Anyone know the REAL reason Hello Dolly refused to perform at the TONYS?

[RicardoMagon]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 7:41pm

I only ask because I want to take my Mom to the touring show and when I asked if she wanted to go, she said " well show me some clips ". And I couldn't  because they didn't perform on the tonys. I don't want to rant but it really irked me that they gave such a lame ( and obviously lying) excuse for why they chose not to perform.

We didn't have enough money to see the show on broadway with Bette Midler. Speaking as someone who comes from a poor family, this show really put a bad taste in my mouth with how it marketed itself. This show is the very definition of snobby Broadway elite. Asking people to pay that much to see Bette Midler.

It's not just this show of course but it seems like Broadway is becoming just for the very rich now. To be frank, this is why I don't feel bad about watching bootlegs. The prices of shows now....my family just can't keep up financially. The 3 times I saw Hamilton, 2 of those times I was lucky to go with a friend who had an extra ticket and the other was a school trip.

 

 

 

[taylortrensch]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 7:52pm

If you can't afford to see a show, don't see it. Simple as that. Maybe you should save your money for things other than shows if you're so upset about prices. Just calm down lol

[EleanorC]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 7:53pm

RicardoMagon said: "I only ask because I want to take my Mom to the touring show and when I asked if she wanted to go, she said " well show me some clips". And I couldn't because they didn't perform on the tonys. I don't want to rant but it really irked me that they gave such a lame ( and obviously lying) excuse for why they chose not to perform.

We didn't have enough money to see the show on broadway with Bette Midler. Speaking as someone who comes from a poor family, this show really put a bad taste in my mouth with how it marketeditself. This show is the very definition of snobby Broadway elite. Asking people to pay that much to see Bette Midler.

It's not just this show of course but it seems like Broadway is becoming just for the very rich now. To be frank, this is why I don't feel bad about watching bootlegs. The prices of shows now....my family just can't keep up financially. The 3 times I saw Hamilton, 2 of those times I was lucky to go with a friend who had an extra ticket and the other was a school trip.
 

If I'm not mistaken David Hyde Pierce did perform from the company of Hello Dolly at the 2017 Tony awards?

He sand Penny in my pocket, https://www.msn.com/en-ca/video/animals/see-david-hyde-pierces-rousing-performance-at-the-71st-annual-tony-awards/vp-BBCxc8x



"

 

[Impossible2]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:01pm

RicardoMagon said: "I only ask because I want to take my Mom to the touring show and when I asked if she wanted to go, she said " well show me some clips". And I couldn't because they didn't perform on the tonys. I don't want to rant but it really irked me that they gave such a lame ( and obviously lying) excuse for why they chose not to perform.

We didn't have enough money to see the show on broadway with Bette Midler. Speaking as someone who comes from a poor family, this show really put a bad taste in my mouth with how it marketeditself. This show is the very definition of snobby Broadway elite. Asking people to pay that much to see Bette Midler.

It's not just this show of course but it seems like Broadway is becoming just for the very rich now. To be frank, this is why I don't feel bad about watching bootlegs. The prices of shows now....my family just can't keep up financially. The 3 times I saw Hamilton, 2 of those times I was lucky to go with a friend who had an extra ticket and the other was a school trip.





"

Hamilton is at least twice as expensive as Hello Dolly *shrugs

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:06pm

The new definition of being poor in America 2018... getting to see Hamilton 3 times but couldn't afford Bette Midler in Dolly.

There are plenty of very reasonably priced seats right now to see Bernadette Peters who is a Broadway legend and is absolutely wonderful as Dolly. Discounts are widely available. Would that not give you a good chance to see the show at a reasonable price?

[RicardoMagon]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:06pm

EleanorC said: "RicardoMagon said: "I only ask because I want to take my Mom to the touring show and when I asked if she wanted to go, she said " well show me some clips". And I couldn't because they didn't perform on the tonys. I don't want to rant but it really irked me that they gave such a lame ( and obviously lying) excuse for why they chose not to perform.

We didn't have enough money to see the show on broadway with Bette Midler. Speaking as someone who comes from a poor family, this show really put a bad taste in my mouth with how it marketeditself. This show is the very definition of snobby Broadway elite. Asking people to pay that much to see Bette Midler.

It's not just this show of course but it seems like Broadway is becoming just for the very rich now. To be frank, this is why I don't feel bad about watching bootlegs. The prices of shows now....my family just can't keep up financially. The 3 times I saw Hamilton, 2 of those times I was lucky to go with a friend who had an extra ticket and the other was a school trip.


If I'm not mistaken David Hyde Pierce did perform from the company of Hello Dolly at the 2017 Tony awards?

