WHAT THE ELF?

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE EXPENSE OF TICKETS FOR ELF THE MUSICAL, DEAR.

Today the ticket prices were revealed for the much-anticipated Elf The Musical – playing at the Dominion theatre over Christmas. There has been lots of hype about the show – the musical was a hit on Broadway a couple of years ago, the film is one of the most successful Christmas films of all time (I laughed so hard my Miss Saigon blow-up-doll nearly burst), and they’ve assembled a wonderful cast – although personally I’d have loved to see Elaine Paige give her Santa, dear.

I know lots of young and old children who can’t wait to see this production – which stars wonderful Ben Forster and Kimberley Walsh. But to then see the ticket prices – starting from £48 for an upper circle ticket right up to a vomit-inducing £250 – has really put me in a bah-humbug mood.  I mean, the cost of one premium ticket could buy me two bottles of 2004 vintage Dom Perignon, dear.

The question is - is it greed, is it necessity, or is it a sign of things to come? Sadly it’s a combination of all three. Last year the show had it’s UK premiere at Plymouth Theatre Royal (many of that cast are returning this year) - where the show was very successful. Now of course, Plymouth is not the glittering west end – but it’s very interesting to see that the ticket pricing for the Plymouth production was £15-£42.50 - so the highest priced seat there was in fact cheaper than the lowest price seat at the Dominion. In fact it means that in the past year, and due to the fact that the show is in London the ticket prices are six times higher. Obviously a theatre in the west end has much higher rental costs (I know this only too well myself), contractors are more costly and advertising is essential yet expensive. But hiking up the ticket prices by such a ridiculous amount is insane (I’d understand if it included return flights to Lapland and a little elf called Sondheim to take home, dear).

It seems to me that the producers are wanting to get a very fat Santa Claus belly from their takings – of course that’s what we producers want – but they’ve increased the prices so steeply that it could in fact have the opposite effect. It is interesting to note that last year Elf was produced by a subsidised theatre – but now it has external investors and producers turning it into a commercial production – where of course the aim is to make money. Now this is not a bad thing, we all do this, indeed many of our most celebrated theatre companies do  – the National has recently had huge success turning subsidised work into huge commercial ventures (War Horse, One Man Two Guvnors) – but these shows had a big difference in pricing offers available – starting from £10 day seats and other reduced rates. Elf currently doesn’t appear to have any such availability, making it seem like a project solely based on greed and vanity.

Let me try and defend the hefty ticket prices for a moment. The stars of Elf are well known and seasoned performers – but I doubt they’ll be demanding ridiculous wages. Including Ben and Kimberley there is a cast of 23 (excluding the kids). So this all adds up – although the actors won’t be seeing much of the profits, they never do. I imagine the set will be the one used at Plymouth last year – although it may have been extended - and also many of the costumes will be reused. There are the rights for the piece to pay for, theatre staff, merchandising, musician’s wages – all of which is standard in a west end musical. I didn’t see the show in Plymouth last year, but I know the set is not a huge ‘Lord Of The Rings’ spectacular needing tens of millions. So in terms of finances for putting on a west end musical it will be fairly standard, certainly no more than the norm.

Of course one vital thing to remember is that this show only has a limited 10-week season – which makes it harder for producers and investors to recoup costs – but with tickets at such staggering prices it easily will (if it sells). But of course there is no guarantee that a show will ever sell anyway, although I’d be inclined to agree that this one will  - but only if the tickets are priced right.

The problem now is that Elf The Musical has the reputation of being the most expensive show in London - and consequently has a lot to live up to. It had lots of good reviews when it was on Broadway, and indeed in Plymouth last year – but it is not garnered with awards like The Book of Mormon (which slightly helps justify it’s prices) - for £250 you want to be watching the best piece of theatre you’ll ever see. But The Book of Mormon is not a family show - Elf is – and the main audience it’s aiming at is children. And that’s why it really is not fair. Most families have simply been priced out of seeing it.

Which leads me back to my main gripe - that theatre again is becoming a luxury activity for the wealthy. Your average family certainly couldn’t afford to pay £250 per ticket (top price tickets in the prime Christmas dates of Elf) – indeed who in their right mind would part with that kind of money for 2 hours of entertainment in the dark? Now of course I’m a big advocate of theatre, indeed it is my job – but when things get like this people really need to speak out – otherwise it will become a purely upper class hobby.  

It is a fact that shows rarely make money.  You’d be surprised at how many seemingly ‘successful’ shows only just covered costs (which deems them successful anyway).  Not every show is a sure-fire hit. Indeed so many musicals and plays have recently closed alarmingly early  – but that doesn’t mean you should try and re-coup for the failure of your other shows by charging ridiculous prices for a show that has ‘hit’ written all over it. But will the ticket prices put people off? Maybe, who knows.

I imagine the plan is to have Elf sledging its way into a different west end theatre every Christmas now – if this year is successful. But I just don’t know how successful it will be. If the tickets were priced fairly then it certainly would be – it would be the perfect family Christmas show. But these absurd prices are enough to put anyone off – some purely out of principle. So what can be done? Should people not go and see it? No – people should just book the cheaper tickets. The last thing we want is the show to close and those poor actors and people involved to be out of work. No – what I hope is that Elf sells well, apart from the top price tickets – as that will send a message to the people setting those ridiculous unjustified prices.

What is needed is a rethink. They need to put the ticket prices down, starting from the most expensive, all the way down to the upper circle seats. Admit you’ve made a mistake and make them standard west end prices. People will forgive you straight away. Add some day tickets, and concessions - and you will have a sell out show. It is worrying, it really is – and makes one wonder if eventually we need a capping system in theatre pricing. Of course even stating that is ludicrous, as if people are prepared to pay these prices then companies will always charge them. So the trend has to stop. Theatre is not just a luxury good that only the wealthy can access – it is an art form that needs to be embraced and experienced by all. Otherwise live theatre will be misunderstood and ignored by a large portion of society. And that in turn will kill the whole community and creation of good theatre. 

Anyhow. I’ve gone on long enough. I imagine Michael Rose will be rather pleased with all this publicity  - I certainly would – all publicity is good publicity. Let’s see what happens. I hope it doesn’t flop. I just hope the premium seats don’t sell, and that doctor theatre slaps someone somewhere and changes the ticket prices. Otherwise they will become the norm - and I’ll have to start a scholarship fund that allows people to go to the theatre.

Nighty night, dear.

WEP

x

Should there be more transparency to actors after auditions?

I know how frustrating it must be. You’ve had a casting for a show. You learnt everything you were meant too, had a nice chat with the director and casting director – and thought you left with a ‘good vibe’. But two weeks after your audition you haven’t heard a thing. Frustrating. Particularly if you’ve had five recalls and a final. In this kind of situation you’ve already invested a lot into the audition process – time, money, and energy. Not to mention the sleepless nights, days taken off work, even paying to watch the show. So it’s only natural to feel you’ve got the part. So why is it that we often don’t give you, the actor, an answer? Whether it be a ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘we’re still not sure’  - at least it would let you know where you stand, and allow you to move on if the job doesn’t go your way.

I recently spent a boozy Dom-filled evening discussing this with some dear actor friends, who said they find it frustrating and rude when we don’t give answers – particularly when they’ve had a couple of recalls and dance calls. In any other job after an interview, or even after an application you would usually get an answer – so why doesn’t this happen in showbusiness? It used to be because of time – if we’d seen over 100 people then it would take forever to let everyone know why they didn’t get the job - but times have changed. Theatre, in particular, has always been steeped in tradition, and some people resent changing with the times – but now we live in an age where it takes seconds to send an email. For casting directors to send a standard email stating the result of an actor’s audition takes no time at all.

