Sillabub
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Troika tour closed?Hey guys,
I don't post here very much, but I read the Troika tour had a closing in late June.
Will they be touring again...with a new cast? Or is Troika a done deal for CATS?
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Carbucketty
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Nope. It's likely a cast change.
They're scheduled for Baton Rouge in December.
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Drumdraper
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I heard rumors that Troika rebought the rights for a Cats tour till 2025. May the theater deity help us all.
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Reeza
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| Drumdraper wrote: | | I heard rumors that Troika rebought the rights for a Cats tour till 2025. May the theater deity help us all. |
I didn't know they could buy something for that long. Maybe another company will buy it out. As long as the quality of the production is kept, I wouldnt mind someone instead of Troika doing it.
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Smudge
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According to the last cast (the one that just finished its run), this coming year is the last year of the tour. It will spend its last six weeks at Madison Square Garden, and the entire cast will get their Equity cards in order for that leg of the run to happen.
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darkmage
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Hmm...
Then where did the rumour that Troika has the rights until 2025 come from? God willing Equity will pick up the tour again, restore the cut bits, and do it *properly* (aka Tour 1-4) again.
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Smudge
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Not sure where that rumor started, but there are also rumors starting to float around that it's coming back to Broadway. I haven't heard any sort of time scale to go with those hopeful murmerings though....
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JelliclePat
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I don't think it's ending any time soon. It's due to be at Proctor's Theater in Schenectady, NY next February.
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Drumdraper
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I think I read the 2025 rumor on this board or over at the Cats Costume Discussion Board. As for the Broadway rumor, that has been floating around the same day the show closed on Broadway.
But Troika isn't going to let the tour go at the moment, if they were we would have heard something by now.
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Smudge
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Just telling you what I heard from the last cast, a few of whom I believe are staying on this year...
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OldDeuteronomy
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| Smudge wrote: | | Not sure where that rumor started, but there are also rumors starting to float around that it's coming back to Broadway. I haven't heard any sort of time scale to go with those hopeful murmerings though.... |
well if that IS true someone better kick Mamma Mia out of the Winter Garden 
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Pounce
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| OldDeuteronomy wrote: | | Smudge wrote: | | Not sure where that rumor started, but there are also rumors starting to float around that it's coming back to Broadway. I haven't heard any sort of time scale to go with those hopeful murmerings though.... |
well if that IS true someone better kick Mamma Mia out of the Winter Garden |
Small chance of that. According to Playbill, Mamma Mia is still selling out for many weeks with its weakest showing at around 97%. Those numbers are pretty impressive when compared to other shows and Winter Garden is among the larger theaters.
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Carbucketty
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There are other, smaller, venues in NYC.
And after the $1 million dollar refurbish job after Cats, I doubt that the show will return to the Winter Garden any time soon.
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Pounce
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True, but for a production like CATS, how small of a theater can sustain it? Les Miz was able to break CATS record in London but only by moving to a smaller theater.
But if it is revived, I think CATS should do with a makeover. Something wild akin to what they've been doing in eastern Europe with the show.
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Smudge
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Yeah, Mamma Mia isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It's a HUUUUUUGE tourist show--wildly popular even though I personally think it's crap. I think Cats could be ok in a smaller theater, but I would really hate to see the kind of changes come to it that have been coming with those eastern European productions. I think if they're gonna bring a classic back, that shouldn't mess with it too much.
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darkmage
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| Pounce wrote: | | But if it is revived, I think CATS should do with a makeover. Something wild akin to what they've been doing in eastern Europe with the show. |
For the love of $deity, NOOOOOOO!!!! If they're going to revive it, they should revive it in all its classic glory, not one of the (frankly) half-assed looking versions that are floating around now. Leave those to the high schools.  If they want to rip off a European tour, let it be the German or Dutch one.
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Smudge
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| darkmage wrote: | | Pounce wrote: | | But if it is revived, I think CATS should do with a makeover. Something wild akin to what they've been doing in eastern Europe with the show. |
For the love of $deity, NOOOOOOO!!!! If they're going to revive it, they should revive it in all its classic glory, not one of the (frankly) half-assed looking versions that are floating around now. Leave those to the high schools. If they want to rip off a European tour, let it be the German or Dutch one. |
Agreed, although I would still prefer the classic Broadway designs.
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darkmage
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^Same here, although that point was implied, not expressed. And it's not like it would be hard to do...
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jcstar
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| darkmage wrote: | Hmm...
Then where did the rumour that Troika has the rights until 2025 come from? God willing Equity will pick up the tour again, restore the cut bits, and do it *properly* (aka Tour 1-4) again. |
What cut bits? It's supposed to be in Ottawa in October.
