ALW's Cinderella - Gillian Lynne / U.K. Tour (rumour)

I can't see why they'd switch the cast out just for the hell of it, though they may be forced to due to availabilities - depending on how everyone is contracted.


Regarding the closure... This show has closed and re-opened more than I care to remember, and each time there's been speculation that they'll use the time wisely and efficiently to make the necessary changes to make the show work fully. Each time, they reopen with a couple of tweaked lines and possibly something major like a wig replacement . If they haven't felt the need to address the bigger issues every other time they've had a chance, I'm not holding out for anything more this time!

I have heard very little good reviews for this show, I like a few songs on the soundtrack but most of the songs sound like something else.

Presumably because this had the worst sales for January? I assume it was a financial decision to shut it down for the month rather than play to 80 people.

That’s got to be a first then hasn’t it? Close a show temporarily because of not enough sales but with the intention of continuing later? When did that ever happen?

Selling any pantomime-like title outside of the festive period is always more of a challenge.

As with much of ALW's recent behaviour around this show, his actions seem more about generating headlines than real positive action.

It feels like he was trying to get attention for the show in the hope that it might boost sales rather than really seeking to combat the marketing and other issues associated with the production.

It is possible that it will end up like Scrooge... a show that pops up for 2 to 3 months each winter and is gone again by spring.

Mrs Doubtfire just did it on Broadway, I think? Seems to be on people's minds at the moment as a way to get struggling shows through unprecedented times.

To be fair, they don't have an existing pool of former cast members they can call on to keep things going, Les Mis style. I seem to remember they hired extra swings a few months ago before all the Omicron stuff so assume they don't have a lot of backup options if people start going down with it I've seen at least 4 of the cast post about being struck down since the show closed (including this week) so had it stayed open they'd still be having trouble now.
I don't know what Jan sales were like but certainly the performances in the week it shut looked well sold to my eyes (with comparison to other shows I was looking at when trying to find a replacement).

And how many of those seats would’ve been held by brokers and released back to the theatre unsold?

Gosh, that's not great. Perhaps some nice discount offers might appear... I'll happily take advantage

ALW is behaving like he is under pressure to deliver a profit, rather than a cohesive 3 hours of theatre. If he’d rather close the show to minimise the loss rather than get offers going they are clearly nowhere near breaking even. He’s not looking at his product as the problem rather the circumstances in which it is operating. In any business that I have ever managed, I have always looked within my own four walls first rather than blame outside forces. Obviously COVID made it impossible for people to go to the theatre, but when they have been open it hasn’t been peoples first choice. We have discussed the reasons why ad infinitum.