Will The Prom flop?- Page 2

[Elegance101]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 3:56pm

Well, there have been a lot of changes to the cast in terms of the ensemble.

Glad to hear they’re working on it. I think it’ll have to come down to word-of-mouth. The “stan” crowd can’t keep a show open, so it’ll need to find a way to attract the general public and create some hype. It’s possible, but the hype has yet to exist, so I’m not sure.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 9/20/18 at 9:50pm

Does the OP have any thoughts?

THOUGHTS.

[lightguy06222]

Posted: 9/21/18 at 11:12am

lets be honest folks.

It will more than likely flop.

Its a completely unknown entity. and It doesn't have a star to sell tickets.....

BUT... neither did Come From Away, or Dear Evan Hansen.....  so im HOPING for the best!

[DCS]

Posted: 9/21/18 at 12:30pm

I'm looking forward to the show and I hope it's a success.  The cast and creative team are all very talented and I think a fun new musical comedy is just what Broadway needs.

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/21/18 at 12:55pm

Robbie2 said: "uncageg said: "Woke people?"



Yea,woke people? I see that term used on BWW...why?"

I know what it means. Just have not seen it used in a while. Kinda what my comment was going for! Oh well!!

 

I personally am looking forward to this musical!

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 9/22/18 at 10:21pm

Predicting the success/failure of shows like this is difficult. 

It could be Getting the Band Back Together which most people suspected would be bad, and was, and didn't find an audience. Or it could be Come From Away which had a lot of naysayers and which I find totally mediocre but has been wildly successful. Or it could be A Bronx Tale which went on to have an inexplicably long run. 

Taste is subjective, marketing is important, and you need to attract all kinds of audience members for a long run. 

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 9/23/18 at 4:53am

The answer is yes.

[oncemorewithfeeling2]

Posted: 9/23/18 at 11:50am

There’s some things about the show that should make it a solid runner—maybe not a hit, but something that would run   until awards season, at least. It has a good cast and some of the most talented comedic actors Broadway has to offer. The problem I heard time and time again was that coming out of Atlanta, parts of the plot were just silly or even dumb. If they can correct those, get good word of mouth, they might be okay.

It’s hard to say. I wish it the best because we need original musicals that tell diverse stories, but it’s hard to say

[greensgreens]

Posted: 9/24/18 at 10:45am

I want to like this show, mostly because it's exactly what happened to me in high school (well, nobody showed up to help me challenge the school on their decision and there was no happy ending). It has a solid cast, but nothing that I think will attract big tourist crowds. Perhaps there's a chance this could get a loyal fanbase with a younger demographic due to its' plot. Young fanbases seem to be able to help shows that might otherwise not succeed nowadays... It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

If it makes it to tour, I'm buying group tickets for school administrators in my hometown, particularly from my alma mater. I want them to get a better idea of exactly what they put me through.  O:)

[Rainah]

Posted: 9/24/18 at 11:27am

I think the two biggest questions - 

 

Is it a good show? Genuinely, a good show? People show up for quality, more than anything else. More than stars (think of the number of star vehicles that have flopped, and the number of no-name shows that have been a smash hit) and more than plot (Hamilton sounds awful when you try to describe it. So does CFA. So does DEH.)

Not always, but generally - if it is good*, people will come.

* sidenote for shows that are great but do not appeal to the general sensibilities of the average broadway-goer, either by being too strange or too boundary pushing, it does make it harder. Does not apply to The Prom, which seems to hit a successful niche of being vaguely liberal (Queer girls who want to go to prom but the bigots won't let them!) while not being particularly in your face about it or making people uncomfortable.

 

The second part of that - does the economics make sense? Comet had high grosses every single week, but they have such ridiculously high running costs it did them in. Compare to PTGW, who has low grosses but even lower costs. At 60% of gross potential, PTGW is profitable. OOTI is in the red.

If they don't spend 15m to mount the thing and keep their costs low, and the show doesn't outright suck, The Prom should do alright. If costs are low and it's a good show and they know how to market it, I could see it being a steady staple for a few years and recoup.