We often say that an actor is still ‘in the mix’  - which means they’re not our first choice, but there’s a chance we might come back to them if everyone else turns us down. Now this is not a bad thing – indeed it means you’re still in the running – but maybe we should be even more honest. Often when you don’t hear something for weeks then that’s the reason – you simply won’t be told until the other actor gives us an answer.  But maybe, instead of not letting you know what’s going on, we should be honest straight away and tell you that we’ve offered it to someone else - and if they turn it down then the part is yours. Then you’d know how highly we thought of you – and there’s still a chance the job is yours. Is that something that would be better than just a yes or no? I’d be interested to know your thoughts.

Auditions are very complicated jigsaws, particularly in a cast change – when it’s not just about casting the parts, but also their covers and swings. It is a difficult task – and can drag on for months. If it’s for a long running musical the difficulty comes when actors who are in the current cast don’t decide if they’re staying on until the last minute - because we will inevitably have already started auditioning for their part. Now of course this is annoying if you’re the actor auditioning – because you’re actually auditioning for a job that possibly doesn’t exist. But with the rising costs of casting venues we have to see as many people as possible on an audition day. Again – this is another example of where we could be more honest to the actor. If we are auditioning actors for a role that actually might not be available we should make that clear from the offset, so the auditioning actor knows exactly where they stand. This, I feel, is only fair. Then we aren’t getting anyone into the room under false pretences. It’s just like if a business advertised a job and took interviews, and the job wasn’t available – it is actually entirely illegal. The same applies if we’re not sure about whether to give you the role or not – we should be honest with your agent and let you know that’s what we’re thinking.

Then comes the question of if we should give you an answer on the same day - just after your audition. Often someone is outside the door letting people in, and it wouldn’t take any time at all for them to pop into the audition room and relay an answer to you. But I suppose that can be quite difficult –particularly if you thought you had a good audition. The alternative is that the casting department could do a standard email after the auditions to let your agent know (indeed some casting directors sit in auditions dribbling over porn on their laptop – instead of doing this they could use their laptop to email your agent, dear).

A couple of actors told me they’d be happy to be told in their audition if it’s a ‘no’ - straight after they’ve performed their material. Personally I think that could be quite hard and upsetting - for both the auditionee and panel. In an audition situation the actors are vulnerable enough – without the threat of them being told by the director that they’re not right for the part. It’s most important that we let you perform, and then have a few minutes to talk amongst ourselves.  But I do feel it’s vital that you’re told as soon as possible. So the solution may be that your agent is contacted the same evening with an answer - or if you want to know directly you could leave your mobile number or email address and we will contact you (however there are some directors and casting directors who you should NEVER give your number too, dear). Then we could message you an answer as soon as we get chance.

And while we're on the subject - i have heard horror stories of the words 'you've been pencilled' or 'you've got a heavy pencil' for an advert. Now whoever invented this term (it was probably an advertising exec who got paid 5k for coming up with it) should be pencilled heavily in the face. The term means nothing. Absolutely nothing. Advert casting directors should stop using it entirely - it is like they're dangling a lovely little cheque in front of the actor's nose - only to inevitably take it away with the words 'we've gone in another direction'. If you think there's a chance you may 'go in another direction' then don't call the agent in the first place. It is cruel and makes the actor so excited about the job - which is usually taken away from them a few days later. So please cease from using any term with the word 'pencil' in it - and just call the agent and be honest about the situation the actor is in - for example: 'we like her, but we've got to let the client see the video first. But we also like 2 others. So it could go to any of them'. That would be far fairer, and far clearer, and would not involve using a heavy pencil with a rubber on the end to erase the 'possible booking' from an actors' diary, dear.

Many actors like feedback after an audition. This can be rather difficult as often casting directors see so many people that they forget why they thought you weren’t right. And also, it can just be a ‘feeling’ – sometimes there’s no reason at all why you’re not suitable for the role, apart from the fact that you’re simply not ‘quite right’. I know how frustrating that may sound – but it’s the truth.  And besides, you should never really believe everything you hear when asking for feedback. I have known agents asking for feedback about their clients, and the new intern in the casting director’s office has had to read some scruffy handwriting on the audition sheet – which is interpreted totally wrong. So unless it comes directly from the casting director themselves take feedback with a pinch of salt. And even then, casting directors have been known to say anything just to get an agent off the phone (of course if the feedback is marvellous then accept it regardless of who it comes from, dear).

