2014-15 BETM Tour Cancelled

kport
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Re: 2014-15 BETM Tour Cancelled

Post by kport »

This is just a snippet, but it may shed a tiny ray of light on what happened to the rumoured 2014-15 Tour - at least it indicates that a Tour was indeed mooted:
The season took another hit in its Broadway series when two shows fell through. The touring production of “Elf” was signed, sealed and ready to be delivered for the first week of December, right before it was set to play a multiweek run in San Francisco. But the San Francisco venue refused to allow the Gallo Center to have the show earlier. “I’m like, ‘You’re kidding me.’ I mean, they have 10 million people, we have half a million people, it’s like worlds apart,” Dickerson said.

The other touring show she tried to bring in, “Billy Elliot,” fell through because of production labor negotiations. That means this season’s Broadway series carries only two multiple-show productions – “Mamma Mia” (Feb. 12-14) and “Sister Act” (March 26-27). A single show of the musical “Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” (March 8) also will be offered.
It seems ironic that BETM - a story centered around a miners' strike - should be cancelled because of a failure in labour negotiations!

http://www.modbee.com/2014/05/14/334040 ... rylink=cpy
kport
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Re: 2014-15 BETM Tour Cancelled

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Re: 2014-15 BETM Tour Cancelled

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porschesrule
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Re: 2014-15 BETM Tour Cancelled

Post by porschesrule »

The Kansas production reads like it's a local, regional production -- not a tour.

"Mounting its own production of “Billy Elliot” lets MTW come to the rescue of local theatergoers who were disappointed when the national tour, slated to come through Wichita in 2015, was abruptly cancelled before it even started. No reason was given but theater observers said it was likely because the logistics of multiple casting for the lead role of 12-year-old Billy was proving too difficult. On Broadway, Billy was played by three young dancers in rotation because of the strenuous dance demands.

Bryan says he is confident that MTW will be able to find enough accomplished young dancers to fill the show’s needs, particularly since there are only seven shows with no touring involved."
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Re: 2014-15 BETM Tour Cancelled

Post by kport »

Which is why I also posted it under a new category I created, just for this story:

http://www.billyelliottheforum.me.uk/fo ... 160&t=5097

I placed it here to link the story with the 'failed' tour, which was heading to Wichita at one time, and had quite a few comments on this thread.
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Re: 2014-15 BETM Tour Cancelled

Post by Todd »

porschesrule wrote:No reason was given but theater observers said it was likely because the logistics of multiple casting for the lead role of 12-year-old Billy was proving too difficult.
I believe this was also mentioned in another thread, but B.T. McNicholl said at the Ogunquit talk-back that the tour cancellation was due to changes that were proposed for the choreography in the tour, which Peter Darling wasn't comfortable with.
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StevenKing
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Re: 2014-15 BETM Tour Cancelled

Post by StevenKing »

I'm going to go out on a limb here(not) and say it was incredibly poorly thought out(
If at all) and booked too early before they even knew IF theY could do it. They probably asked if they could dumb it down and were told no. Everything about it comes off as unprofessional as possible.
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Re: 2014-15 BETM Tour Cancelled

Post by accessmenj »

Thank you, Peter Darling! I would rather see the show not presented than see what I like most about the ballet, "The Dancin' " modified.
kport
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Re: 2014-15 BETM Tour Cancelled

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Bryan says he is confident that MTW will be able to find enough accomplished young dancers to fill the show’s needs, particularly since there are only seven shows with no touring involved.

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2014/08/08/358772 ... rylink=cpy
Seven shows? Not even eight, that the normal theater week handles? Does that include the previews? It seems such a waste of a lot of time and effort to create BETM from nothing, unless it is to be 'dumbed down'. I really have to question whether Mr Bryan is aware of the enormity of the task of creating BETM from scratch as a regional, if standards of choreography are to be maintained? Does he have access to the talents of those who produced it on Broadway? Will he train 'new' Billy(s) for just seven shows? The whole concept beggars belief. But who knows? Maybe he and his team can do it. Maybe they will find the formula that can make this a true regional production, without drawing upon the Tour or Broadway. Perhaps they will draw upon talent from the Drury Lane (Chicago) production, its only precursor..........

Let's await the granting of a license from MTI first. That will be this theater's first hurdle to jump. It seems to like to make big announcements before all the facts are in place.
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