716 posts
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Post by theatre-turtle on Jun 30, 2016 13:49:48 GMT
Has there ever been a case where both dress and upper circle have been closed, with only the stalls open? The Truth has the balcony and upper circle closed tonight, with the dress and stalls both with many seats left, promoting this possibility (Royal has 80% unsold)
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4,369 posts
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Post by Michael on Jun 30, 2016 13:53:12 GMT
It happened when I saw Stephen Ward. Had a ticket for one of the slip seats in the Grand Circle and was bumped up to the Stalls. Needless to say it was between Christmas and New Year's when London was full of tourists.
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Post by d'James on Jun 30, 2016 13:55:01 GMT
I have a feeling it might've happened when I saw Lend Me A Tenor but I couldn't be sure.
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Post by firefingers on Jun 30, 2016 13:56:53 GMT
Yes, many times on many shows.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 14:03:01 GMT
Yes. What was that show with Sharon Gless? When I saw that, everyone was moved to the stalls and even that was only half full!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 15:41:36 GMT
Never happened to me! Only time theatre was half empty was for BILB, not many people at all and circles might of been closed but not sure. Mamma Mia on NYE had a few rows missing in the stalls too
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 15:55:22 GMT
I can recall being one of six people in the audience for Let The Right One In at the Apollo once.
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7,176 posts
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Post by Jon on Jun 30, 2016 15:56:39 GMT
Wasn't Urinetown a case which had 30 people in the audience? The Umbrellas of Cherbourg had similar low numbers.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 15:57:46 GMT
Wasn't Urinetown a case which had 30 people in the audience? The Umbrellas of Cherbourg had similar low numbers. Seriously?! Never seen that! Must be terrible to perform and look out at only a few people in the audience. |
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4,804 posts
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Post by Mark on Jun 30, 2016 16:07:57 GMT
Dreamboats and Petticoats once had Dress and Upper circles both closed at the Playhouse.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 16:13:08 GMT
I can recall being one of six people in the audience for Let The Right One In at the Apollo once. That is sad, I went and it was pretty full on all levels, and a brilliant play at that!
Stephen Ward was about three quarters full in both the Stalls and Dress, didn't see the Upper at the second preview. But at interval, the Dress was less than half full after.
Also, Mrs. Henderson Presents, got upgraded from the cheap balcony seats to the Premium seats in the Stalls!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 16:38:27 GMT
When I went to see The Contrast at the Cochrane the entire audience was moved to a single row. It wasn't the smallest audience they'd had: I'd intended to see it four days earlier and so few tickets had been sold they'd cancelled the performance.
Conversely, when I saw Yee-Haw!! at the Churchill, Bromley they didn't move the audience together. The show was already off to a bad start by not being as funny as it thought it was and every bit as funny as its double exclamation mark suggests, and having the audience reaction lost to the vast emptiness between each person stifled it beyond hope of recovery.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 17:54:36 GMT
Worst for the actors was probably the original run of "Speed-The-Plow" at the Lyttleton. Circle closed, 4 rows occupied in the stalls. That theatre, you can see the whole house from the stage. They turned in a wonderful show for us. Worst for an audience was "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" About 8 of us in for the matinee at the Mermaid (again, you can see the whole house from the stage). A now well-known person came on, counted the house and switched off their performance. I've disliked them for it ever since. Hmm - place your bets  theatricalia.com/play/p6/they-shoot-horses-dont-they/production/28cLooked to me at "The Shadow King" at the Barbican last Sunday that both circles were closed, and the stalls were not full despite that. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 17:56:17 GMT
Worst for the actors was probably the original run of "Speed-The-Plow" at the Lyttleton. Circle closed, 4 rows occupied in the stalls. That theatre, you can see the whole house from the stage. They turned in a wonderful show for us. Worst for an audience was "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" About 8 of us in for the matinee at the Mermaid (again, you can see the whole house from the stage). A now well-known person came on, counted the house and switched off their performance. I've disliked them for it ever since. Hmm - place your bets theatricalia.com/play/p6/they-shoot-horses-dont-they/production/28cLooked to me at "The Shadow King" at the Barbican last Sunday that both circles were closed, and the stalls were not full despite that. Well damn, I have only heard of one of them anyway!  |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 18:03:52 GMT
When you see shows with half the theatre empty/closed, it can not usually be a good sign. Must be a producer's nightmare to walk into their show only for it to be half full
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4,361 posts
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Post by shady23 on Jun 30, 2016 18:24:11 GMT
In those cases why not do very cheap day tickets or even comps? Has to be better than empty seats and word of mouth could lead to future bookings.
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4,369 posts
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Post by Michael on Jun 30, 2016 18:32:28 GMT
I guess you need less staff and can also save electricity. Not sure if it's that much, but it might be a reason to close one or two sparsely booked levels and upgrade these patrons rather than give out comps or cheap tickets.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 19:20:08 GMT
In those cases why not do very cheap day tickets or even comps? Has to be better than empty seats and word of mouth could lead to future bookings. They often do, but they can't release too many tickets too cheaply or people will avoid buying tickets at a sustainable price and wait for the underpriced ones, hastening the show's demise. |
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653 posts
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Post by ptwest on Jun 30, 2016 19:36:55 GMT
I remember being sat with approximately 25 other people in the 1951 capacity Bristol Hippodrome for a performance of Lettuce and Lovage. Both other levels were closed, and we were spread liberally around the stalls. As a result, I think its fair to say an atmosphere of jollity was hard to create. Slightly mortifyingly, my mother fell asleep.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 19:53:28 GMT
How can a show be so bad that it can't even get more than 1/4 of its theatre full?!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 19:57:49 GMT
How can a show be so bad that it can't even get more than 1/4 of its theatre full?! Sometimes the show isn't even bad. The show just doesn't appeal to people. |
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7,176 posts
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Post by Jon on Jun 30, 2016 20:49:34 GMT
How can a show be so bad that it can't even get more than 1/4 of its theatre full?! You clearly haven't seen enough bad shows! |
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3,057 posts
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Post by ali973 on Jun 30, 2016 21:45:57 GMT
Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Love Story, Imagine This, Show Boat, I Can't Sing..I'm sure Gone With the Wind at one point though I've seen the final show and it was full then. I'm sure I've seen more but this is what I can remember at the top of my head.
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171 posts
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Post by musicalfloozie on Jun 30, 2016 22:39:08 GMT
I went to see Miss Nightingale at Buxton on its 2nd to last night of the whole tour and wish they had closed the circle as there were only about 25 people dotted around the stalls. I felt really bad for the performers as can't be easy playing to an almost empty house and I almost felt I had to over enthuse my reactions to make up for it!!!
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471 posts
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Post by mistressjojo on Jul 1, 2016 3:14:12 GMT
Hedda Gabler at the Old Vic in 2012. Upper Circle closed & most of the Dress Circle moved into the Stalls.
Worst though was a performance at Southwark Theatre where I was one of about 20....awkward. :/
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