Is there life after Castcom?

[musicalkid]

Posted: 6/21/07 at 8:08pm

the castcom era has ended. some very touching and hopeful goodbyes from the cast and crew.

I didn't get to see the Pirate Queen, but was quite a keen castcom viewer.

as many flaws as the show might have had, castcom was a unique, personal and informative (if over censured at times) entertainment.

a few thoughts:
-has anyone else (fan/basher) watched it quite regularly?

-do you think DAILY video blogs will be happening anytime soon again?

-do you think overexposure to the ins-and-outs of this somewhat-flawed show to the most criticising audience (ie. broadway musical fans and BBW people) hampered the show's chances of success?

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 6/21/07 at 8:09pm

"-do you think overexposure to the ins-and-outs of this somewhat-flawed show to the most criticising audience (ie. broadway musical fans and BBW people) hampered the show's chances of success?"

Uh, not that I watched the Castcom, but I would think this would have been the last thing to hamper the show's chances at sucess.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 6/21/07 at 9:39pm

In retrospect it's surprising Pirate Queen lasted as long as it did, given the universally negative reviews it received. My impression is that producers Doherty and McColgan thought Castcom was a big success. When Castcom first began we were told it would take us from the first rehearsal to opening night, but of course it was extended all the way to closing night.

For a while Castcom seemed to be the Pirate Queen's counter-argument to the negative notices, with one clip after another showing audience members gushing about how much they loved the show.

Pirate Queen had some very devoted and involved fans, and I'm sure Castcom helped to encourage this. On the other hand many of the most devoted PQ fans began as fans of Stephanie J Block, and I doubt the show would have lasted at all without Block in the lead.

If Pirate Queen had been a smashing success the daily video blog would have probably become commonplace for "mega-musicals". As it is I don't know if we'll see anything that ambitious again soon.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 6/21/07 at 9:44pm

-has anyone else (fan/basher) watched it quite regularly?
Basher here. Watched a few of them over the course of the show's run.

-do you think DAILY video blogs will be happening anytime soon again?
Probably not, as there's no point anymore.

-do you think overexposure to the ins-and-outs of this somewhat-flawed show to the most criticising audience (ie. broadway musical fans and BBW people) hampered the show's chances of success?
I don't think enough people had heard of Castcom for it to hamper the show's success.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 6/21/07 at 9:56pm

Unless the tour actually comes through, there is no chance of the video blogs again. What would be the point?

I didn't watch it "regularly," per se, but I found it very interesting nonetheless. Not necessarily listening to people gush about the show, but hearing from the cast and creative team.

Castcom was the LEAST of the show's worries. Like Yankee said, not enough people really watched for it to have even a chance to hamper the show's success. The show's problems were its own flaws and the negative reviews, which would have happened with or without Castcom.

[rgaywrites]

Posted: 6/21/07 at 11:36pm

Say what you will about Pirate Queen, but I will give credit where credit is due with regard to the Castcom venture. So often, producers lose interest with these online features or they half ass it. Castcom had follow through both during previews and the Broadway run. They didn't let it fall off after the bad reviews, they acknowledged the closing and there was an end to the story arc, if you will, with most of the cast saying goodbye. I don't know that Castcom had any effect on ticket sales, but I think its a fantastic idea, giving people a "behind the scenes" look at a Broadway show. Its also an effective, albeit costly marketing tool.

[musicalkid]

Posted: 6/22/07 at 9:39am

a thought: I didn't see the show, so I don't actually know HOW flawed it was. and yet, flawed shows, and even bad shows have had better fates than PQ.

I wonder what was the base to the universally negative critic reactions. It's clear critics are aware of a show's ordeals out of town, and PQ's was so widely publcised online, (and even more so due to castcom), that maybe THAT made a bad basis for the show to land on on broadway.

it seems to me, people seemed to take pleasure in bashing the show, when obviousely there MUST have been at least several aspects of the show that surely had SOME merit. it seemed almost personal. maybe that has to do with castcom to? (or maybe it's plain bitchiness)

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 6/22/07 at 10:39am

I really enjoyed the Castcoms (when I could get them to work. how come they never work?) and they made me want to go see the show even more then when I only just heard about it. In reality, yes the show has issues, but the Castcom only intensified my want to go see it. I think more opening shows should do that. It's terribly interesting...you know, when I could get it to work.

[Popular]

Posted: 6/22/07 at 1:45pm

If CASTCOM didn't help ticket sales (which I feel it did on some level) then at the very least it benefited the cast who were very vocal about appreciating the support and recognition they felt from the people who watched it. You could tell at the end they weren't just talking to cyberspace, but to a specific group of "castcom fans" that they developed a bond with. I have watched every single one from the beginning and enjoyed it immensely.
Updated On: 6/22/07 at 01:45 PM