Because of social media now it is very easy for actors’ to do detective work and find out if someone else got the role they wanted. And of course it’s such a small world that actors know actors – and report of other people getting the role. So it seems silly not to let the actors know from the horse’s mouth. And it’s only polite. An actor has given their time to come and audition for us – and we should show the same courtesy by giving an answer.

Indeed I know one actress who has been waiting for 6 years to find out if she’s been offered the Evita tour (and the tour finished two years ago…)!

My actor friends all said it would make them feel much more valued if we just let them know either way. So the time is now to break this inconsiderate and unprofessional pattern. If an actor auditions for a show, no matter how many recalls they have, they deserve an answer. It’s as simple and easy as that, dear.

Advice to an audition panel on how to behave in a casting.

A dear acting friend contacted me recently and wanted to share something he had written about castings – and how an audition panel should behave towards the actor. Actors are always being given advice on how to prepare and what to do in audition situations – so I thought this idea of turning things round was rather nice.

We’ve all heard those embarrassing tales of actors falling victim to the rude director who never looks at him, or the pianist who plays the song far too fast and in a totally different key than the one intended. 

So here is a piece written by a young actor friend. Read it, enjoy it, share it – it’s certainly made me re-think my audition etiquette, dear.

Some advice to the audition panel. From an actor.

I’m an actor – a bog-standard normal jobbing actor. I’m out of work lots, but I’ve also had some great jobs I’m very proud of. Some of them have been profit share, some equity minimum, and some £50 more than equity minimum (those ones are rare). It’s a tough job – it’s not the hardest job in the world, but it gets me down occasionally. I’ve got really close to getting a lot of good acting jobs over the past year – but always been pipped to the post at the last hurdle. All my friends tell me I should be really proud of ‘getting to the final’ and ‘having a recall’ – but I’m not. None of that matters until I get the job. And sometimes in a final audition I feel like I’m only there to make up the numbers anyway. So naturally I’ve tried to develop a tough skin – like we’re told too. But I can’t. No matter how much I tell myself that a job doesn’t matter, and that this one won’t change my career – I end up wanting all of them – and put such pressure on myself to do well that I can’t think of anything else. I literally focus all my energy on the audition. I listen to the soundtrack constantly, go over the script excessively, and repeat the lines all the time – in my sleep, while driving, even in the bath. Everything revolves around the audition. It’s like a powerful drug that takes over – I have to do the best I can to try and get the job. I’ll do research online, stalk the director on twitter, read as much background material as possible, and make damn sure I learn anything I’m told to ‘prepare’. I suppose it’s one of the reasons why I’m an actor – the competition, and knowing that your life can change any minute. And I try so hard because I feel I owe it to myself. I’ve made so many hard decisions in my life to try and be an actor, and given up so much else that my friends with normal jobs have – that I constantly feel I MUST succeed. Not to mention the guilt I feel for my parents – the money they gave me to go to drama school, and the sacrifices they made to allow me to follow my ‘dream’.  But unfortunately, more often than not, the dream often feels like a nightmare.

One of the biggest things I’ve started to dislike about being an actor is the lack of respect we get. Now I've chosen to be an actor and I’m trying my best – so surely that in itself deserves a modicum of respect – particularly from those working in the business. And this is why I’m grumpy at the moment. It’s hard enough getting an audition and even harder getting that foot in the door – but when you’re in that door, in front of the panel of director, producer, musical director and cleaning lady – there should surely be a mutual respect between everyone. The casting director and team are there doing their job – and us actors are there doing our job. So we are a team of professionals in a room trying to help and work with one another. In any other line of business if you have an interview you will be looked in the eyes, asked how you’re feeling, introduced to everyone, and thanked for your time. But this is the acting business – and different rules apply. Of course these rules mean that if a casting director or director read this and think I’m moaning chances are they won’t offer me an audition again. Hence me writing anonymously.

