are there too many musicals in concert? | the problem with musical concerts in West End theatres

[@Gee-xb7rt]

That is the fastest i have seen anyone grow hair.

[@cassandragough]

😂

[@Thefantastic_mrJ]

My thoughts exactly 😂😂

[@darrenbertram7289]

It took me sixteen minutes to realise! 😂

[@Floop1977]

@@darrenbertram7289 Please explain, I'm struggling to cope

[@zartig09]

The biggest frustration is when a show announcement teaser is posted, and everyone gets excited their favourite show is returning, then it turns out to be a concert. Its kinda making trying to guess the show fun, when so many just turn out to be one-off concerts. Maybe the teasers could at least state its for a concert.

[@marrog]

So I owe you a big thank you. Last weekend I had dinner with my editor (debut novel next year eek) at the massive nerd convention Worldcon, which was in Glasgow this year. It was the first time we'd met in person and we got on like a house on fire. I asked her about her PhD, and it was in theatre and in particular deconstructing 'modern' Shakespeare adaptations - queer, feminist, what-have-you. As longtime fans of NT Live we (I cowrite with my wife) had seen a fair few productions, but lemme tell you: having watched your channel religiously these past few months I sounded SO up-to-date on the current state of Shakespeare and just theatre generally. We get down to London for a show only once a year or so, plus the odd NT Live, but the extra context I had, the names of directors and their signature styles, the sense of where we are in this moment... yeah, if we ever somehow run into one another, I owe you your beverage of choice.

[@emhu2594]

Mickeyjo hates Shakespeare, he is the absolute worst one to listen to on classical theater. I assume you have seen some of the recent RSC shows, like loves labors lost, midsummer nights dream, and merry wives of windsor? Also, the recent Martins inhangbe Othello is coming to streaming soon. Tom Holland Romeo and Juliet had great things about it, but it didn't seem like it was finished. Mickeyjo hates Jamie Lloyds style except for sunset Blvd, so he is not a good source for assessing his shows. If you haven't seen the "good" modernized Shakespeare shows they have been producing, you shouldn't be generalizing about the state of modern Shakespeare plays. The globe productions don't need to be mentioned as they are unserious garbage for tourists...their shows have to be modernized and controversial to sell tickets, their productions aren't even at a high school level.

[@interspace11]

That Something Rotten concert was awesome though

[@rachi5212]

I have a number if issues with the increasing number of ‘concert’ performances… I think the number of these diminishes the genuine anniversary / charity concerts. I remember going to the cinema to watch the 25th Anniversary Concerts of Les Mis and Phantom, and these were truly joyous celebrations, with original cast members being celebrated. They can give a false perspective of appetite for a run, it is easy to build excitement for a one-off performance, that may not translate to having an audience for an extended run. Many of these concerts utilise theatres where another show is running so are on Sundays or Mondays - If you live outside of London it isn’t always feasible to travel and stay over for a one-off date, unless it is for a special occasion. I would love to see some of the bigger names in an extended run of a show, but presumably they are getting more money for a one-off concert rather than having to commit to a run. I watched the 10th anniversary reunion concert of Fun Home in January. This was all the original Broadway cast (with the exception of the kids as they had aged out) and it was evident they were so happy to be back together and performing this again. It was in Joe’s Pub, which is a tiny venue, and streamed worldwide so anyone could watch it, from anywhere. This is what reunion concerts should be about!

[@dylansmith1833]

I would love to see a London version of Encores done there. That said, I like the idea of concerts for newer musicals so that they can build momentum (IYKYK) and find an audience which can lead to a fully staged production. I cannot wait to see Figaro: The Musical at the Palladium in February! That musical needs to be on your radar! The concept recording is amazing!

[@kingarthurslance]

There is also very frequently a huge ticket pricing disparity for many of the less popular concerts as the initial prices are set so high. At more than one concert I’ve been sat with last-minute £25 tickets next to fans who paid 4-8x that when they went on sale, which does not feel hugely sustainable as a business model.

