Closing????

[accessmenj]

rob_hanson1979 wrote:
If this is happening consistantly in all the cities they visit... why is the talk about the tour ending?

Great question! I don't pretend to know tour logistics, finances, etc. But I suspect there are a limited number of theaters nationally with the capacity to meet the financial needs of a tour like Billy Elliot.

... without re-booking into the same cities the tour has visited over the past three years. The question is -- are those cities ready to embrace the tour again in such a relatively short timeframe? Maybe they are, but perhaps with an even shorter stay than a week. Perhaps the upcoming split week between Richmond, VA and Clearwater, FL will become the norm in a new version of the tour and perhaps the Producers see the need to streamline costs even more -- the biggest cost being salaries/benefits for cast/crew which they can't cut any further if it's a union show.

Let's face it -- this is all about $$$ -- not about whether the tour is making any money at all -- but about what the producers feel is an acceptable profit level.

I would never attend the tour again if the producers cut the salaries/benefits for the cast/crew. That would be abuse of hard working people who are underpaid and overworked already.

[porschesrule]

This may be getting to be a long discussion in this particular thread and maybe Ellen would want to move it to a new thread or a more appropriate existing one, but in response to your statement ...

I would never attend the tour again if the producers cut the salaries/benefits for the cast/crew. That would be abuse of hard working people who are underpaid and overworked already.

You won't have to worry about the producers cutting salary for existing members of the cast/crew as the current union contract wouldn't allow it. So that means existing cast/crew wouldn't be eligible for a revamped tour "3" if it would be non union and they'd essentially be starting from scratch. Hard to believe they'd want to do that, but stranger things...

[rob_hanson1979]

If we all pool our money, could we run the touring production ourselves? As long as it breaks even, we'd be happy. Plus we could get all sorts of comp tickets!!!

[Sinatra]

Unfortunately, we're talking millions.

[StevenKing]

Many many many millions.

[rob_hanson1979]

I get paid on friday.... so you guys just need to come up with many millions minus $800....
We can save some money if we each play a member of the cast.... I'll play Small Boy...

[tzwicky]

Dibs on "The Toaster."

tzwicky

[porschesrule]

Daniel Klintworth -- who is the assistant music director for the tour --- just tweeted this:

"Changing things in music land doesn't really make sense if the show is closing in 6 mo...they've been fine until now."

https://twitter.com/DKlintworthMD

[kport]

Daniel Klintworth -- who is the assistant music director for the tour --- just tweeted this:

"Changing things in music land doesn't really make sense if the show is closing in 6 mo...they've been fine until now."

https://twitter.com/DKlintworthMD

His next post says 'This show may never end'.

The plot thickens. Let's enjoy BETM for now, and not dampen our mood by too much speculation about the future of the Tour. It WILL close one day, but it may open again somewhere else. I still have hopes for an EU Tour, perhaps while the VPT is being renovated in a few years' time - and a return to Broadway in the future.

[Brad]

I'm all for a return to Oz - please.

And now for further sepculation - what's this about the VPT closing for reno's????????????