I had an unfortunate experience a couple of months ago when I had a second recall for a west end show. I was sent lots of material to learn – which I did – and prepared everything to the best of my ability. I drive my flatmates mad when I have an audition – they have to put up with me wailing in the morning, afternoon and evening. Anyhow, I’d learnt all the material and was at the audition venue, and was told that the audition was running late. Fine. No problem. I didn’t mind. I didn’t have any work to dash back too, and anyway I would never want to appear rude by saying ‘actually it’s not good enough – I’ve got to be somewhere’. So I sat very patiently for twenty minutes outside the room while another actor was inside. Now this was your typical audition room –where you can hear the other person inside. And I hate that. In future if anyone is making a purpose-built audition venue please soundproof all the rooms – there is nothing worse than hearing everything that the other brilliant actors are doing before you (and they always sound SO much better than me). Eventually the door opened and I was granted entry into the divine audition room – only for the panel to tell me again that they were running late and ‘would I mind singing just one of the songs’ they’d sent? Of course I nodded, although inside I was incredibly upset. The actor who was in before me was up for the same role, and had been through all their material – and they had obviously already made their decision. So after my week of preparing, learning, and digesting the three scenes and three songs I was asked to perform only one. I did – they thanked me, and I left.

Obviously I knew I hadn’t got the job  - but at least in an audition there should be a common courtesy. If an actor is sent some material to learn – whether it be one page or twenty five – they should be allowed to perform all of it. Now I’m not blaming the director – I don’t know whose fault it is on these occasions. I think general emails are sent out by the casting department to actors up for specific roles – and they just tag on the same scenes to everyone. But it should be checked with the director, and made sure that the actors will definitely be performing it in the audition - because as an actor we can spend days learning it. And it is not fair to then take advantage of us by not allowing us to show what we have prepared.

However, I digress. I just thought it might be rather useful for me, a jobbing actor who has had some awful experiences in auditions, to offer some advice to the panel.

So – to the audition panel. Here are some guidelines on how to behave when holding auditions:

Please introduce yourself. It is hard for us to stand in a room full of people we don’t know – it’s made a lot more comfortable if you introduce yourself. It puts us at ease, and we feel like you are on our side - and have a genuine want for us to be there.

Look at us when we perform. Believe it or not we can still see you when we’re performing our material for you. So please show us the courtesy of watching fully what we are doing. We are performing for you in the hope of getting the job, and that you see something you like. You won’t be able to see if we are suitable if you sit there doodling on my headshot for the entirety of my rendition of ‘Corner of the Sky’. It makes us feel like we’re doing a bad job and that you think we’re not suitable for the role. I understand it can be uncomfortable to watch us if we’re terrible, but even if we are, we’re still trying our very best for you.

Don’t wear sunglasses in the audition room: There have been many times when I’ve been in an audition and the producer or director is perched on the end of the table wearing ridiculous sunglasses. I understand you may have a hangover – but please don’t go out and get hammered the night before you know you’re going to be spending the day in an audition room. I don’t care who you are – whether you’re the producer, director, musical director, or director’s thai boyfriend – take your bloody sunglasses off! It’s not bright in the room, and it doesn’t make you look important – it just makes you look like you’re trying far too hard. In fact scrap that - in future auditions I’m going to perform wearing my sunglasses so we’re on equal level.

If you’ve sent us material to prepare – allow us to show you how we’ve prepared it. This is a big one. Please, please, pretty please mr god of auditions – if you’ve sent us something to learn, let us show you. We‘ve usually spent days, paid for singing lessons, and even taken time off work to learn the material – so it is only fair that you let us show you the work we’ve done. Even if you’re running late. Bad timekeeping is your issue and is not something we should be punished for. 

Let us start again. If we make a mistake during our speech or song please allow us to start again. It’s happened so often to me – and I’m usually told ‘it’s ok we’ve heard enough’  - but I hadn’t got to the bit I wanted you to hear yet! Please always offer us the chance to show you something again.

