This is the fourth? fifth? time. Sunset Boulevard, Phantom West End, West End Cinderella, Phantom Broadway, Bad Cinderella. It's insane.
It wasn't an error. They just couldn't be bothered.
This time I'm hearing that the press release was supposed to be timed to be released later, but they goofed and released it too early/didn't embargo the news.
It's time, Mickey...after June 4th, you'll be free of this curse
It will be in Australia next lol
@@alfiedodman5231 or a tour :)
The uk and usa tours will definitely be announced lol
And the movie
@@repboy1 ALW love us tour
I would love a video essay about Andrew Lloyd Webber and his role in musical theatre. It's interesting to me that most conversations around the shows he has composed for highlight him, but not necessarily his collaborators (of course, if you're talking with real musical theatre fans it's different, but I think the casual fan who knows who Webber is probably can't easily rattle off his collaborators). I suppose his role as an impresario complicates matters considerably.
Agreed I want ALL the ALW arcs, & how/where he fits stage history as an impresario, & what that means historically & whether there's room for that role in 21stC theatre.
Hmm you just inspired me to put Patti Lupone's memoirs on my reading list (there's supposed to be some ALW highli---oops...lowlights) in her stories & I think I may have found some depositions from her suing him online too. Thanks, Internet Stranger!
Watching this mere hours before auditioning for Dance of the Vampires you cracked me up with that ending. Do have to say though that the one flopping on Broadway is a different version to the one that's so successful in Germany and Austria, but having said that yes. You're absolutely right, Bad Cinderella would for some reason probably be a giant hit here.
Haha, break a leg!
@@MickeyJoTheatre I wonder, have you have seen some shows in Vienna and Germany?
Tanz der Vampire is well worth it. Even if you don't understand the language.
@@tuttuttut7758 it's a glorious experience.
He's going to need the BAO hat back when Netflix makes the Bad Cinderella movie adaptation.
Oh god. The sad thing is, that doesn't even feel unrealistic...
I think the show could live on with a high school / community theatre version! Thank you for your work documenting this show 👏
True!
I found your channel through the West End closing scandal video so I'm very grateful to ALW for that 😂
I saw the news and said "Mickey Jo's gonna flip when he wakes up!"
I am sad for all the people losing their jobs but am relieved for you that you can put reviewing this show behind you. I am glad I did not miss much by not seeing it based on the reviews it got. Love you! Thanks for all your great coverage and content.❤
I'm so glad you mentioned Tanz der Vampire because it's unironically one of my favorite shows. What happened to it on Broadway is a CRIME
And it should be pointed out that the version on Broadway was in many ways quite different from the original one, mostly in tone.
I adored the West end production of Bad Cinderella, I felt the cast was sublime and I enjoyed it. I haven’t seen the Broadway version, only clips that were shared on social media platforms, I wasn’t keen on the changes made, but again didn’t see the full show.
I’m disgusted that ALW has yet again let his pride and ego come before the performers and crew, yet again screwing over the very people who make money for him.
I feel he should of let it run another year in the west end, not rush to close it and try again on Broadway, it was a costly mistake.
I’m again devastated for all those out of a job yet again, as they don’t deserve the treatment they’re getting.
No one will want to be a part of anything ALW is working on soon as how can you trust him not to do this again.
There was never anything wrong with the way this show was ***marketed*** on Broadway--it may be the finest example of putting lipstick on a pig in theater history. The one, unavoidable, unsurmountable, glaring problem with this production was that the show itself is no damned good. MickeyJo hit the nail on the head when he said something about "there is no audience for this show." Ken Mandelbaum, in his popular book NOT SINCE CARRIE, a survey of Broadway musical flops and why they flopped, has a whole section titled "Don't Let This Happen To You," with a subhead, "Don't Write A Show For Which There Is No Audience." Cinderella/Bad Cinderella isn't a family-friendly version of the fairy tale; "family audiences" won't like it. The show isn't nearly as hip as it's trying to be; teenagers and other young people ***always*** notice when that's the case and reject the faux-hip accordingly. The show is simply an insult to the intelligence of any grown-up. Who is supposed to like it? Diehard ALW fans who are also gone on bitchy but weak-tea camp and the latest fashion trends of 30 years ago? Well, apparently there aren't so many of those in London, and even fewer in New York.