He sand Penny in my pocket,https://www.msn.com/en-ca/video/animals/see-david-hyde-pierces-rousing-performance-at-the-71st-annual-tony-awards/vp-BBCxc8x



"
 If they didn't want to perform with big sets because of the gap in the stage or whatever, then why not just perform "Elegance"? Give us something. Not a song no one had ever heard of. It just left a bad taste in my mouth and I know I'm not alone with that opinion.

 

[RicardoMagon]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:09pm

Impossible2 said: "RicardoMagon said: "I only ask because I want to take my Mom to the touring show and when I asked if she wanted to go, she said " well show me some clips". And I couldn't because they didn't perform on the tonys. I don't want to rant but it really irked me that they gave such a lame ( and obviously lying) excuse for why they chose not to perform.

We didn't have enough money to see the show on broadway with Bette Midler. Speaking as someone who comes from a poor family, this show really put a bad taste in my mouth with how it marketeditself. This show is the very definition of snobby Broadway elite. Asking people to pay that much to see Bette Midler.

It's not just this show of course but it seems like Broadway is becoming just for the very rich now. To be frank, this is why I don't feel bad about watching bootlegs. The prices of shows now....my family just can't keep up financially. The 3 times I saw Hamilton, 2 of those times I was lucky to go with a friend who had an extra ticket and the other was a school trip.





"

Hamilton is at least twice as expensive as Hello Dolly *shrugs"

I saw Hamilton for free  2 out of the 3 times. No way I could afford Hamilton 3 times if I hadn't gotten lucky, Pretty sure I explained this in my original post.

 

 

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:15pm

I am by noooooo means “...the very definition of Broadway snobby elite”. If anything I’m lower middle class, barely clearing $30k take-home pay last year. But I do love my shows, seeing 19 National Tour productions since Nov. 2015. By the end of this October that total will be 27, including my first-ever Broadway shows, and I’m almost 60 years old. I guess you can say I got a late start, only appreciating Broadway productions in the past few years. 

And I agree that the cost of tickets for on-Broadway shows are expensive. I had planned on attempting to make a visit to Broadway sometime in 2020, but “Hello, Dolly!” changed my mind, as did a couple other shows that peaked my curiosity. So I splurged, big time for me, and I’m proud to say I’m losing my Broadway “virginity” next week. lol

Tens of thousands of regular non-“Broadway snobby Elite”  see shows every year. They either use TKTS or Rush to get tickets at a much cheaper price, sometimes up to 50% off. 

The National Tour of “Hello, Dolly!” begins in October, and if you can’t make it to NYC catch the tour. Or book a trip to NYC and use TKTS for the show. They may be nose-bleed or partially obstructed, but you’ll get to see the show. If you’re not successful, see another show while your there. 

Don't assume that people who attend Broadway shows are top tier society. They’re regular folks just like you and me, many of them/us saving for years and years.

And don’t let this put a bad taste on your mouth. Shoot for the stars and aim high. It’ll happen, maybe not this year, but set a goal. 

Good luck!

 

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:17pm

It irks me too that the Tony performance was lackluster. If you look on YouTube there are some Bette clips here and there.

Updated On: 5/23/18 at 08:17 PM

[gypsy101]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:20pm

it’s called show BUSINESS. the producers are there to make money.

i personally agree that it seemed kind of tacky to not have a real performance at the Tonys but i guess that’s how the producers wanted to do things

[IlanaKeller]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:24pm

"Hello, Dolly" has had ticket deals for like $39 for months and months. Not to quibble on pricing, but I am fairly certain you can see it on Broadway for LESS now than the touring production in most cases.

"Not a song no one had ever heard of."

It must be really hard then for all those bazillions of people to watch the Tonys when a new musical performs a number. Perhaps the cast of "Mean Girls" can sing "I Whistle A Happy Tune" this year.

[RicardoMagon]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:24pm

dmwnc1959 said: "I am by noooooo means “...the very definition of Broadway snobby elite”. If anything I’m lower middle class,barely clearing $30k take-home pay last year. But I do love my shows, seeing 19 National Tour productions since Nov. 2015. By the end of this Octoberthat total will be 27, including my first-ever Broadway shows, and I’m almost 60 years old. I guess you can say I got a late start, only appreciating Broadway productions in the past few years.

And I agree that the cost of tickets for on-Broadway shows areexpensive. I had planned on attempting to make a visit to Broadway sometime in 2020, but “Hello, Dolly!” changed my mind,as did a couple other shows that peaked my curiosity. So I splurged, big time for me, and I’m proud to say I’m losing my Broadway “virginity” next week. lol

Tens of thousands of regular non-“Broadway snobby Elite”see shows every year. They either use TKTS or Rush to get tickets at a much cheaper price, sometimes up to 50% off.