If possible, don’t have all the same actors who are up for the same part auditioning at the same time. This is annoying, and awkward. It’s so embarrassing walking into an audition only to see another 5 people dressed like you, hair styled like you, and holding the same bit of script as you. Immediately in my mind everyone else is far better than me – they look better suited for the part, they’re a better height, they’ve got a nicer shirt on, and their teeth are whiter. Then for them to go into the audition room WHERE WE CAN HEAR THEM BEING BRILLIANT! It’s really humiliating, and makes me analyse everything in my head and think I’ve already lost out on the part. So please, for the love of actor’s sanity, split up the times when you see each role. It won’t take long. I promise.

Don’t rush us when go through sheet music with the pianist. It’s awful when the pianist starts playing our song in a totally different tempo and different key than we’ve asked for. Please give us ample time to go through the key changes, tempo, repeats, and even difficult chords with the pianist. It’s so important because it’s never the pianist that looks bad in the audition – it’s us.   

Smile at us. You know those corners at the side of your mouth? Well could you raise them slightly? I know it sometimes hurts, but my god it is nice to see. It makes such a difference to have a panel of people smiling at us – which automatically puts us at ease – than a line of monotone looking faces judging us from the outset. It’s funny – but if you don’t smile, we presume that you don’t like us. Obviously I understand that it could be 4pm in the afternoon and you’ve been in a stuffy audition room since 9am – but the action of a smile makes the whole experience better for all of us. Honestly. If we as actors walk into an audition with a stern looking face and don’t smile we tend to get bad feedback to our agent that we weren’t ‘very friendly’. Well the same applies to you my lovely audition panel colleagues.

Let us know, and ask permission before recording our audition. These days it is very common that auditions are filmed. Particularly when the director can’t be at the audition (so you audition for the resident director). I understand it is useful, as it saves us coming in for another audition - if the director watches the footage and thinks we’re wrong. But it can also be off-putting seeing someone at the back of the room with a video camera focusing in on your every move. But I get it and don’t mind, as long as you ask us. There’s always the worry in my mind that the footage is going to somehow get leaked onto the internet and I’m going to look like an embarrassed idiot online for the rest of my life.

And when I say ask, I mean ask EVERY TIME. If you say on the first audition that you’re going to record me don’t presume that I’m happy for you to do it every time – it’s only polite to ask me at every audition and recall (if we’re lucky enough to get one). I may even start bringing a video camera into auditions and record you – lovely audition panel - just so I can show it to my fellow actors and we can judge how good at auditioning you are.

Thank us for our time. We’ve given up our valuable time to try and help you cast your show. We’ve paid travel expenses to be there, and often taken the day off work. So please be polite and thank us. Even if it’s just a quick thanks – it makes all the difference – and means we leave the audition feeling like at least you were grateful we were there.

And that’s it. We’re not asking for much really – just a bit of friendliness and mutual respect. After all, we’re all professionals working in a tough industry – but if we treat each other with a bit more respect it makes everyone’s job a lot more enjoyable.

JESUS CHRIST!

THE CANCELLED JCS TOUR - AND OTHER MUSINGS:

My dears –

I have recently spent an awful lot of time with some dear actor friends. Some of whom have been going through particularly hard times with various shows being cancelled last minute, and lack of work becoming commonplace for them. It is a worrying time when more shows seem to be closing by the year. And of course this fact makes it even harder for producers and investors to put shows on. There is no formula for what makes a successful show. What seems like a bankable hit on paper may turn into a million losing disaster. Times are hard.

But sometimes I think we forget the impact that this industry can have on the people working directly in it. I have been deeply saddened and concerned for some of my colleagues who have been involved in these closing shows recently. I can only imagine the pain, both financial and mentally, that must occur as a result of losing something that you were sure was going to happen. It is hard enough getting an acting job these days – often there will be a gruelling process of 4 or 5 different recalls, sleepless nights trying to learn material, and hours spent in H&M trying to purchase the correct tight t-shirt – but imagine the disappointment of getting an acting job, rehearsing it, and then learning 3 days before the show was to open that it had been cancelled. Awful, terrible, devastating.

