Are we paying too much for transfers??

[@limes4ever]

I haven't seen a staged concert transfer. I find it frustrating how short the encores production are available so having them transfer gives me more opportunity to catch them. I'll take that

[@AthynVixen]

Thank you for all these in depth discussions of otherwise not really discussed topics.and opening up conversations x

[@itskatharinequinn]

Thank YOU for engaging!

[@ThexImperfectionist]

I remember hearing a snippet of a roundtable by critics after Wicked opened, speculating that one of the reasons audiences seemed to love it (despite the critics' lukewarm reception) was that they could see their money on the stage. And that was then. I think spectacle can take many forms (look at Six which basically relies on costumes and lights for its visuals) but I think audiences can tell when a show feels incomplete. I've never gotten to see a show at encores but I did see the Chicago transfer in 2019 and was VERY underwhelmed. Fwiw, I had somehow missed the movie so that was my first experience with that show. Maybe Chicago was never going to be for me, but when I realized after the fact it was a stripped down production I had to wonder. I have since seen nearly every Kennedy center show in their broadway center stage series (similar to encores) and have enjoyed many of those much more. So maybe it depends on the show and how well it still works with minimal spectacle, or maybe for certain audience members just knowing they're not getting "the full experience" is enough to sour it for them.

[@mwmheps]

Parade is definitely one of if not my absolute favourite Broadway show from the last couple years! So that was absolutely totally worth it for me compared to many other productions. I agree that a fantastic cast/orchestra is more important to me than set pieces in general. Once Upon a Mattress more recently I do think could have benefited from a bit more going on on but that’s because the plot is very thin so could have used a bit more spectacle lol

[@zurint]

I saw Pal Joey last year at NYCC and I felt like that show had the entire package from star quality and fantastic performances to production. I was hoping that would transfer to Broadway. I am still hoping for that and for Ragtime to transfer to Broadway, especially after this past week here in America.

[@jamiefoerst]

I actually really like these striped down productions, because I think that the great performers contribute so much. AND I think that it forces more interesting use of the stage and more creative use of stage conventions.

[@KimberlyWatson-vd5wl]

I love that City Center gives us the opportunity to experience shows that might not ever get a revival. Titanic would be insanely expensive to mount a full production. Ragtime I think would also be difficult to mount due to its large cast, orchestra & larger than life sets I remember from the original production. I saw both shows at City Center and loved them.

[@hilltempleton]

I’m sooo in my revival era rn, and I give full credit to the Kennedy Center’s Broadway Center Stage (I live in the DC era). I’m grabbing tickets as soon as they go on sale because I know they will deliver with an absolutely STACKED cast, and then I predict which productions will transfer to Broadway. Also, the NYCC transfers are great because I have never been able to line up a NYC trip with a NYCC production, so it’s my opportunity to see beloved shows with again, an absolutely stacked cast. I’m loving LOVING L O V I N G the strategy here right now.

[@2gregsoccer]

I’m actually watching this on the train ride back home from Ragtime at NYCC. I’ve seen OUAM, Titanjc, and Ragtime and all I can say is the hype of each production is always worth it (whether it transfers or not). And to be fair - the “stripped down” “concert”-style that NYCC is known for - isn’t a completely bare-bones production at all (like the Les Mis 10th and 25th concerts). There actually are some real staging and choreography, set design and props, lighting and sound design, etc. This also makes it easier to transfer because a lot of the technical and directional choices are already planned. They’re not “parking and barking” as some people imply they’re doing when they mention a concert version. If ragtime were to transfer for example, I’d just expect a slightly more involved set design and everything else could stay as is and still be fantastic

[@yankee04]

Agree on rather see stacked cast and full orchestra than expansive sets, although that may depend on the show.

[@crosleytirnghoti5951]

I hear what you’re saying but….i went to nyc to see Sweeney Todd with Josh Groban and it was a realized revival. It was stunning. There’s nothing like a fully realized show with crazy talent all around. I have no problem with concerts but paying full price? Never.

[@Ranger7Studios]

I once put up a production of Fiddler in ten days. You'd be surprised at how fast you can learn a show. A lot of it has to to with repetition. How many of us do multiple shows/entire seasons for theater companies? You gotta' figure Three to Five shows a summer stock season or so. Practice makes perfect I guess.

[@jkuykendoll]

It doesnt always have to be about having a car on stage, or a giant staircase set on hydraulic lifts. Watching Nicole Scherzinger stand in the middle of a stage, cloaked in light and smoke, sing her face off is spectacle! But i do think we need to be careful when comparing these revivals with the development of new shows. Starting with a known and proven show and tinkering around the edges is very differnt from trying to craft something new.

[@pepperminttree]

i never really thought about this, but i much more prefer an elaborate set. i saw into the woods and it was amazing, but the bare set kind of irked me. i feel itw is meant to be a bit more immersive, not minimal

[@Ranger7Studios]

Movies turned in to musical seem to be doing well as well, to some extent.

[@kathleenewing3673]

I'd rather have a lavish orchestra than fancy sets and costumes. And I liked Into The Woods and Parade, am curious if Ragtime transfers.

[@actj700]

What makes me sad about this is that the focus is on encompassing and embracing these super star stacked casts and we are ignoring talent that is lesser (or even unknown) so we can hear the voices of people we already know. That is the hard part for me to swallow.

[@itskatharinequinn]

I think the flipside of this is that the casts are so much larger than your standard Broadway musical and often folks make their Broadway debut from a city center Transfer! Whether it's ensemble or covering or otherwise. But I totally hear you.

[@ceruleantear1]

I've never seen a concert in person and honestly, I'd be disappointed if I paid good money for a pared down show. A star studded cast doesn't mean that much to me since I find most singers in theater to be talented. When I pay to watch a show I expect to see everything the show has to offer.

[@yankee04]

Disagree with value for money comment. I saw Mattress at the Hudson, but not the City Center production. Was it identical? I didn’t have any issue with the set. Was there supposed to be an epic castle? If so, didn’t miss it. Seeing Ragtime just before it closes.

[@jkuykendoll]

I saw it at both, and from a staging perspective it was pretty much the same.

[@yankee04]

@@jkuykendoll Have other previous productions had a large castle?