The National Tour of “Hello, Dolly!” begins in October, and if you can’t make it to NYC catch the tour. Or book a trip to NYC and use TKTS for the show. They may be nose-bleed or partially obstructed, but you’ll get to see the show. If you’re not successful, see another show while your there.

Don't assume that people who attend Broadway shows are top tier society. They’re regular folks just like you and me, many of them/us saving for years and years.

And don’t let this put a bad taste on your mouth. Shoot for the stars and aim high.It’ll happen, maybe not this year,but set a goal.

Good luck!

"

Thank you so much for that thoughtful and educational response. I should clarify, I didn't mean people seeing Dolly were the snobby elite, I was referring to Scott Rudin and other producers like that, as the snobby elite for charging the crap out of their shows. 

I remember reading an article about how many people were upset that Bette Middler changed the date of her last show with Dolly and people had to re-book tickets and change their entire flight plans and how there was a rumor going around that the producers did that so they could up the price or something like that. It's stuff like that that really turns me off to Broadway. 

But I should admit, I am a novice when it comes to musicals and shows. So maybe this is just how the industry is?

 

[haterobics]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:27pm

RicardoMagon said: "If they didn't want to perform with big sets because of the gap in the stage or whatever, then why not just perform "Elegance"? Give us something. Not a song no one had ever heard of. It just left a bad taste in my mouth and I know I'm not alone with that opinion."

They did offer to do the title number from the Shubert and sell all seats in the house as a Tony watching BC/EFA fundraiser, but the Tonys refused. And if you have a standoff with Rudin, he isn't likely to cave.

It isn't hard to find a group of people to have a collective groan about things online, it's only when you masquerade validation with vindication that things go off the rails.

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:27pm

To answer the question of why Rudin didn't have a better number at the Tony's: he's sort of a ****and got into an argument with the producers of the TV show. He wanted it streamed live from the Shubert and not on the actual Tony stage and they said no so as a result he sent DHP to sing "Penny in My Pocket." 

[RicardoMagon]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:36pm

poisonivy2 said: "To answer the question of why Rudin didn't have a better number at the Tony's: he's sort of a ****and got into an argument with the producers of the TV show. He wanted it streamed live from the Shubert and not on the actual Tony stage and they said no so as a result he sent DHP to sing "Penny in My Pocket.""

Ah I see. It was an ego thing. figures.

I guess the thing I don't understand is, the TONYS let people all around the country see what is going on in new york. I thought a big reason as to why shows perform on the tony awards, is that they can stay up longer and have more tickets bought if they tour? So why would the producers of Hello Dolly  expect people to buy tickets to a Hello Dolly tour that no one outside of new york has seen clips of? Are they just banking on the title? That seems  foolish. The woman they cast as Dolly isn't a house hold name ( though I'm sure she's very talented). 

It just seems like an odd marketing decision tour wise. Why pay $100 dollars to see a show that has done absolutely no marketing to people in the midwest and such?

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:37pm

RicardoMagon said: "Thank you so much for that thoughtful and educational response. I should clarify,I didn't mean people seeing Dolly were the snobby elite, I was referring to Scott Rudin and other producers like that,as the snobbyelite for charging the crap out of their shows.

I remember readingan article about how many people were upset that Bette Middler changed the date of her last show with Dolly and people had to re-book tickets and change their entire flight plans and how there was a rumor going around that the producers did that so they could up the price or something like that. It's stuff like that that really turns me off to Broadway.

But I should admit, I am a novice when it comes to musicals and shows. So maybe this is just how the industry is?"

If you're going to take every rumor you hear as gospel truth, you're going to get turned off to a lot of things. And you can make Scott Rudin out to be a bogeyman if you want, but he's running a business and if he didn't charge what people are willing to pay, he would be doing a disservice to his investors. Until you're willing to reimburse him for his losses in shows like 1984, Sweat etc., don't criticize him for using his pricing power when he can.

[morosco]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:41pm

"...I was referring to Scott Rudin and other producers like that, as the snobby elite for charging the crap out of their shows."

The producers don't set the prices, the consumer does. 

[dmwnc1959]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:42pm

RicardoMagon said: “Thank you so much for that thoughtful and educational response. I should clarify,I didn't mean people seeing Dolly were the snobby elite, I was referring to Scott Rudin and other producers like that,as the snobbyelite for charging the crap out of their shows.