[@CarlosDRuiz-ow9jr]

On June 28, 2024, at Lincoln Center, NYC, I saw the concert version of A Little Night Music. Oh My God, WOW. Despite the exorbitant ticket price for a one night only event, I had a transformative theatre experience. Cynthia Erivo killed it as the maid. Her rendition of The Miller's Son brought down the house. However, the orchestration of the music was the stand out of the evening. I believe that A Little Night Music with the lush orchestration I heard that night should be a staple of The Metropolitan Opera's repertoire. PERIOD

[@catherineelmore2004]

Ooh... I'm nowhere near New York but I would have loved to have seen that!

[@MsDaphne13]

Are you going to the Spies are Forever concert? Really looking forward to that one!

[@mwmheps]

It's a shame you missed Something Rotten as it really was fantastic - hope it gets a full run!

[@emhu2594]

I thought it was dumb...but it would have been fine as a one woman show starring marisha wallace

[@TonyLon]

I thought it was terrific. It’s never made it as a full production on this side of the pond (although it ran very successfully on Broadway) and so this was the only way I’d ever get to see it. Just hope it now does get a full staging somewhere soon in the UK.

[@TheatreIzzy]

What annoys me is never knowing what you're getting. Personally if there's a show I've never seen before, just hearing the songs being sung doesn't do anything for me- I need the plot to enjoy it. And some concerts you get an almost fully staged production. But I'd never buy concert tickets because I don't want to run the risk of there being no staging and having no idea what's going on

[@emhu2594]

I've never been to a staged concert and not followed the plot...what kind of musicals have you been watching?

[@TheatreIzzy]

@emhu2594 well I've never been to a musical concert. If it's just people stood on stage singing the songs into a microphone how am I meant to know the plot? Especially if it's not something sung-through. Most need stage direction and (if not sung through) dialogue outside the songs

[@emhu2594]

​@@TheatreIzzy I think you would like it if you like musicals. Most of them I've seen have been good, some of them great.

[@ellie1981]

Yes, this. I saw Kinky Boots concert and most of the cast were reading from scripts in their hand and not even in any kind of costume. Then again I saw Wild About You, which was practically a fully staged show, albeit something kind of being workshopped.

[@lara_bejes7890]

I still wish I could've made it to the concerts of once and spring awakening. Am having very big regrets about skipping out on those 😭

[@jocelynchen3460]

For some shows like Your Lie in April do concerts to see how the audience like it, then deciding whether a full production is possible. I guess. But prices aren’t the most friendly.

[@andrewhowells8328]

The main thing for me is it gives me a chance to see shows I might otherwise never see.

[@hannahgreen8999]

I loved the Addams Family and absolutely adored Something Rotten but I had been wanting to see it for ages. I always get a bit nervous for concerts but I thought they did a great job.

[@Frx0289]

Completely agree about tech (especially sound) issues in concerts, and I seem to notice one production company seems worse than others, which sadly makes me hesitant to see their shows. I also don't really see the point in putting on concerts of shows that are touring, regularly tour, or are going on tour soon. I love a concert that gives me an opportunity to show me something new or an old show that will likely never come to a full production anytime soon.

[@charlesanderson5816]

I have only been to a few of these stage concerts. Death Note and the British musical Babies My main reason for going to these is for the shows that I have never seen. I went to Theatre Royal Drury lane's Something Rotten as this was a show that many people including myself, have wanted to come to the UK.The whole concert was a joy. Brilliant performances from Richard Fleischman as William Shakespeare, Jason manford as Nick Bottom. Gary Wilmot as Nostradamus and Marisha Wallace as Nick bottom's wife Bea. The whole cast was amazing.Great choreography and staging made the whole evening magical. I was lucky to meet the writers Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell. Hopefully that there might be a full production of the show

[@georges1991]

spies in the thumbnail 🥹

[@lennies_mindful_life]

Me too I can't wait to see it, only 3 weeks to go now!!!