I think I said here about a year ago that I didn't believe the show would ever arrive on Broadway. (Several other ALW shows never have.) Well, clearly I was wrong about that. But I also said at the same time that producers would be crazy to bring it to New York, and I was right about that. New York is a much tougher market than London. New York critics are much, MUCH tougher than in London, and New York audiences are also tougher (harder to please) than in the West End. Add to that, ALW has never been as popular in New York as in London, and that his New York moment was clearly over. (Since Phantom, 35 years ago, all but one subsequent ALW show has flopped on Broadway.) And Cinderella had *flopped* in London--without a serious top-to-bottom rewrite that might require years and was not forthcoming, how ever was it going to succeed on Broadway? Answer: It couldn't.
Of course, none of the show's failure was the fault of the cast. It never is. ALL shows that make it to the West End or Broadway have extremely talented, extremely personable, and very, very hard-working casts. But on Broadway, that's the minimum expectation. To *succeed* on Broadway, you have to be even better than that. Not the cast, but the *show.*
You wrote out all my thoughts in this comment so clearly and precisely, I'm going to give you a star for putting my thoughts out in words ⭐
@@sharpayevansfromHSM Thanks--it's very kind of you,
Also: Here's my prediction for the future life of Bad Cinderella (should it live to see another day)
1) The show closes with no tours or subsequent productions
2) It fades into the musical theatre zeitgeist, relegated to a cautionary tale at best and a punchline at worst
3) ten years pass
4) A brand-new production team manages to mount a revival, where the book and score of the show are left the exact same, except now the whole production is in on the fact that it objectively sucks.
5) It becomes a campy cult hit that actually leans into the outrageous melodrama and revels in being a dum glitzy fuzzfest.
6) Double feature midnight showings of Bad Cinderella and Rocky Horror sweep the nation
Could it get a revamped book and/or score and be successful in the future?
@@hotwax9376 I think so, providing the new book leans into the melodrama and camp, and a couple of the many sad ballads are cut. I don't think any version of this show could succeed unless the tone is drastically different. I think being too self-serious has been it's major downfall, which is a shame bc it has a lot of potential for genuinely great comedy if it would let itself revel in it.
I'm honestly surprised Bad Cinderella will have stayed open as long as it is, even though it's having a very short run. Because, like you said, its only real selling point was that it was an ALW show. The west end production had the benefit of using both ALW and Carrie's names in the marketing, but all the broadway production had besides ALW's name was a bad reputation. Stunt casting, or casting an actual broadway actor with a hug following, from the get go would have probably given the show a couple more months due to increased interest; but this show was doomed on broadway before it even began. I wish the cast and crew nothing but the best, and that maybe, just maybe, this will be the reminder about ALW's ego being bigger than his talent that finally sticks.
As soon as I heard the news that Bad Cinderella is closing the very first thing I thought of was you Mickey.
I stalked the channel waiting....
Sameeee
Despite not being a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber, I think its important to remember his eldest son died in March 2023, and I can imagine this being a blow to him so soon after losing a child (and yes, he has behaved terribly) but I am still sympathetic to what he must be going through.
Not to mention that another one of his musicals, Phantom of the Opera, is closing on Broadway after being the longest running show there in history. My heart goes out to him.
Swear it feels like history has been repeating itself. This happened with the West End cast. And Sunset Boulevard.
The pink collar, black and white shirt, and hat is such a good combination. Great look!
In true ALW spirit, when you flashed the title “so what happens now?” I immediately started singing “another suitcase in another haaallll…” 😅
It seems almost impossible to screw up the Cinderella story, but ALW certainly did--plastic surgeons, prostitute backgrounds, etc. It all just seems so trite and forced. They lost the soul of the original story, the thing that has kept it around for hundreds of years. So, I think it was less critical condemnation that kept audiences away and more the show not connecting to the audience. The word of mouth was horrible, so there were no fevered fans, and no repeat viewing, like with Bettleguise. I even heard from several 15-20-year-old girls that it was a terrible show. That from what I assume was the target audience. While the performances may be wonderful, if the show is bad, it's not going to work. The bottom line is that Bad Cinderella is a bad show.