I remember readingan article about how many people were upset that Bette Middler changed the date of her last show with Dolly and people had to re-book tickets and change their entire flight plans and how there was a rumor going around that the producers did that so they could up the price or something like that. It's stuff like that that really turns me off to Broadway.

But I should admit, I am a novice when it comes to musicals and shows. So maybe this is just how the industry is?”

 

Whether that’s the way the industry is or not, it’s no reason to get so upset that you’ll throw in the towel on a dream. Don’t try to figure it out, just set that goal and do what it takes to achieve it. 

I had originally purchased my “Hello, Dolly!” ticket to see Bernadette Peters just two weeks before they announced the show was closing and Bette Midler was returning. No one saw that coming. No one. So, I bit the bullet and bought a second ticket, and another round trip airfare. It’s costing me an arm and a leg. 

Clear your head, get out a piece of paper, and start planning. Nothing is more exciting. 

 

[RicardoMagon]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:47pm

"If you're going to takeevery rumor you hear as gospeltruth, you're going to get turned off to a lot of things. And you can make Scott Rudin out to be a bogeyman if you want, but he's running a business and if he didn't charge what people are willing to pay, he would be doing a disservice to his investors. Until you're willing to reimburse him for his losses in shows like 1984, Sweat etc., don't criticize him for using his pricing power when he can."

My gut tells me that rumor is more true than not. Reading the replies on here, I get the feeling that Scott Rudin isn't well liked on here by other people also, which tells my original post isn't completely unwarranted. Alas, Scott Rudin is rich, so I don't have sympathy for the shows he produced that didn't make him as rich as Dolly did.

[haterobics]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:47pm

RicardoMagon said: "I remember readingan article about how many people were upset that Bette Middler changed the date of her last show with Dolly and people had to re-book tickets and change their entire flight plans and how there was a rumor going around that the producers did that so they could up the price or something like that. It's stuff like that that really turns me off to Broadway."

You've twisted a bunch of half-truths into some new reality.

She was scheduled to end her run on January 14 at 2p. They added one additional show that night at 8p as a benefit for The Actor's Fund. So, there was no requirement to rebook or redo anything, unless you were adamant about seeing her last show, which as we now find out, wasn't the last show anyway.

The tickets were far more expensive for the benefit that night, but the producers, the entire cast, and crew all donate their time for free and don't make a dime, as I understand it. So yes, they played to a very wealthy house at massively marked-up prices so a charity made a LOT of money. Which seems like a strange thing to turn one off to Broadway.

[RicardoMagon]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:53pm

haterobics said: "RicardoMagon said: "I remember readingan article about how many people were upset that Bette Middler changed the date of her last show with Dolly and people had to re-book tickets and change their entire flight plans and how there was a rumor going around that the producers did that so they could up the price or something like that. It's stuff like that that really turns me off to Broadway."

You've twisted a bunch of half-truths into some new reality.
 

Did I? I was under the impression that people were angry because they wanted to see Bette's last performance, and then when it was announced that they added a show, people had to switch tickets to that performance? What did I get wrong?

 

[haterobics]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:53pm

RicardoMagon said: "My gut tells me that rumor is more true than not."

There's a word for that: http://www.cc.com/video-clips/63ite2/the-colbert-report-the-word---truthiness

Updated On: 5/23/18 at 08:53 PM

[IlanaKeller]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:59pm

RicardoMagon said: "The woman they cast as Dolly isn't a house hold name ( though I'm sure she's very talented)."
 

Nah. She just sang probably THE most iconic theater song of the entire 1980s and won a Tony Award for it, starred on a wildly successful TV show and was in a film that hit No.1 for weeks on box office charts last year -- among a host of other "hobbies" Not well-known enough.  

Updated On: 5/23/18 at 08:59 PM

[haterobics]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 8:59pm

RicardoMagon said: "Did I? I was under the impression that people were angry because they wanted to see Bette's last performance, and then when it was announced that they added a show, people had to switch tickets to that performance? What did I get wrong?"

It wasn't an extension. It was one extra show. And no one HAD TO do anything. The show they booked still occurred and was considered her last 'public' performance. If people chose to change their plans and rebook the ticket (as I did), that was their choice. And I was one of them. But angry? Not really. I just added a different matinee and went to the new show in a worse, more expensive seat. But wasn't a huge deal.

[UncleCharlie]

Posted: 5/23/18 at 9:00pm

RicardoMagon said: "Alas, Scott Rudin is rich, so I don'thave sympathy for the shows he produced that didn't make him as rich as Dolly did."

Probably in the same way that really poor people who work two jobs just to make sure their kids don't go to bed hungry don't have sympathy for you not getting to see Bette in Hello Dolly.