[@nys1emt]

I saw Titanic at City Center and it was fabulous! First time seeing a “concert” style, but they did have 2 weeks rehearsal. Only a few folks used in hand music; most everyone had their songs down pat. The orchestra was, I think, 30+ pieces and I think that made a big difference, but it by no means drowned (no pun intended) anyone out. The cast and orchestra were a perfect match!!❤️ Love your channel!!

[@youffraita2402]

If you haven't seen it, there is (or was) a proshot of the staged concert version of Company starring Neil Patrick Harris as Bobby (music from the NY Philharmonic). I've watched it here on KZbin, and highly recommend it.

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

@@youffraita2402 I watched it in a cinema the year it was performed!

[@gillyuk1013]

The best concert version I’ve seen is one of the earliest ones, Doctor Zhivago at Cadogan Hall. They were standing at music stands, no costumes as far as I recall, but Ramin, Celinde and Kelly Mathieson sung their faces off and gave a masterclass in acting through song. It was perfect. The ones at Drury Lane/Palladium seem to pull in audiences with big theatre names, try to pretty much fully stage it, and then can’t live up to expectations because the rehearsals for both cast and tech is so short and the end product is often SO poor. (Also shout out to the Pirate Queen at the Coliseum with Rachel Tucker and Hannah Waddingham. One of the best things I’ve seen on stage and also a concert production.)

[@palomafreitas3312]

If it can be done right I think they’re phenomenal. I don’t even mind that it’s only one or two nights. If you can do something really cool and make something really special happen just for a tiny moment in time, that is the beauty of theatre. And yes, I’m just talking about Pippin at the Theatre Royale. Which originally I was like “pippin as a concert doesn’t work cause of the themes of being misled by grandeur” but if you use the label to do some really cool things with orchestra and choir and staging, then it’s just like any other performance. And I guess the point then is it’s not so much “in concert” as the concept of the show is that it’s a concert. Sweeney Todd did this in San Francisco a few years back and I LOVED it

[@amitmeir8109]

Concert productions are very interesting and I'm always happy when you talk about them. I think one of the most famous shows to stage concert versions of the musical is of course Les Miserables, being staged as a concert in 1995, 2010, 2019/2020 and now (2024). What are your thoughts on those concerts?

[@JackieWarner13]

A carousel concert in Melbourne and Sydney got announced & looks like Sydney one has been cancelled but also it was very expensive. I don't think Australia gets too many musical concerts tbh but we get a lot of the same shows rotating every few years which is kinda annoying so guess no room for other events & only certain amount venues.

[@metsogrand]

Yes the Carousel concert was superb with a wonderful cast . The Oklahoma version you mentioned was not really for me but ok .I am Just back from Edinburgh where I attended the Kerry Ellis /John Owen Jones Concert. A superb duo who delivered the goods [ I have just nicked that line from you } I would love a workshop/concert version of " In The Light " in London . There was a 2 night one In NY. I regularly listen to" the In The Light CD" . To me it could /should become a wonderful hit on stage . Jeremy Jordan of course on the CD is a factor but even without Jeremy " I. T. L. has legs " . I watched your first post of The Edinburgh festival/fringe and admire your fortitude and candid reviews . 🎼🎵🎶🎹🎦

[@palomafreitas3312]

Did you see the disastrous Bare concert where there was not just no tech rehearsal but also no tech design

[@DJWhovian]

Went to the Spring Awakening concert and I enjoyed the show, but the theatre experience wasn't the best. The venue was late opening and then there was a long queue for the merchandise and it turned out they had no separate queue or even the pre-purchased merchandise available which meant having to go back in the interval, but it was so difficult to get to as the corridors were overcrowded (which I don't know if this is standard for the Victoria Palace Theatre) and no real indication of the different queues for merchandise and toilets. Also i was in the back row of the front stalls with those big rows and because I was queuing right up to the end of the interval i had to climb over seat as it was impossible move down the rows behind.

