http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/realityt...vertising.html

Why are people complaining? I don't see how this show is promoting any of the other shows. Jodie was on because she was the previous winner not to promote Oliver! And surely if people are concerned by this extra advertising then complaining is advertisng the shows even more, because these complaints always end up in the press.

I don't understand why it's such a problem. Certainly this show will promote ticket sales for the upcoming Wizard of Oz production, but it also 'promoted' five other West End shows on Saturday night by featuring their leading ladies and mentors and showcasing one of the songs. Sister Act has been promoted by the inclusion of Sheila Hancock as a judge. So long as the promotion is widespread, and includes a range of West End shows, and not just Andrew Lloyd Webber's, I don't have a problem with it.

Also the contestants who don't win can be cast in other shows so it promotes them too.

Indeed. Its raising awareness of musical theatre in general. Casting people "off the telly" has brought a whole new audience to the West End, but its not really direct advertising. That's like saying that Strictly is only on to sell tickets for the tour. Did anyone complain about the musical theatre performances during Let's dance for Sport Relief? That was seen as showcasing the musicals involved; might well have sold a few tickets!

And Jodie wasn't promoting Oliver!, her appearance was a look at what happened to last year's winner. If they wanted to bring in extra ticket sales, Kerry Ellis would have performed.

Although ALW will enjoy the exposure, his shows rarely struggle to sell tickets. A lot of people just have it in for him.

Silliness!

What a joke-have'nt these people got something better to do.

I enjoyed the show and thought the singing was briliant-in fact the standard was amazing.

A lot of the girls are getting a once in a lifetime opportunity and will go on to other things even if they dont make the final 11.

Cant people by happy for them?

Lloyd-Webber is name enough to go and see any show with his name attached to it, if your a fan of his.

By the way, Sheila Hancock is great in Sister Act.

Some people just like to complain I suppose.

(I would hazard a guess, though, that some of the complaints come from people who don't actually watch the show)

I really dont intend to be rude here, but it is also bringing in rather loud and disruptive crowds who dont usually go to the theatre. You dont really need to raise awareness of the theatre - its being doing okay for years without having to advertise. I'm not saying everyone is like that, but I've experienced it and there are a lot of complaints from other theatre goers. ALW has managed to cast Love Never Dies without resorting to this.

I must admit I must have been lucky I haven't encountered any crowds like this in the theatre. Saying that you are not the first person I have heard mention this as a result of TVs like Andrew Lloyd Webbers.

In terms of casting love never dies, he may not have had a grand tv hunt for the cast, however at least two of the actressees case in Love Never Dies has had links with ALW tv shows/ stunts. Summer Strallen who was in that awful hollyoaks plot line, about getting the role of Maria. And also Niamh Perry from last years search for Nancy. So even that show has been affected my the TV talent search.

I can't understand why people have actually complained about Jodie Prenger being on Over the Rainbow, she was last yearts winner. Its a different story when X factor brings back the previous winner at the same time as they are releasing their first proper single (I am not counting them horrid covers they are all forced to release at xmas time).

I must admit that I did think the fact that Kerry Ellis was on the show was a plug for the new Nancy, this is mainly due to the fact she hasnt been in any West End show for the past year. However, she is one of the biggest leading women in the west at the mo. Plus Legally Blonde, Blood Brothers, We Will Rock You, Chicago and Sweet Charity also benefited from the show on saturday night. And from what i know these aren't Andrew Lloyd Webber shows.

Just goes to show people will complain for the sake of things these days

Thanks for the nice post rolacola! I thought Kerry Ellis was only going to be in a short run for Oliver - not a long run. Wasnt Summer Strallen in a lot of theatre before Hollyoaks. Her auntie is Bonnie Langford by the way and my sister used to go to the same dancing school as her father, I think her sister is in theatre too.
I do agree that musicals benefit a lot from a small amount of exposure - they even bring free viewings of opera and ballet to big screens around the UK but its this constant lets find a star that kind of bugs me. I like people to get on in life but there are so many wonderfully talented people on stage who are never heard of doing the rounds in all the musicals. And a lot of people do go from understudy to lead, Oliver Thompsett was an understudy in Wicked at one point. But I dont go around complaining - I just dont watch and get on with my life!

I might be wrong, but wasn't Summer selected to be Maria before she joined Hollyoaks, and it was a bit of cross-promotion? As in, before she went into Hollyoaks she already knew she would be taking over as Maria and so her exit from Hollyoaks was always going to be that she was joining The Sound of Music?

I was going to say the exact same thing! When I went to see Joseph the audience around me were awful Singing along, talking etc.. They need to do a piece on these progs on theatre etiquette

I'm sorry but that does come across as being rude.

I would never have gone to see Avenue Q or Cabaret if it hadn't been for Any Dream Will Do or I'd Do Anything. Because of these shows I've gotten to see and hear lots of other musical theatre performers.

Elitist like you do the west end no good at all.

Shows like Mamma Mia had rowdy hen night crowds before the reality casting shows started.

I do hate being near sing-alongers in the theatre, and wrapper rustlers etc. But I'd rather a show had a rowdy audience than no audience.

Yes, OK, I will concede that some theatre audiences today do not treat the experience with the respect it deserves. I've been in rowdy audiences that have spoiled the show for me somewhat too.

But I have to disagree that theatre has been doing OK for years. In the early noughties, times were very tough. Especially for big musicals with high production costs. A lot of shows closed, a lot had very short runs and I'm sure many didn't get off the ground at all. There has definately been a revival in theatregoing which has been attributed at least in part to the effect of TV shows. There's an article here, but I remeber it being quite widely acknowledged.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...-tv-viewers.do

Theatre is in a much healthier state today, and although the demographic has shifted and audiences are often younger (and livelier!) ; there is money coming in, plenty of new shows and the overall effect of TV exposure has been positive.

