Thirdtap Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 'LoI came across this in the GuardianLes Liaisons Dangereuses I knew the show was going to open soon, but swooosssh it's been and gone. What is the shortest unintended theatrical run? Eurovision the musical? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Shortest Theatrical RunThe shortest theatrical run on record was of The Intimate Revue at the Duchess Theater, London, on March 11, 1930. With the scene changes taking up to 20 minutes each, the management ditched seven scenes to get to the finale before midnight. Much of the audience walked out before the end. From Guiness Book of records - online.mike. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 With the scene changes taking up to 20 minutes eachSounds like fun ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erroneousblack Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 When I was resident down the Avenue in the early 90's we had a production called "Map Of The Heart", which was William Nicholsons first play after Shadowlands. It opened on a thursday and the notice went up the saturday after. In all it lasted three weeks and three days, with shows pulled over the easter weekend to save bank holiday payments. Around the same time a musical called Bernadette lasted as long at the Dominion. It was written by a couple of teachers from Stoke or somewhere like that and had failure written all over it. Unfortunately for the writers and their backers they never realised this and a lot of people lost a lot of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 20 min scene changes sound a lot like my old school yr 7 production of Grease. The VIth form drama students were doing it as part of their community service and had litteraly adapted the film version - including two line cut - away scenes..... That didn't work with a full set... James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Didn't Michael Barrymore's ill-fated venture into the West End close after 3 days, or something like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I once went to see a show at a certain palace of theatre situated around the border between London and the North. At the end of the first scene the house tabs dropped, the hse lights came up to half and what I assumed was a complicated scene change occurred. After about 3 minutes the curtain raised and.... a tea tray had been struck and one chair had moved, slightly. The same thing happened at the end of every scene. I don't even remember there being much of a costume change either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Didn't Michael Barrymore's ill-fated venture into the West End close after 3 days, or something like that?Because he legged it wasn't it? Stu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_s Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 My first task when starting work for the company I am still with some years later was the get-out for Dorian Gray The Musical from the Arts Theatre. I started 10.00 Monday, the show had opened sometime in the preceding week, and closed on the Saturday.One reviewer wrote "Come back Always, all is forgiven". (I can't comment on the relevance of this remark, as I didn't see either of the two shows in question) I think it ran for 3 or 4 performances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirdtap Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 "Come back Always, all is forgiven". I think Always was a musical verison of the Steven Spielberg weepy movie about a dead crop duster, very much like ghost but with planes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erroneousblack Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Revelations indeed! Edward VIII was a crop duster!! Yes that was the film, the Musical that ran at the VP and about the romance between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Bizarrely one of the original cast is on our stage at this very moment play Sgt Ping in Aladdin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Ripley Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Back in the 80's I worked a fit up at the Adelphi for a show called Rosa, directed by Hal Prince We started getting in the LX rig, as this was a transfer from the staes the place was soon awash with Lekos hired from TP. About lunchtime the call came to stop unloading the trucks as White Light had offered a cheaper quote. We continued with the TP gear and rigged all the LX. The next day in went various bits of scenery including a very large, multi level revolve. About a week later rehearsals were due to start onstage, due to its complexity. Cast and stage management were duly assembled to be told the show had run out of money and was cancelled. At this point negotiations for the Get Out started Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Something fairly similar happened with "Tess Of The Durbervilles" not so long ago - but at least they managed to get a few performances in before they closed! A friend of mine was ASMing the show, and apparently one day they came into work to be told that the show was cancelled and that they should go home. Futhermore, they shouldn't bother turning up the next day, or any day after that, unless they had a call to say that the show was on. The call, of course, never came ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas at Halls Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 I seem to remember a show in the West End circa 1982/3, called "troupador" (excuse the spelling) which ended before it started. The reviews - all dreadful - came out after the previews, so when, on the first public night, the saftey curtain got stuck and wouldn't raise, everyone went home happy and the show crept off without further embarrasment. Obviously not a Hall Stage winch...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thirdtap Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 Yes that was the film, the Musical that ran at the VP and about the romance between Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. Doh!!! I am sure I heard about a hyped stage musical version of the film that as you can tell didn't come to much... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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