[@sarak.1742]

Was gonna go see Ghost in concert, saw the ticket prices and decided to go see it on tour instead 😂

[@ivyblytheedits1097]

I saw the Carousel concert with jamie muscato and though he was amazing... sadly the sound and was really bad. It kept going in and out and if a soprano hit a top not, the mic would screech. Also, the cast being in prom-like clothing rather than something akin to carousel costumes was really distracting 😢 I think you're right, the lack of time for rehearsals shows deeply in these concerts. It's shame that so much talent goes to waste 😢

[@michaeldenney6622]

i would rather see concert productions be available vialivestream and or digital purchase as well asblu ray and dvdmake it so mickey jo

[@michaeladkins6]

I saw the edited tik tok short of Jack Wolfe singing in Spring Awakening. The back to back of I Dont Do Sadness and Im Alive is impressive. Is there a full version of the Spring Awakening concert somewhere?

[@richardmccarthy9580]

Guilty as charged ! Saw Love Never Dies in concert last year and off to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels in concert in November…..that said in the last year also seen John Owen Jones, Jon Robyn’s….and last Monday Bernadette Peters in concert……enjoyed them all

[@MidwesternDiva]

To me, the pinnacle of musicals in concert is the Emma Thompson version of Sweeney. It’s basically a minimalist staging.

[@musiquesoul]

I was really excited to for the anniversary concert of cool rider which was always a concert show anyway but the tickets were extortionate for the type of show it is which meant true fans couldn't go.

[@loobs-kirk]

There’s far too many of these overpriced and often poorly produced concerts. I hate how a big exciting announcement is teased and then you find out its just a concert version. Such a let down.

[@loobs-kirk]

Also it feels like the producers just want to take advantage of theatregoers. In particular young fans - these concerts often star at least one typical fandom favourite that they know these fans will pay anything to see (often multiple times)

[@emhu2594]

I am not young, but i see Jamie muscato, marisha Wallace, or Rachel Tucker, i book. They are always great (even tho I was suffering through something rotten every time marisha left the stage)

[@claireybella74boxall51]

Sounds awful, but I tend to go to the concert shows dependent on who is cast. At the same time, I don't go if I don't like who has been cast if it is one of my fave shows (I'm sure I am not alone in this!) I have seen concerts of shows that I would never have normally gone to see as well, and enjoyed (some have made me want to see the show, some have confirmed my thoughts of not seeing it in the first place!) The cost of the tickets is the big issue for me though, and I normally end up paying more than I want to or sitting near the back in my price range. Dream concert would have to be Rock of Ages, but with the original London cast. That show and cast hold a lot of happy memories for me :)

[@ChristopherButler-um2ko]

Do you have tickets for City Center's Ragtime? That is going to be thrilling.

[@yankee04]

I am so excited to see Ragtime! What a cast!

[@meganrobinson9867]

The only musical in concert I have ever been interested in seeing is Love Never Dies (I’m still bitter I wasn’t able to go last year if you couldn’t tell)

[@ANightworkerslife]

Hmm I just have a thought when it comes to "musical in concert". I guess this is a fast way for the producers to earn money... But not only are they screwing the audience by overpricing... they are also screwing over the performers and artists and musicians... These are persons that has trained for years to do the actual shows in their entirety. Now they are being thrown in to a concert version where they don't get enough rehearsal time but are they even paid properly? Is there something in place to secure a proper payment for this? Musical artists has trained for years to do entire shows for weeks on end, and they have paid for their education to be able to do this, A concert version forces them into something where they don't have their normal outlet.. "how much should I perform the song? Should I perform from the sheet music or put in some emotion? etc etc" Not only do they take away from the artists but they also think that the audience wants this.. well, I, for one, want to see the full show... if I am going to see a concert version it has to be dirt sheep. Why? Because it is NOT the full thing.

[@ebbage3]

I bumped into Michelle Visage at the Bernadette Peters concert earlier this week and she said they are looking at trying to do the Addams family again with an extended run.