Maybe he should retire instead of resting on his laurels…
Actually, the Amazon Prime show was so much worse there’s just so many things such as did not make sense and I watched it and I was thinking this had an all-star cast and I just felt sorry for them because I was just like this is absolute trite.
I didn’t get to see the Broadway version, I am I just didn’t have the money to go and see it and I’m really gutted because I really wanted to see it. However I have seen the UK version a few times and I saw it near the end and I think they almost had it more or less right. They just needed further tweaking just to make things a tad clearer
I was refreshing my app REPEATEDLY I am so excited to hear your thoughts. Much love to the cast and crew of this doomed show.
Honestly, i can see this show as a future Carrie. I feel like in different hands down the road a revival could be a hit. Just needs time to work out the kinks and make it less superficial and more grounded.
something that makes me sad about all this is I think it hurts the chance of Ever After ever coming to Broadway, which I had the chance to see with Sierra Boggess in Atlanta and was absolutely incredible!!
Give it a few years, and enough people will probably forget about this fiasco that it will be safe to do that.
If there’s a bright spot to all this, it’s the color coordination in your outfit. Very cool.
My daughter & I saw the matinee show on April 16th. We went in blind but truly enjoyed it. It was laugh out loud funny at times. The cast is very talented. Sad to see it end so soon.
I have gathered ALW's most successful move recently was appearing for three seconds on Eurovision
Totally agree with you. The cast got a lot of unnecessary social media fire, and the people working the show (cast and crew) are amazing. The creative was not. It just wasn’t a well written show. I appreciate that you acknowledge the cast and crew in all of your reviews because they really are amazing people.
Thank you for all of your coverage of this show over the years! I bought tickets to one of the last performances - I watched slime tutorial of the West End production, and I'm excited to experience it in person. Given my first name (Ella), Cinderella retellings always fascinate me, and I had such high hopes for this show. But I'm just as much of a fan of trainwrecks! Bad Cinderella is not Andrew Lloyd Webber's most interesting failure, but it is a failure I am alive to see and to enjoy. I want to support the hardworking cast, and I just ordered a bucket hat of my own.
To be fair dance of the vampires was very very verrrryyyy different on Broadway from the version that keeps being performed in Austria, Germany, Hungary etc., the US version probably would have flopped in Europe as well - if they wanted similar success for Cinderella here then I think they would still have to massively rework that show for this market.
I am marveling at the color coordination in this video. I knew you would be kind and authentic, but oh good lord that coral pink is perfect for you.
It’d be such a long shot but I’d LOVE to see the lightning thief on Broadway. Maybe in the future when the Disney + show comes out it’ll have the momentum to maybe fill an empty theater.
No matter how you feel about the show this still hurts. As I said on a previous video the best bet here is a tour because most theaters in the US people lock into a subscription no matter the line up so it will work fairly well. The other seats will be grabbed by me & others curious just to say they saw it. Now I'm off to go listen to more of the KPop Cast Recording because the tunes are super catchy & the production quality on it is bonkers good.
honestly as someone who really wanted to see it but doesn't have the $ or health to go to NY, I really want it to tour. But I think I'm the elusive target audience lol cuz the casts have been stellar and I'm a fan of campy fun
I am taking two of my dearest friends in the world to the final performance. For one of them, it will be his very first Broadway show. This will be my second time seeing it, and I couldn’t be more excited.
you were the first person that came to mind when the news popped up on instagram😹
I'm honoured! 😅
In 2021, I was in a very low point in my life and making efforts to find the light again. I was incredibly intrigued about the upcoming ALW Cinderella project, and was thrilled to find your videos about them. Following your reviews and comentary throughout the show's rollercoaster of a life, death, life and death again, as well as having a community in the comments to talk about all my thoughts with, has been an incredible source of levity for me these past few years. I'm so pleased I've found your channel through this baffling journey. Subscribing to you has certainly been the opposite of a costly mistake, a fruitfully wise decision.
There needs to be a 'show that went wrong' kinda show about this show.
I saw the show on March 29th in anticipation of it not getting Tony nominations. I figured it would close and I guess I was correct. It was a weird show and really long. I appreciated how hard the cast worked with what they were given.
Hahaha I feel like this has been a marathon that's finally coming to an end. What a journey we've all been on.