So I really do feel for everyone – cast, crew, creative – who were involved in the recently cancelled Jesus Christ Superstar USA arena tour. Indeed, as some of the cast have said, in the first instance I thought it was some kind of bad joke. To cancel a job three days before the cast and crew were supposed to be flying out seems simply ludicrous. But of course, as we all know, different rules often apply in this silly business we call show.

I was informed that the cast had just done a full run through, and the associate director and creative team were thoroughly impressed and excited about the state of the show. In fact, one of the creatives was so proud of everyone that he left his card behind the bar so that everyone could get a drink. I believe they may even have been treated to the odd salted nut to suck on too. But sadly their celebrations were quashed rather too soon when one of the creative team got a call from the company manager – who was in New Orleans – telling the awful news that the JCS tour had, in fact, been cancelled. This was then relayed to the rest of the company who were in the bar. Obviously this wasn’t the way the producers had wanted the news to be shared, but the member of the creative team who was told the news felt it only appropriate and fair to do it while everyone was together.

The show’s director, Laurence Connor, was in New Orleans, directing Jonny Rotten, Ben Forster, Brandon Boyd and others into their bits before the rest of the UK team were arriving on the Monday. The cancellation of the show was as much of a shock to them as it was for the rest of the company.

Now, can you imagine how awful this talented team must have felt? The tour had been booked since last November – and many of the cast, crew and creatives were requested to commit then – so had turned work and auditions down to be in the tour (this can be commonplace – but usually the job that people have been waiting for actually goes ahead…). People had sub-let their rooms, booked flights back to London, had families and partners book tickets and flights to go and see the show. There was even a case of a cast member paying over £1000 for a return flight to come back to London for a wedding during the tour (and has now lost that money).

So where was the problem? Lack of advertising? Lack of promotion. Apparently tickets just weren’t selling well enough – forcing one of the American backers to pull out - but if the tickets were selling that badly it would have been obvious months ago. I find it very hard to understand how any producer could allow a company to rehearse, knowing full well that they would be cancelling the show. It would be far wiser, and far kinder, to have cancelled the show at the earliest opportunity – rather than have the entire cast and team give their heart and passion to a project that was never going to happen. I haven’t heard a whisper from Lloyd Webber about his thoughts on what happened, I hope he is alright. After Stephen Ward I can imagine it must have been something of a blow. There is no question that Jesus Christ Superstar is a brilliant piece. But something went wrong with it in the US. Over here in the UK it sold out.

The tour’s American promoter, Michael Cohl, said that ‘ticket sales did not support the tour’. He said in an email that ‘It became obvious the shows were in trouble, but we tried until the last moment to give it every chance to turn around. In the end, it just did not make business sense to continue, and we didn’t want the cast to endure playing to disappointing audiences.’ In April Mr Cohl said that the tour would need to make ‘several hundred thousand dollars’ each night to keep it afloat.

Could it have been that the stars simply weren’t big enough (it is sad that we have to rely on celebs these days – but it is a fact that we simply must accept) – or indeed that the venues were simply too big? I don’t know. Maybe the show wasn’t promoted properly in the US. In fact Ben Forster had said that he was concerned by how little interest the American news media seemed to show in the new production.

If they’d managed to convince Miley Cyrus to twerk her way through as Mary Magdalene I’m positive it would have sold out. Even more definitely if Ozzy Osborne had been convinced to give his Herod. And Victoria Beckham to play 1^st cover…

As for what has happened since the cancellation – well I honestly don’t know. I have been informed that the actors have been offered something in way of remuneration. The problem is that the tour was not an equity contract as it was an arena tour. Currently, Equity doesn’t have a contract for arena tours in place - and this is something that must be changed. Especially as they are becoming more and more frequent. Over the past few years there have been arena tours of Batman Live, War of the Worlds, and Walking With Dinosaurs to name a few. And in each of these productions a huge amount of actors are used – often far more than in regular theatre shows. The sad fact is that these actors are touring without any backup by their union. If, at any point, a tour is cancelled, the producers are not obliged to give any notice at all. In theatre the ruling is a notice period of two weeks (which in itself is too short). I, for one, encourage Equity to do all they can to look into creating Equity Arena Contracts – and as soon as possible. This would at least provide some sort of stability for artists in these kinds of jobs.