[@Emto-u8c]

Will you be seeing Barnum at the Watermill?

[@jonsampiro]

Now I have Rainbow Tour stuck in my head.

[@danjon8799]

Interesting thoughts. In my opinion I do think the idea of these staged concerts would be good if they were done for the right intentions. But they're not. So my thought is if they are to be lucrative why don't they instead open up the rights for producing theatres to create their own production? I think back to the success of stuff like Miss Saigon at the Crucible and although there never seemed a plan for the show to transfer to the West End (partly because I don't think it would work - it was so well suited for the space it was in and that minimal production would be something that would be seen as a cheapout on the original production if it was to transfer) I think about the lucrative success that the Crucible had. I have a friend who works there and he said to me that he has never seen that big a buzz for a show there and for me immediately I think if these people who held the rights weren't so greedy and allowed producing theatres to gain these rights for shows that may not have had a previous life beyond London then it would create buzz for theatre for the country. Plus the good thing is if the show was a success then this could mean that the show would be able to transfer to London which would make it even more lucrative given it will have had the move to London.

[@fringelilyfringelily391]

The best concert version I have ever seen was the semi-staged 2004 version of Candide with Kristen Chenoweth, Patti Lupone and the New York Philharmonic ... I have seen a few Candides, live and on video and it left all the others for dead. PS: on a side note, The Sydney Theatre Company version of Into The Woods was, in my opinion, much better than the Broadway version, both of which I saw live.. It had better performances, and particularly, had much better visuals. PPS: I'm coming to London from Oz next week for a month to see Hadestown, Cabaret At The Kit Kat Club and Hello Dolly ... and I would love to give you a big OMG if I see you around the West End, since you are the best theatre critic on the web ... no-one else does it with such perception and depth.

[@Rik77]

Personally speaking i just dont have an interesting in these tyoes of concerts. If im going to spend that kind of money on a show, i want the full theatre experience. I get that some of this is msybe due to the success of Six which is sort of halfway between concert and show. But id rather spend my money on a big production.

[@BridgeLil]

Yeah you know what’s happening when you see a random concert with a Star-studded cast…I just hope that quick money is put to good use

[@shlouise]

The poor sound is such a big issue, I resent paying £100 for a ticket to them not be able to hear a third of the lines being delivered! Bat Boy springs to mind, JLG's mike wasn't even on for his opening line!

[@palomafreitas3312]

Oh hunny the once concert was like three years ago

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

It was, in fact, last year!

[@wonderfaller]

It's NEVER too much. The problem is... I'm too poor.

[@seattlesusieq]

I saw Titanic in NY and LOVED it. What an amazing cast. I'll be in NY in October to see Adam Lambert in Cabaret and I've got one afternoon to choose a show for. Thinking of Mattress, but I'm not that big a fan of Sutton Foster. Suggestions? Something Rotten - hilarious! Loved it!

[@noodleperson17]

Mickey-Jo, I know it’s your schtick but please s-l-o-w down a bit!

[@olliewhite8076]

Honestly something rotten in concert was amazing so gutted you couldn’t see but I really hope it returns as a full production some point in the near future

[@ren598]

Agree. Something Rotten! In Concert was fantastic. Saw it the first night and had to get a ticket to see it again the next night. I’d seen Something Rotten! on Broadway and on tour in the U.S. and this concert version in the West End was definitely on par with those productions. I would say the orchestration was better in the concert version.

[@rhodeisland9096]

I think the bigger question here is how the hell have you gained about 8 inches of less than a week. Has your partner been putting miracle grow in your drinks? (Neither my phone or dyslexic me can spell his name )

[@rhodeisland9096]

I think it’s an official Mickey Jo is a superhero. He has the power to grow 6 inches of hair in two days. At this rate in a bit of fortnight, if you don’t cut your hair, you’re gonna look like cousin it from the Addams family 😂❤

[@lighthouse3384]

Prefer this hair style, showing my age but did not like skinheads.😊

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

Don't worry, I haven't cut your hair 😉