Quesiton for Dx
I jsut went to your profile and saw that you are a set designer. Got me to thinking if you have seen the set for "The Lord of The Rings" the musical? I saw it in London 3 weeks post opening and was in total awe. I do not get to see much theatre and was wondering if this set was typical these days or was it as extraordinary as it appeared and hyped to be? Didn't know how toreach your individual email so I went this route. Gary
Gary,
Lord of the Rings is pretty big scale for London.
Probably the most money poured into a set in a while.
When it started last year in Toronto
It had about 2/3’s that much "Tech."
The use of "Cirque" silk aerialists and semi-puppetry/stilt-walker stuff
Has been done to death the last decade.
Popularized by Cirque du Soleil and The Julie Taymor successes.
Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast (both Disney’s)
Were at the very least double the $ize as Lord of the Rings,
And triple the cast size,
And "O" playing at the Bellagio in Vegas is around 5 times that Spectacle filled,
And way more impressive.
It is a fairly typical journey for some productions
To start in Canada (for less money and risk )
Then move to London, and double the budget.
If it’s a complete and absolute Smash Hit,
Then, It’ll move back and open on Broadway with "Pre-Sales"
Of several months guaranteed.
"Mamma Mia" and many others have taken that exact route.
Theater is risky business.
Get a show that runs for even a few years,
And perhaps spawns national tours, and the profit is Awesome!
Blow the 25 million up front (as with Lord of the Rings?)
And it’s not a huge hit? Ooouwch!
Even producers with really deep pockets feel pain like that.
Disney regularly blows twice that for their Broadway productions.
As spectacle oriented as Lord of The Rings is,
Odds are, it’s not going to break even.
The Music doesn’t seem to be memorable for most folks.
And even if the stage is pouring out "the free love of Jesus,"
Most audiences want it in under 3 hours.
The reviews have been pretty down on it from the beginning.
What is Headed to Broadway, straight from the Blue, is
"Shrek: The Musical!"
Promises to be the most elaborate, expensive, and Fun Musical Disney has yet opened.
Also, even months before the script is finished,
Enough people are clamoring to get "Pre-Sales Tickets"
That it’ll make tons of money even if it’s a piece of Crap!
The Production Company, director, and rest of the "creative team"
Are all known for their "Hits," not their misses,
So I’d bet it’ll be running for a few years at least.
I could be wrong….. I just design scenery….
Best Wishes-
Dx
Capricious; Impulsive, Semi-Predictable 
Wow Dx, you are a fountain of knowledge! Shrek the musical would be something my kids and wife would love to see. LOTR would be one that I would take a pass on, although I loved the books and the movies. You got me to thinking, my theater experience has been the following.. Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Riverdance, Annie, Cats,Midsummer Nights Dream, Peter Pan, and Pinocchio. There are also the shows that I saw on cruise ships. They were every bit as entertaining as the ones I saw in a "real" theater. Happy New Year, by the way...
on 1/4/08 10:50 pm - Houston, TX