West End shows may be "doing okay" but most of them are flogging tickets at a fraction of face value. I'm not just talking about the same-day Leicester Square ticket booth but dozens of online dealers, too. (Four of us are off to see Blood Brothers at £16 apiece this week, booked online a few weeks ago.) Producers would far rather be selling at full price, and the more people know they don't have to pay full ticket, the less willing they are to do so.
I have not noticed a particular upsurge in vulgar chip-eating TV viewers talking their way through plays and musicals. There have always been a few people with bad manners even before ALW's casting TV shows. What it may mean, though, is that there are more people out there who are now considering a night out at the theatre who may not have done so in the past. I think this is a good thing for theatre in general, even if it means I may not always be able to find seats for a live West End show for less than the price of some seats at the Leicester Square Odeon.

None of them are ALW shows I think - he's got the biggest shows with big female stars in who happened in 4 cases to be available on the night because it was their leave week or they were between shows. He also needed shows with long female major songs that could be split into parts for a group and were not to difficult -which ruled out others like Les Mis or Wicked. Oliver and Sister Act were ruled out by who else was on the show. i imagine everyone concerned with those other shows was very happy - Sweet Charity for example got publicity for its move, Chicago got it out who was currently Roxie and Legally Blonde got a song on air .ALW has included pretty much every interest who would compete with Dorothy.

The criticism is very silly with the South Bank show doing a whole show on ALW and Love Never Dies a day later - that might need the publicity. Where could you draw the line - every chat show plugs a whole range of shows, every talent show plugs a saleable talent? Susan Boyle would ahve to be muzzled in case people bought tickets to Les Mis? (as indeed they are as its full and tickets are selling out early)

Hopefully as they seem to have picked up on other problems (judges and sound quality not least) and they have used more musical songs so far, the series will actually shift the emphasis more to musical theatre from pop songs this series . Previous contestants have said that was a problem and led to the professionals under-performing. If there are more musical theatre songs everyone in the same market is going to get exposure.

Depends where you want to sit and what you want to see. Go for really good seats in the stalls at some shows and you will find yourself being offered the new "premium rate", try and book there online for others even from their own ticket sellers and you will be offered "our price" which is 25% higher than the face value. Demand is allowing them to put prices up as well as down. Try and book some shows less than 2 months in advance and you will find yourself in telescope land under some massive overhang - its cheap but so is the view.

its surprising actually how full the West End is in whats meant to be a recession - Saturday is teeming and most shows I have seen seem 100% full. Even midweek matinees have been full recently.

T
Oh come on! It's only in the past 50 years that people have sat quietly in theatres, before that the audiences were always rowdy. You can't expect people to be much less restrained than in the past when not at the theatre, but more restrained when they are, especially as most of the audience is so used to watching TV and talking, reading, eating, drinking etc. that they don't see the theatre as any different.

If you want elitism go and watch an opera, musical theatre should be for everyone.

I also think it depends on what you go and see.

I have been going the Theatre on and off for years now and have never experienced any rowidness.

I must admit that going to the West End is a whole difference experience to say a local theatre as the WE do tend (in some shows at least) to have more vocal audiance members.

But then the most noisest cinema I have ever been in is the Odeon Leicester Square which given the price of admission, is not necessarily trailer trash who have turned up on a day out from the Jeremy Kyle studios. I think generally certain shows is the WE are a draw for a wider range of people, particularly the musicals and it can add (sometimes) to the charm.

Of course if I went to see an Arthur Miller, then I would'nt want people shouting out or crisps being consumed loudly.

Elitism? That's definitely inverted snobbery with regards Opera!

Good bloody grief!

I really don't know how long she is doing Oliver for, think it is a bit of a move down for her though, but I have no doubt she'll be fab in it. Yeh Summer Strallen has done theatre before but, I was kinda using her as an example of how ALW has tried to use the medium of TV to increase sales of one of his shows.


I was being a little bit sarcastic with that one haha. I would not and did not even consider making a complaint about the Oliver plug on the show. At the end of the day 6 muscials were given airtime, and therefore when people are complaining about Oliver getting free advertisement you simple have to point to one of the other shows that were present. If I remember correctly in the sing off each week the contestants sing a musical song, which are not normaly ALW songs(granted sometimes it is), is that giving them some free advertisement? Probably. Would people complain? Probably not.

Some people just like complaining that's all

All those stuck at the back of the chorus line types who have been trying for leading parts for years are the ones moaning about these TV shows. Fair enough they have been through stage schools and done their apprenticeships but this is about star quality and if they had it then they would be chosen for leading parts.

I like watching this sort of casting because we get to choose who we want in the part. Someone fresh, a new face. The selection and quality of talent is very high.

All the Luvvyness is taken out and we are able to choose who we think is right for the part.
I love this show because all three judges and Lord Lloyd Webber are excellent constructive critics.

I know that's so (the RSC has been offering its "super seats" for years), although for Blood Brothers we could take our pick from discounted seats in the stalls, royal circle and upper circle, and in fact our upper circle seats were absolutely fine. It was lovely to see a 21-year-old show still filling its seats - albeit by discounting prices. I think ALW's TV shows can only increase the popularity of the West End and reduce the need to discount prices, and I find it disappointing that some want to hold him responsible for an influx of 'loud and disruptive crowds'. All kinds of people have been going to the theatre for years and years. Shakespeare found a way of coping with such people: he entertained them.

Of course it's advertising! And what's wrong with that?!
Popstars do performances on shows like the X Factor (incl. some of the acts that Simon Cowell manages), so why shouldn't musical theatre shows appear on shows like this? The whole thing is advertising for Christs sake! X Factor want's to sell the winner's CDs and Over The Rainbow etc want to sell theatre tickets!