"Prima Facie" and "Parade" are both limited runs that will close in July and August, respectively. If they don't open new shows in these empty theaters quickly, there will be five theaters all in the same area that will be dark. That's kind of creepy! (I'm counting the Majestic, which is technically on 44th, but the back of the theater is on 45th near the others.)
The Palace Theatre has been black for years.
@@ChienaAvtzonGranted, that’s due to renovations.
@@kelseighingram - True…. same goes for the Majestic. The smaller theaters, in question, are better suited for plays over musicals. So, they are bound to find occupants.
@@ChienaAvtzon bring back a revival of AIDA at the Palace!
@@tiffanypena2880 it won't be the AIDA you know though. Disney made changes as there is a revival in the Netherlands at the moment. They took out songs and changed it. It's a testing ground to update it.
I’ve been planning my first (and likely only) trip to Broadway for October of this year. Really hope that by the time I start thinking about buying tickets that the industry starts getting revitalized. My heart goes out to everyone affected by this closure, especially considering the current economic condition.
Been a while since I watched the previous videos and it's probably been said before but the fact that he owns merch of a show he doesn't even like is. Amazing. (Also a damn cute look, help.)
ALW is the M.Knight Shyamalan of Musical Theater. He had a run of great shows, but his work slowly faded with each show after Sunset Blvd, yet somehow he puts out show after show, and he never seems to listen to others for guidance. Sadly, the creative wheelhouse is getting pretty dry. Musically, his best work has melodies that are memorable, they advance the story, they are beautifully orchestrated, and they are not overused. His later work takes a small riff and repeats the living hell out of it. For example, in Bad Cinderella, I was so tired of hear the repeated melody line in "Unfair". So many more songs repeat the same annoying melody line. A great example of a good use of a melody line is in Evita's Rainbow Tour "There you are, I told you so. Makes no difference where I go..." I think that piece is only used once in the show, but I love listening to it. Musically, his top shows are Phantom, Evita, Aspects, Sunset, Cats, JCS, and Starlight. I even love much from Variations, Tell Me on a Sunday, and Joseph. His worst, most repetitive shows include Bad Cinderella, Woman in White, and Beautiful Game, all of which were made after the mid 90s. ALW is known for taking little pieces of someone else's music and breathing beautiful life into it with great orchestrations, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Mickey Jo, I would love to hear some of your thoughts on his previous works!
I was seconds away from watching yesterdays tony nominations video.... but another chapter in the alw cinderella story... this takes priority
Totally agree with the European tour idea, it could even be adapted into a drag show, which might capitalise on the camp-a-bility element and give it a kind of Rocky Horror cult status, perhaps generating potentially huge audiences going forward? Surely will be interesting to see what happens next?!
Thank you! When I saw this I immediately thought, why are they dressed as drag queens but NOT drag queens. Missed opportunity for camp and fun.
As soon as I saw the headline about it closing I started anticipating this video 😂
As a German I want to raise emy hand for the "European" community and Dance of teh Vampires. Mickey I invite you to go see it and review it and realise that it has nothing to do with the Broadway version that was silly and campy. I know you're just making fun but Dance of the Vampires deserves so much more and a lot of respect. Running for over 25 years... (bad) cinderella could never live up to this.
your BAD hat has not yet failed to make me giggle. will be sad if this is really the end of the saga for ALW's cinderella... if only bc i love following it from your videos. on the bright side for you, maybe you're free at last!
Great vid! You should put Cards in the video where you mention another video you've made on (BAD) Cinderella. And put a link to the playlist in the description!
I HAVE ALWAYS thought Andrew opened the production when he did with the expectation it'll close on Broadway ... So he can then move phantom in.
Same.... or the "Evita" revival from Boston.
@@ChienaAvtzon oh yes, good point. I just feel the phantom 'goodbye' was so lackluster, they'll want it in another theatre asap OR they knew something
@@clevm002 - Definitely…. the entire “Phantom” closure just seemed like a marketing ploy, to regain interest in the musical and boost ticket sales. Which is why I suspect, what happened in London will happen on Broadway. Reopen the show but with the pared down but more modern set, and a smaller ensemble. So, having it move into the Imperial is not out of the realm of possibility. “Bad Cinderella” always seemed like it was keeping that theater warm for something. As it is one of the nicer theaters on Broadway.
