'Shipman: The Musical'
Fails to Impress Over 75s
By Jay Effkay ◦ 29-Jan-2008
Shipman: Not tripping the light fantastic
The long awaited Broadway opening of Shipman:
The Musical has been met with hostile reviews and indifferent
audiences, throwing the future of the show into doubt.
Following four years in pre-production hell, the
show opened to a one third capacity crowd on Saturday. However,
miserable audience figures and distinctly cool reviews have thrown
the future of the show in jeopardy after only five days.
Ethel Beveridge's entertainment column in The Saturday Senior gave the show only only one star, describing the opening number as a "lamentably apathetic set-piece, with over-the-top special effects substituting for style and panache".
The sentiment seems to have been shared by the audience members on the opening night, all of which had been invited from selected care-homes for the glitzy opening. Glenda Smith, 79, told the Daily Fortnight "the performances were mediocre and the Morphine scenes were very hammed-up. But worse was that plot just didn't convey any sense of glamour and intrigue that surrounded Dr Shipman".
Industry insiders are quietly expecting the show not to last into its second week, saying that the producers had chronically underestimated the fickle tastes of the over 75s. This may come as some relief with Michael Jacobs, playing the title role, after he was widely quoted saying he feared the show would typecast him for future roles.
Ethel Beveridge's entertainment column in The Saturday Senior gave the show only only one star, describing the opening number as a "lamentably apathetic set-piece, with over-the-top special effects substituting for style and panache".
The sentiment seems to have been shared by the audience members on the opening night, all of which had been invited from selected care-homes for the glitzy opening. Glenda Smith, 79, told the Daily Fortnight "the performances were mediocre and the Morphine scenes were very hammed-up. But worse was that plot just didn't convey any sense of glamour and intrigue that surrounded Dr Shipman".
Industry insiders are quietly expecting the show not to last into its second week, saying that the producers had chronically underestimated the fickle tastes of the over 75s. This may come as some relief with Michael Jacobs, playing the title role, after he was widely quoted saying he feared the show would typecast him for future roles.
See also: