Saturday, October 31, 2009
Aligning the Stars for Opening Night
NYTimes.com: "Would the producers of a Broadway show move their opening night so you could attend? That’s what separates the A-list from everyone else, people."
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11 comments:
this seems a little ridiculous to me. I've never thought about billing your audience members as publicity. I think there's something wrong with the show to have people come because they want to see will smith in the audience as opposed to watcch the show. I know it would get bodies in seats,but if the bodies were simply trying to see the celebrities in their seats the whole time, is this really worth is?
The most ridiculous thing to me is the fact that ticket sales might be happening for an opening night that isn't happening. Which would be ok if the show wasn't ready, but it sounds like it is, and its all just a game.
While having all these celebrities come on opening night would be a great photo op, I don't think it's going to impact ticket sales as much as suggested. The fact that they are all producing the show in some capacity is the selling point, not the fact that they come the day it opens. Quite the contrary, spreading out the big names will help ticket sales later in the run when they start losing the initial hype.
However ridiculous this may seem, it is unfortunately a good marketing idea. So much of Broadway productions are about spectacle, and if some audience members themselves are celebrities, then it will cause even more of a scene to attract more people. It is disappointing that theater is sinking to such a point where it is about the names rather than the art.
Broadway is about making money and big name celebrities can make a significant impact on audiences. A lot of people would, I imagine, be more willing to buy front row tickets if they thought the price might by them the acquaintance of a big name star like Will Smith. With all the money on Broadway you can bet a publicist is on call and this is no shot in the dark. Certainly the choice of celebrities invited to attend carefully coordinate with the subject matter of the play.
I don't think that a show should have to rely on celebrities to do well. It doesn't make sense that this is such a big deal. I understand that they want publicity, but I think that if it truly is a good show it will get the publicity it deserves. It makes sense, but it still annoys me. I understand that having big name celebrities at the opening will make more people want to see the show, but I also don't think that it's fair for them to be relying on these celebrities.
This is ridiculous I can't believe this is the reason that opening night should be moved. I do agree with Sylvianne though. Broadway is about ticket sales and is an attraction for tourists when they come to visit New York. These people go to see the shows that they have heard of and celebrities bring that kind of publicity. This is why shows such as Lion King, Little Mermaid, and Mary Poppins do so well. It is because people have grown up with these disney shows all of their lives. Tourists going to New York just want to see what they have heard of and something happy. This is why getting celebrities to come to opening makes such a big difference. I think this is stupid but it is what is being done. The theatre should be the most important thing.
I think that if you need to sell your show by billing the star audience at the premier then something is fundamentally wrong with your show and perhaps it shouldn't be opening at all. On the other hand I think the Obamas may have started this trend when they went to see the August Wilson show a few months ago. That certainly doesn't excuse it but I can see the trend stemming from there.
Having the three celebrities in the audience seems like nothing more than a photo opportunity or publicity stunt. They have no part in the show and they don't even seem to have a real financial impact since they are investing in a show that's already fully capitalized. It reminds me of the stories you used to hear in hollywood of people who would use personal connections to be listed as an executive producer on a movie that they didn't even know the name of. They might gain a few more ticket sales, but realistically wouldn't they sell out with just one of the celebs there? If so, would they be better off having one on the 23rd, then the other(s) on the 24th to spread the benefit over two nights?
This is a good example for those people unwilling to admit that our industry is a lot about entertainment. And, beyond that, about trying to make money. Having these A-List stars attend is a good way of increasing a show's PR and getting people talking. Not to mention, those celebs people look up to may talk about how much they love a given show!
On the flip side, if they were able to successfully spread these appearances out over a run, ticket sales may go up. Perhaps if they got word out that famous people are attending, more people would pay to see the show, just to see the famous person in the crowd next to them. It sounds crazy, but there are enough crazy people out there, I wouldn't put it past them.
It's a good publicity tool to try and bring well-known public figures to the opening night of a show. However, relying so much on the attendance of celebrities makes me think that the show isn't much by itself. I hope that the producers are aware that their efforts to have all three celebrities in attendance on opening night is distracting from the play itself.
I do agree with everyone who says that this concept is ridiculous, but I also agree that as far as marketing goes, it's a decent idea. There is no doubt that these three actors would be able to put a lot of money into this show if they felt personally invested in it. I think that the title of this article makes the concept seem much more ridiculous than it actually is.
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