[~Bal~]

I thought this might interest some of y'all...

http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=879867&dt=122305013008

Has anyone ever experienced anything like that, or have any idea of what the tech problem could be?

Discuss.

[Moongewl]

No. But those people are really pissy. Well, mostly that person who started the post, and wouldn't stop complaining. I know they felt gypped because they didn't get to see the show with choreography, but they DID get free tickets to another performance.

Anyway, the image of a bouncy overinflated set is pretty entertaining. Grizabella ascending to the Heavyside Layer via a really high bounce, superlong Macavity claws puncturing the stretched-too-thin material...But to get back on topic...no wait, I have nothing useful to contribute to this topic. Sorry.(Lamecakes me, I know.)

[Carbucketty]

It's happened before that a set didn't arrive for the IV tour because of bad weather and they went on without the set.

I thought that they generally offered refunds when this type of thing happened.

I don't know about dancing--one person mentioned that the theatre wasn't the nicest theatre. Perhaps safety concerns with the stage--but aren't people supposed to check those things out beforehand?

And the original posters avatar looks familiar. Someone who also posts on misc?



--

[Rumblepurr]

I am glad the Grove fixed the problem before the 22d then. I saw both the matinee and the evening performances... all done very well... full shows both times.

I will agree that the Grove would not have been my choice for a performance of CATS. The performers only had ONE chance to come down to interact with the audience - "Green Eyes." The lack of stairs coming down from the stage was the main problem. And then, the usual downstage components of monitors (audio and video), footlights, "Smart" lights, Misto's streamer cannons and electrical cables meant anyone trying to get close meant going through the minefield. We had interaction at a distance. Tier One was eye-level for me. Anyone shorter than me was below the lip of the stage. All that equipment meant trying to see the stage floor up to mid-calf was a challenge.

Technical problems do occur - and not always the fault of the theatre. In Edinburgh, the show went down in the middle of MJ & RT. Reason? Power spike in the electrical grid. Power went down all over the city for nearly a half-hour. When power was restored, they operated the rest of the show on 70% lighting. THe show restarted at the point AFTER MJ & RT. We were not offered refunds or tickets - probably because we saw most of the show, even though the power problem interrupted it.

Respectfully,
Rumblepurr
The Writer Cat.

[Smudge]

Someone on the tour posted this today:

Do you want to know what happened?
Posted On:12/25/05 at 10:10 PM


Hey there..

I want to explain what exactly happened before the tour continues to be bashed. The stage had a turn table that covered about 3/4 of the stage. When they loaded in the 1200 pound tire, the turn table lifted, creating a 2 inch ledge that popped out from the marley. Once sound check began and we realized how dangerous this thick ledge would be for the dancers, who tumble, turn, jump, crawl..etc..In the long run (you must understand that we do this show 8 times a week all year!) it was not worth it to endanger our cast. We, as a company, wanted to cancel the show because, like you, we agree that Cats is a dance show. However, our presenters of the Grove Theatre were unhappy with this decision and basically gave us about 30 minutes to create a "concert version." We did the best that we could for our situation, and do know that we did not wish this upon anyone! The next morning, our crew returned to the theatre at 8am to completely unload the show and create a solution to our problem. The show continued as normal from then on. Now, before you question the "no pod" situation too, many venues that book us do not have the technical capabilities to hold our complete show.

As for the tickets, you did have the choice to return to a later date for free, so it was your choice to stay and watch. Next time before you completely bash a show, please consider that maybe you don't know the entire situation!

[MrsJemimaMistoffelees]

[QuaxoCoricopat]

I saw this tour while it was at the Des Moines Civic Center in November... and yes, this tour has had some issues... I think it's because they've been choosing not so good venues. Civic Center is well... a civic center, intended for corporate presentations versus a theatrical production the size of CATS...

Of the more glaring technical issues was that only one sleeve of Mistoffelees' jacket managed to light up and that certain actors microphones flared up in the oddest of places...

However, I've worked the technical side of theatre as a stage manager and I'm probably more forgiving of those sorts of things. It happens. We don't do it to piss the audience off or anything... Crazy stuff happens in a theatre you know (We managed to damage equpiment in ways that the manufactures didn't think was possible!) I can't imagine having to run into a new theatre each week, each with their own quirks...

Give techies a break!

[Roxanne]

[littlgriz]

[Drumdraper]

I'm glad that didn't happen to me when I went to see Cats, but the free tickets would have been an added bonus if the performance was horrible.

You would think that Cats wouldn't have any trouble finding decent theaters to perform after being the longest running musical for over a decade and you would think the Really Useful Company would finance the tour better if they have to perform in places not meant to be used for such a performance.

Maybe tyhe tour won't be stopped for a year or two.

[VictoriaTWC]

Whatever the problems, I was glad I got to see both shows full on. I agree, that the choice of the venue wasn't that great, but neither was the Redondo Beach center. I miss seeing the show in the best theatre's ever: ie, McCallum, and the Escondido Perf Arts Center, heck, even SD Civic.

The last few times I've seen the Troika tour was in Pechanga, and that was an ok stage. I'm tired of seeing the balloon set in the smaller venues, when the full work lights come up you can see the punchyness as glaringly obvious its a blow up set.

Also, they had more tech problems, on Friday Night 8pm The follow spot on the right broke and the techs trying to fix it made a terrible ruckus up on the catwalk all thru the show. So Act Two no one had a follow spot on them, just the ambient lighting. I felt sorry for those paying customers in the back tiers.

Purrs,
VTWC

[OldDeuteronomy]

The balloon set is ALL they use now

[pkitty663]

I feel like going b---- on her for some reason....She got her free tickets to the next show what more could she ask for? I agree it sounded like a sad show but come on..despite what happened they still went and gave a performance. The show has to go on. And it did. Just because she wasn't having a good time, doesn't mean the actors should put their lives in danger just to make her happy. Like I said, she got free tickets. Over all I am happy that Jazzysuite82 finally told her off. I would have applauded them even if there wasn't any dancing....and I'd be giving a few of the male actors my number XP...and I'd leave with a restraining order...j/k.

As sad as it sounds..I think Roxanne might be right about the last chance thing. I hope things go better because when I saw it in 2002(WITH MCCREE O'KELLY AS MISTO WHOOOOO)...I was only 14...but anyway the theatre was really nice. I saw it at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. Then my second time in Long Beach in 2005, they had no green eyes but tugger danced with a girl and they all ran down the asiles in the end. The first one had Green eyes, tugger dance and running down in the last part....but yeah I hope it gets better...I really do. I don't want them to close...

Not to mention the Manager lady was a real b---- to me the second time I saw it...she needs to get stabbed with a twinkie!

[OldDeuteronomy]

<t's happened before that a set didn't arrive for the IV tour>

it happened the first time the show played the Alladin in Vegas.

[Etcetera Kitten]

Well of course this is a sad situation for the audience, but being a Cats fan, if I were told that the performance was to be done differently, and that I got free tickets for another representation, I wouldn't complain (unless I was living far far away and couldn't return...). I understand that some bad things happen in life, and that it was better to not dance on the stage if it was dangerous. I feel sorry for all these people that were forced to make a show that wasn't fit for theit talent, but hey, people got new tickets lol.

I hope it will not happen again, thought. It's always a hard thing.