Tag Archives: West End

Car crash theatre: Why won’t the critics defend quality in the West End?

Posted on December 15, 2014 by rageoffstage

Apparently, Lindsay Lohan has finished her West End stint as Karen in David Mamet’s ‘Speed the Plow’, and she is so delighted with how it all went that she is now contemplating a second Mamet play.  ‘One Mamet down’ she … Continue reading →

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Satire Never Dies: Forbidden Broadway at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Posted on June 28, 2014 by rageoffstage

Sunday 22nd June 2014, matinée We waited a long five years for Forbidden Broadway to come back to London.  This show, first conceived in 1982 by Gerard Alessandrini is as much an institution on Broadway as the mega-musicals it lampoons. … Continue reading →

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Pandora’s box office: Theatre ticket agencies go viral

Posted on December 9, 2013 by rageoffstage

Do we even need to write a post on this topic, we ask ourselves?  After all, most of the time, we avoid ticket agencies as much as we can. However, seeing this picture of Sir Howard Panter in the papers … Continue reading →

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West End previews: Audience-sponsored rehearsals or public performances?

Posted on November 2, 2013 by rageoffstage

With the opening of Tim Rice’s new show ‘From Here to Eternity’, we had the rather interesting juxtaposition of Rice, outspoken as usual, criticising the practice of endless previews, whilst the producers of the show did their best to convince … Continue reading →

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So much for the Olympic spirit – Andrew Lloyd Webber throws away the baton for team West End theatre

Posted on January 2, 2012 by rageoffstage

Speculation about how the Olympics will affect West End theatre has been going on for some time, although an article in ‘This is Money’ quoted by Mark Shenton in his Stage blog in November brought matters to a head by suggesting the … Continue reading →

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Taking the show out of showbusiness: theatres claim their pound of flesh

Posted on November 15, 2011 by rageoffstage

Why does ‘The Stage’ continue to report the ever growing profits in West End Theatres as a good news story?  Their latest report on West End revenues has the headline ‘West End stays on course for £500m box office hat-trick’ and … Continue reading →

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Creators or curators? What’s so great about long runs?

Posted on September 15, 2011 by rageoffstage

News reporting about the West End seems to veer between two extremes – SOLT boasting about how profits are going up and up, and general panic about shows closing.  The announcement of the closure of Betty Blue Eyes was greeted … Continue reading →

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Hubris unmasked: Love Never Dies reaches the point of no return

Posted on June 19, 2011 by rageoffstage

So, the West End incarnation of ‘Love Never Dies’ has announced its forthcoming closure.  The perfect cue for the normally sensible Mark Shenton to throw his toys out of the pram (again) over the ‘Love Should Die’ website, which has supposedly had … Continue reading →

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The Olivier Awards with Mastercard: a postscript

Posted on March 7, 2011 by rageoffstage

We wish we’d read the 3rd March edition of ‘The Stage’ before we posted on this topic, but we didn’t, hence this postscript. We were somewhat surprised to read an interview by Alistair Smith with Julian Bird, the chief executive of … Continue reading →

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Cry God for Larry: Mastercard Hijacks (sorry, relaunches) the Olivier Awards

Posted on March 3, 2011 by rageoffstage

So, thanks to a cash injection from Mastercard, the Olivier Awards are to be relaunched.  When were they unlaunched?  According to the presspack, the awards were named in 1984 after Sir Laurence Olivier, “One of the greatest stage actors of … Continue reading →

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Theatre-goers ripped off yet again

Posted on January 20, 2011 by rageoffstage

The Independent on Sunday (16.1.11) carried an article highlighting the latest method for ripping off theatre-goers – ‘premium pricing’.  This is the practice of quoting one figure for the ‘top price ticket’, whilst topping this with an extra-expensive ‘premium’ priced … Continue reading →

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What does the 25th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables tell us about the recent history of Musical Theatre?

Posted on January 12, 2011 by rageoffstage

If you are in the West End, it doesn’t take long to see that there’s a marked difference between the way Musicals and ‘straight’ plays are promoted.  If you want to know who is in a play you only have … Continue reading →

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Welcome to Rage Offstage…

Posted on January 4, 2011 by rageoffstage

 …Because audiences have feelings too What better way to begin the New Year than with some very subjective ‘Awards’.  We don’t think you’ll find these anywhere else. The Germaine Greer Award for shameless waste of female talent: The producers of … Continue reading →

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