Andy.
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darkmage
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They cut "Pekes and Pollicles" entirely. They also cut a verse out of the Invitation, as well as slicing out half of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" and shortening Growltiger's fight sequence.
I have no idea why they did these things. If it's not broke, don't fix it.
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Smudge
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^budget? Although I can't see that those small cuts would make much of a difference. I would say maybe time constraints, but they didn't cut for any of the previous tours did they?
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Moongewl
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But "Pekes and Pollicles" has never been in the Troika tour, right? I can confirm that it definitely wasn't in there in 2000. That cut at least makes sense: it's a complete non-sequitur that requires a lot of extra props. And I seem to recall the shortened M&R(with the "Sunday dinner" verse cut) as well. I've never understood the cuts other than P&P, but I'd guess they have something to do with the cast's constraints as human beings.
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Smudge
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^ But again, I don't think they made those cuts in any of the previous tours (correct me if I'm wrong). What makes these kids unable to do the full show when so many before them have done it?
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darkmage
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Amen to that.
Tours 1-4 were the full show and had no cuts. I don't know why Troika cut so much out except to shorten the run time by about 20 minutes. I suppose it's because people bring their kids as this is a family-friendly show.
My view on *that* is if your kids can't sit still for three hours, or they'll be up past bedtime, DON'T BRING THEM. Period. If they can behave themselves, fine. No worries.
As for the performers, all the previous tours had the endurance to do the full show. If the actors can't hack it they should do something easier.
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JelliclePat
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Hear, hear!!
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Flash Kid
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| darkmage wrote: | They cut "Pekes and Pollicles" entirely. They also cut a verse out of the Invitation, as well as slicing out half of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" and shortening Growltiger's fight sequence.
I have no idea why they did these things. If it's not broke, don't fix it. |
Back when I saw it in '05 they had all those things but Pekes and Pollicles.
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darkmage
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When I saw the Troika tour in 2002 they didn't and haven't ever since.
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Smudge
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| Flash Kid wrote: | | darkmage wrote: | They cut "Pekes and Pollicles" entirely. They also cut a verse out of the Invitation, as well as slicing out half of "Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer" and shortening Growltiger's fight sequence.
I have no idea why they did these things. If it's not broke, don't fix it. |
Back when I saw it in '05 they had all those things but Pekes and Pollicles. |
You probably just didn't notice the other cuts. They're not real prominent if you're not relatively familiar with the show.
As for the actors not being able to hack it....they can, or at least could if they needed to. If they can do that much of the show they can do those moderately easy parts that were cut. There's not a WHOLE lot of dancing in Pekes and Pollicles, or that verse of the Invitation. Mungo and Rumple might have a bit harder time, but with as long as they give them to rehearse, they would be used to it by the time they started performing, and aces in another couple weeks. My production didn't cut the verse from M&R and the first time we did the whole song full out I thought I would die, but after doing it several times in a row, doing it once a show was cake.
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Drumdraper
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But also Cats doesn't have the same reputation as it did on Broadway, because Troika is non-equity some respect has been lost for it. Many of the actors in the current tour think of it only as a musical to add to their resume and really don't have a whole lot of passion for it.
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Smudge
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regardless of a lack of passion (and a truly crappy pay-check), they still put themselves into the performances (or at least should, because they're professional performers and it's their job, whether they like the show or not), and they could do the full show if it was given to them.
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JelliclePat
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Every time I've seen the Troika tour, it seemed to me as if the performers were enjoying themselves, and I was really happy with the performances. Of course, that was a couple years ago...
The paycheck may be low, but do the performers have to pay for food, gas, rent, etc.? If not, I should think it would balance out, really.
However, I do agree with smudge that, no matter what the performer thinks of the show itself, he owes it to the audience to do the very best he can.
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Smudge
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It's true that the performers are not living on a per diem, at least to my knowledge. They don't pay any expenses while they are on the road, except perhaps meals, and of course spending money. I'm not sure if they're given a per diem for that or if the company takes them out on a company card or with petty cash or what. If someone wanted to keep their apt in NY though, it could be a tight squeeze to pay the rent and have any sort of spending money. Not sure that I would want to keep my apt though, knowing I was going to be under contract for a full year.
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Drumdraper
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They should have passion, but that doesn't mean they do.
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Smudge
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Personally, I've never seen the tour and been disappointed with the performances because of a lack of passion. There have been performers who I didn't care for in the roles they played, but I've never felt like anyone was bored or unhappy to be working. That is, of course, only my personal experience.
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