Mickey, thank you for another awesome vlog. Questions:
1. As you know, a cast member posted on Insta that a popular website announced the closure before the cast were "officially" notified. Others have denied this. Do you have any additional info?
2. Your insight into productions, and what the issues are, leads me to believe quite strongly that you would make an amazing director - or someone to go into a production to try and turn it around.
What would you do to Cinderella / Bad Cinderella to try and keep it afloat?
3. Please tell us more about the stunt casting...
4. I agree completely about ALW. The man has seen his son lose his life. I believe he will always associate this with Nick's passing.
But thank you as always for an incredibly thoughtful vlog!
Thank you for documenting this whole thing so well! Sad to see any closure, and I've suspected for a little while now that ALW's son was a big driver in why he didn't show up for the closing performance.
Might I ask what that lovely glow is? Your skin is always immaculate!
There are an eerie amount of similarities between this show and the show Merrily We Roll Along, both ended their original run after less than 100 shows, both were written by famed playwrights, hell, both have even won the same WhatsOnStage award. I really wouldn't be surprised if this show is appreciated in a few decades in the same light
Good point, time will tell (anything can happen) but I doubt it, there is not one single piece of music worth preserving from Bad Cinderella. The ballads are ridiculosuly simple and repetitive, the lyrics are crass...Merrily suffered from a book not fit for staging, not even Hal Prince could stage it successfully.
Merrily is musically coherent, and those songs have stood the test of time (good thing going, old friend, opening doors) in my view, Bad Cinderella is not musically coherent, the book fails and the music also fails to build a narrative, true musical phrasing is absent.
The best music in Bad Cinderella does not come close to the worst music in merrily (let's not even dare talk about lyrics) and I don't really like merrily. ALW has been missing the mark musically since The beautiful Game (inclusive). WDTW was about the threshold, since then it simply fizzled.
LND COULD have worked, and in fact it did with the Australia re-work, but even then, you can clearly hear the inability to produce the soaringly coherent scores he used to, Sunset is the last true example of his old prowess. Aspects of Love, now running again in the West End, is actually reminding me of some of his panache for drama and good melodies (with some exceptions) after that he did Sunset and that was pretty much it.
The fact is, it is a musical with bad music (no pun intended) and no real story. &Juliet, and Six have done a much better musical job, for example.
This was a fun show to watch, I enjoyed bad Cinderella twice on broadway sucks to see it closing. And I feel bad for the cast and crew, and everyone else who works in that venue.
Well, the example of Dance of the Vampires (Tanz der Vampire) was that the Broadway production was actually a parody of the German production, instead of the movie. Tanz der Vampire (the German/Austrian) is an awesome show.
I do hope maybe we will still get a cast recording, as I did think the new opening number, "Beauty is Our Duty" was a stronger number!
Your entire journey is what inspired me to finally see it on Broadway and I just saw it last night before the closing announcement. Glad to have seen it, but it was unsurprising outcome 😅😂
So sad. I saw it twice and had a great time. The music is super catchy. I really hope they release an album recording.
It just feels like Lloyd Weber needs to retire at this point. He's lost the pulse of what seems to work now and a lot of material choices are sus too
Love the turning out of the lights leaving the hat at the end! I see what you did there!
its sad because i feel like bad Cinderella has soooo much potential if they cut some songs and reworked the book a bit.
Dance of the Vampires was changed beyond recognition for Broadway. Nevertheless it's surprising that it has been around for 25 years (is there anyone who hasn't seen it yet?), especially after having been scaled down so much.
I haven't and now I want to look it up!
I haven't! But it primarily seems to be playing in German speaking countries... I always considered DOTV, Elisabeth and Rebecca as productions that are German staples and hard to transition to English speaking audiences.... For whatever reason though.
I haven't! I'm hoping to catch it the next time I'm ... okay, the next next time I'm in Europe; I'm not going further south than Scotland this next trip.
@@HaussOfSharon don’t forget starlight express which is still going on in Germany!
My German is sehr schlecht but if I ever visit I would totally go see Tanz!
Is it now Sad Cinderella?
Love the lights going off at the end! I laughed out loud.
I was at the Eurovision grand final rehearsal last night, and ALW was included in the montage of footage at the start of the show. He got quite a few boos.
