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an early look @ Lord of the rings...by me :)

Re: flop

And hadn't anyone who wanted to see it seen in at one of its other stops in the last decade?
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That's probably a major factor too. New York, Chicago, Boston...these are some of the big markets Toronto tries to entice tourists from, hoping that many of them will want to see plays like the Blue Man Group.
 
Re: flop

And again, the hypothetical Blue Man Group marketplace isn't terribly likely to gravitate toward Soulpepper, et al. It may be a loss for "tourism", but it ain't a loss for the theatre scene...
 
Re: flop

I'd like to think it flopped because the Toronto crowd is more sophisticated, but something tells me that's not the reason. The following article doesn't paint a rosy picture:

'Blue Man Group' Show to Close in Toronto
"Bit by bit, Toronto is losing its reputation as a legitimate stop for the theatre set..."
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There is still a lot of great theatre in the city though. I suppose what seems to indicate a sophisticated audience is that the lower quality stuff (LOTR, BMG) isn't having much success while the good shows are doing fairly well.

If LOTR and and BMG were some smaller less publicized shows, no one would care that they were ending. I guess many expected them to go on forever because they've been hyped endlessly. It's become pretty clear that isn't enough in this city.
 
Re: flop

The Globe made a good point this morning - that 18 months is an exceptionally long run for any theatrical presentation.
 
Re: flop

The Mousetrap, another "theatrical presentation", ran for 26 years in our town. Mel Lastman's political career ran for 34.

As freak show huckster P.T. Barnum said of the buying public, "There's a sucker born every minute."
 
Re: flop

As far as imported "cultural" concepts go, gimme Nuit Blanche over Blue Man Group anyday...
 
Re: flop

I don't care for Blue Man Group or any of the other failed shows in Toronto... what I am concerned about is whether these recent failures will damage Toronto's reputation as a major theatre centre. High culture, low culture, whatever...
 
Re: flop

Oh, sure. And by that measure, the closure of Planet Hollywood did irreparable damage to Toronto's restaurant scene...
 
Re: flop

I don't care for Blue Man Group or any of the other failed shows in Toronto... what I am concerned about is whether these recent failures will damage Toronto's reputation as a major theatre centre. High culture, low culture, whatever...
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That depends - do you mean the shows themselves were failures or the city failed in supporting them? In the case of The Lord of the Rings, it failed because it was a bad show - if anything that should cement our reputation rather than damage it.

I'd really start worrying if Soulpepper shows, etc. started seeing a serious lack of support. Besides, another show will be along to take the place of LOTR, and the BMG as well.
 
Re: flop

Meanwhile, Cosi Fan Tutte is completely sold out later this month...
 
Re: flop

There were some interesting points made in an article in the Star on the weekend: the BMG brand was already pretty dated and tired before it even arrived in Toronto, many who may have potentially come to see it had already seen it when on vacation in NYC or Chicago etc. where it had already been playing for some 10 years, and labour issues in Toronto may have alienated the Teacher's Union which doubtless killed the potential for busloads of school children which seems to be one of the largest demographics currently still filling seats in New York and Chicago.

No doubt Toronto continues to suffer a bit of a bad rap' as far as commercial theatre goes. There truly hasn't been a sure 'homerun' commercial smash in the city for many years now, which is too bad given all the extra revenue and jobs that are created when a big show is thriving in town. Still, to claim that theatre in Toronto is dead is completely missinformed and naive. I only wish I ever had the budget to be able to see all the cool and interesting things going on out there at any given time, and most of what I do see I very much enjoy!!
 
Re: flop

That hairdresser show (Da Kink in Da Hair? I think) did pretty well.
 
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