And while we’re on the subject of shocking closures I must say I can’t quite believe how quickly I Can’t Sing closed. I thoroughly enjoyed the show, laughed out loud through it, and thought the whole production was superb. I was very sad when the announcement came of it's two-week notice. Especially after all the hard work and money that had been pumped into it. I fear that the whole thing was treated as a little venture for Simon Cowell – and he obviously wanted his musical in one of the biggest theatres in the west end. This was a mistake. The show should have been trialled on tour, and then transferred to a much smaller venue. In my mind, one of the main problems was that audiences who watch The X Factor like doing that for free, at home, on their televisions. They are not prepared to pay up to £90 to see a musical about it, no matter how good the reviews are. Anyhow, my heart goes out to all involved.

The Full Monty team experienced the same distress when, after marvellous reviews, it was suddenly given it’s two weeks notice. It is very worrying. But, I hasten to add, understandable for producers and investors. If a show is not selling and covering costs, it simply does not make financial sense to keep it running – when a show could be losing hundreds of thousands each week. I suppose this brings questions about whether there should be certain criteria before putting a show on – like enough back up if a production is not selling to allow it to continue for a certain amount of time – of course this is only possible with huge investment. This idea is at once idealistic and naïve, but one that has frequently been brought up by colleagues over the weeks, so I felt I should share it.

Producers often get it in the neck for not paying their actors enough money – but sometimes it is the only thing that is negotiable. For example, if we are putting on a show that has no interval – the theatre will expect us to cover the loss of money on bar takings. Which weekly can be huge. And where do we go to chelp with this extra expense? The lighting designer? No. Musical Director? No. Director? No. The marketing budget? No. Sadly it’s the actors – as they will be prepared to work for less money. And if one of them won’t be, another one will. And this will only continue until the acting union gets stronger

I recently visited Broadway again – one of my favourite places in the world. In the USA it strikes me that American Equity has provided some positive options for artists in shows – particularly the ‘out’ clause. When performers, particularly ensemble performers sign contracts in lengthy contracts on Broadway there will often be an ‘out’ clause. This clause allows the actor to give 4 week’s notice that they will be leaving the show – allowing them to move on to other projects, or simply leave if they are not enjoying their time in a production. This gives the performer some power, as it means the company and management they are working for will feel obliged to treat them well, and pay them well – as in the long term it would be more cost effective this way than having to re-rehearse a new actor into a show every few weeks. And sometimes this clause can be made even smaller – for example a two week 'out' period – if negotiated before the job is accepted. This clause is obviously a great advantage to the actor – and gives them a good amount of power – in fact in many respects it allows them to be on equal terms with their employer. While obviously a clause like this is not ideal for us producers, in fact it could be a bloody nightmare, but in an industry where the actors sometimes seem so undervalued I think it is something they deserve.

Before I sign off, let me quickly mention the marvellous #JCSGlasto campaign that has been going around on twitter. For those who don’t know, some of the cast are trying to put on a version of Jesus Christ Superstar at Glastonbury this year – which I think would be terrific. The whole show had been rehearsed, and was ready to take USA by storm – so why not let it happen at Glastonbury? Whether it be a concert version or a full staging, Glastonbury is the perfect venue for JCS. It is also a fabulous opportunity for Lloyd Webber to turn this whole thing into a big positive. I hear that things are moving forward – I urge you all to back the campaign, and tweet about #JCSGlasto to show your support. It would be such a wonderful experience for all those talented performers who are ready and excited to perform their already-rehearsed show.

Apologies if I’ve gone on. But sometimes I feel that the people who do all the hard word, night after night, are not given the appreciation they deserve. And the problems they face, whether it being shows cancelled, short notice periods, or lack of respect from the business, needs to be shared.

Anyhow, now I’m going to put my Miss Saigon hot pants on and go sunbathe for the afternoon.

Bless you.

Kindest wishes,

West End Producer.

@westendproducer

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