 

The formula for success isn't hard. Money in (how many people see it) minus money out (how expensive it is to run) = whether or not they can keep paying everyone and keep it open. 

 

I think the subject matter's in their favour, it's got a broad appeal and it's easy to explain. It doesn't seem like it should be expensive - no stars, no special effects that I know of, it's modern day and not fantastical or period. But then again, I am always surprised and how much some shows manage to spend. As for how good the show is, we'll have to see. 

[MauraLovesMusicals]

Posted: 9/24/18 at 12:47pm

i’m pretty sure it will. from my perspective, it seems to be a show looking to capitalize on the be more chill/dear evan hansen type of show (lots of references to social media, teen oriented, gay). the audio that i’ve heard has sounded basic and bland. they also don’t have the advantages that, let’s say, dear evan hansen had. no “big name” attach, no real promotion. i want every show to have a chance but i don’t believe in this one to much.

[Lot666]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 8:25am

Robbie2 said: "uncageg said: "Woke people?"

Yea,woke people? I see that term used on BWW...why?"

For the same reason there are man-buns.

 

[BwayGeek2]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 2:44pm

VintageSnarker said: "Predicting the success/failure of shows like this is difficult.

It could be Getting the Band Back Together which most people suspected would be bad, and was, and didn't find an audience. Or it could be Come From Away which had a lot of naysayers and which I find totally mediocre but has been wildly successful. Or it could be A Bronx Tale which went on to have an inexplicably long run.

I REALLY don't think it could compare to Getting the Band Back Together. That story line has been written over and over again. The Prom has some originality to it and in a lot of ways it can appeal to both a younger and older crowd. I don't think it's going to flop.

 

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 9/25/18 at 5:13pm

One problem I see for The Prom is that I regularly read theatre news, get all sorts of advertisement in the mail and following me around online, and I'm a fan of some of the people involved.

But I couldn't tell you what it's about. From anywhere. Not in the slightest.

That's a problem.

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 9/28/18 at 6:53am

A show needs A LOT of buzz to hit... and very shows hit... so the odds are not in its favor - especially since it has zero buzz. I haven't heard from anyone that "can't wait" for this show to open. 

That being said - this is kind of a si

[Gizmo6]

Posted: 9/28/18 at 6:58am

I'm hoping to see this in November at a Sunday performance but I won't book I'll just try TKTS or Today Tix 

[Famebroadway2]

Posted: 9/28/18 at 10:39am

Lots and lots of tickets available for performances.  To say it's not selling well is an understatement.  

[theaterwiz414]

Posted: 9/28/18 at 10:48am

Oh man. I really hope not. Social media response has shown me people are really excited for this show. I’d hate for it to not be successful. 

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 9/28/18 at 12:08pm

I work in theater and see about four shows a week when I can, and I really have not heard anything about this.

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 9/28/18 at 12:13pm

dang, I was looking for tickets for mid November, and barley any have sold. I hope good word of mouth can help them sell cause as of now its not looking well.

[Tom5]

Posted: 10/8/18 at 6:26pm

I have a friend of a friend who saw it in Atlanta who said it was unusually and surprisingly funny. When told a little about the plot I asked if it was more convoluted than Dear Evan Hansen, She said she'd get back to me. Today she got back to me. She said nothing could be more convoluted than Dear Evan Hansen. It will be a hit!

[Bwayfan292]

Posted: 10/8/18 at 6:31pm

This very well could be a great show. But as of right now, its not looking good. They need a better marketing team, and they need to market this everywhere. Its barley selling

[jpbran]

Posted: 10/8/18 at 6:56pm

They must not be getting much of an advance going as I've received 3(!) mailers pushing this (bad) show. Large, glossy mailers that are clearly costing them a fair amount of money. Doesn't bode well... 

[Famebroadway2]

Posted: 10/8/18 at 8:01pm

The show artwork is not good! Nothing catches the eye. The quotes they are using are great, but the cartoon aspect is just bad...

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 10/8/18 at 8:24pm

I love the cartoon artwork. It looks a lot like the artwork from the 1950's. Like The Music Man.