Oh how I would have loved to have been in a room with Carrie Hope Fletcher and Lauren Byrne when this news reached them! 😂😂😂
I was at Dreamcoat Stars recently and someone asked Jonathan Dudley if he enjoyed being in Cinderella and he literally just sighed, looked at the audience and said “no.”
That is very telling 😶
@@MickeyJoTheatre agreed! He said it was enjoyable being on stage actually performing but all the behind the scenes drama ruined it for him. And it was interesting hearing that direct from a performer, especially when he could’ve just lied and said it was all sunshine and rainbows.
Honestly, that moment with the bucket hat at the end was legit emotional
Truly sorry for Lord Lloyd Weber's loss. Nobody needs to post details about it here. We all know how to use the internet. There have been ALW shows over the last decade or two that surprised me, that confused me, as projects that he would not have been interested in, such as School of Rock. He never seemed to me to be the type to write music for a movie adaptation. Even Cinderella/Bad Cinderella was a show that had already been done. I wonder if a part of the problem with the Broadway production may have been the potential thought - by both theatre-goers and critics - that he was trying to outdo Rogers and Hammerstein. I don't know whether that thought ever entered his mind, probably it didn't. But we've all known for many years that he has a (well deserved) ego. Of course he did. He wrote the amazing music for Phantom. If it weren't amazing, it wouldn't have run for 35 years. But this could paint him as a has-been. As box-office poison. And if this is his swan song, that would truly be sad.
Rogers & Hammerstein definitely played a role in the vitriol towards “Bad Cinderella”. As several parts of ALW’s score seem to plagiarize the former’s iconic “Cinderella”. The female producer was also desperate to market this dumpster fire as a Rogers & Hammerstein-esque show.
Totally unrelated, but Mickey’s skin looks incredible in this video
I'm not a theater critic, but I share your love for live theater. I had the good fortune to be taken to numerous theater productions growing up in the 70's (not to mention going to theater productions in NYC and/ DC later in life. My church has a theater group (The St. Mark's Players) is doing a production of "The Color Purple" (the musical version) this month. I also went to the National Theater production of "Six" and really enjoyed it. That said, from what I heard about this production, I don't regret not seeing this version of "Cinderella". I would like to see "& Juliet" though, especially if it plays at a DC theater.
Mickey Jo receiving the Pulitzer Prize(s) for Criticism and/or Explanatory Reporting when?
I think it would've done better if they didn't change things (like making Cinderella a stereotypically attractive Latina instead of a Mid/plus sized actress) 🤷♀️
@Arianna Galluzzo I think if ALW wanted to work with her, it should've been in an Evita revival 🤷♀️
I think if Carrie transferred with the show (or you got Bonnie Mulligan or Lindsey Mendez after their current projects) it would've done well. I think the changes just sucked all of the magic out of the show itself.
I also think having a rotating Prince Charming stunt cast would've worked well.
@@courtneyernste4341She would be a perfect Evita!
@@megfey3909 If the Evita rumors are true...I'm hoping for her or Sam Pauly
Honest to God my first thought was just don't let him write a closing speech this time...
I have never clicked so fast. So sad for the cast. I hope they all move on to something wonderful.
I saw the show about a week after it came out
LITERALLY SHOCKED
It was one of the best show I saw and now😢
You killed me with that ending 😂. All you needed was meg to come in frame and hold up the hat with an ominous look.
Thank you for your kindness to the cast and crew. This is not their fault in the slightest.
I think the main problem with this show is that it doesn’t know who it’s audience is.
If anyone else made a string of such terrible business and creative mistakes it would be career ending, but because it's ALW no doubt he'll just bounce back yet again without learning a single thing
I just hope someday Broadway will be more open to streaming live performances. I understand nothing compares seeing a show live in the theater itself. But here in America very limited people can do that. This is the way they can recoup their money as well as branching out to a new audience that can neither afford a ticket or travel to one location in the states.
So….alw admitted the west end opening was rushed, yet they still rushed the show to broadway anyway?!?! Obviously he couldn’t handle having a failed show and tried to force something that clearly needed more workshopping and maybe a better script 😬
Thank you that was fun. lol You're so good. .x
I love the color coordination in your outfit!