Toy Show the Musical - Farce or Triumph

AllForIt

RTE's relentless promotion of The Toy Show has been noting but utterly cringe and embarrassing. Hopefully this fiasco at RTE will put an end to all that finally.

RoTelly

You'd really wonder who was advising them.

They only forecast a 350,000 or so profit on the production in its first year. That's a very small margin.

You taking a risk on loosing money (and they lost it hand over fist) and making a small profit in the first year.

What reusable productions costs is there over the script and set? And you're expecting the same sales the following year? Is that a profit of €1m?

The money doesn't really serve RTÉ's other costs.

fritzelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120811152#Comment_120811152

You'd have to wonder was it anything more than a junket for a select few

TinyMuffin

Tubridy destroyed the toy show with his shite and no toys. Zero appetite for a musical of said shite.

Arthur Pants

A load of tripe, but what would you expect from RTE.

freshpopcorn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120809707#Comment_120809707

I'm not 100% certain but I remember researching this back in November/December because I was sick of hearing ads on for it.

I found there was no hassle to book tickets even at times that would be considered peak times.

I did find it very expensive.

Then it got cancelled due to sickness.

GAAcailin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120811500#Comment_120811500

the audience were sitting in the convention centre 10 minutes before it was due to start, having bought merchandise and treats for the kids only to be told the show was cancelled. Joke stuff.

Remember looking at the availability and there was no problem getting tickets; it was a crap production; RTE had advertised very frequently on tv and radio, considering other theatres wouldn't have had that opportunity if it was any way decent it wouldn't have flopped so badly.

KevRossi

As said above it was a junket and CV filler for a few in RTE.

Let's say it was a success and it became an international success. Let's say it made $250m over its first 5 years. Does any sane person believe that the 'production and management' team would be happy with a standard wage out of it, or do you think there would be a 'bonus' scheme buried in the small print somewhere.

It was a stab in the dark with the taxpayer guaranteeing any failure. Also seems from people in the theatre world to be massively expensive, meaning there's plenty of scope in accounts for some creativity.

I've no idea how it was ever given a green light, sounds like something that was concocted at a dinner party in someone's house after far too much booze. At least Tubridy had the acumen to avoid the shitshow. He probably saw the writing on the wall from working with them in RTE.

The full accounts for it need to be made public, it is after all a public body.

Arthur Pants

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120812983#Comment_120812983

Re Tubridy, realistically it was probably because RTE weren't willing to pay extra for his involvement, or he wasn't happy with what they did offer.

Given the 'quality' of his Late Late Show and his radio show, I wouldn't assume he has much acumen other than at lining his own pocket.

chrissb8

This for me was the first huge alarm I've had go off about RTE and how they're spending their money. One thing to spend it on dogsht tv programming another to spend money on a musical that no one asked for. Based on a show which people see as a fun thing to watch near Xmas but hardly the biggest night of the year.

Not one person I know went and this should be top of the list as an example of the disconnect of RTE's impression of itself to that of the public's impression of RTE.

AndyBoBandy

I'd hazard a good guess too that those that did buy tickets to it were guilted into it by their kids, or their own sense of nostalgia towards the toy show, simply because it was the toy show, 'and sure all the kiddies love the toy show'.....

I'd say then somewhere by about the 2-4 minute mark into the musical they all realised that mistakes had been made....

Hotblack Desiato

Every single person who was involved in making the decision to produce this turd should be fired.

The arrogance of RTE is beyond belief.

Montage of Feck

Just goes to show how deluded the RTE execs were with the star power of Tubridy and the Toy Show.

Mr Disco

Unlikely we will ever get the chance to see this 😢

Francis McM

Sack all involved. Disband RTE. The arrogance of the overpaid people in it is astounding.

Strazdas

It was a hugely risky venture. Sounds like they didn't even use people with experience of musical theatre. Everything about it seemed off - using the Convention Centre to launch a brand new musical was an odd (and very expensive) decision. As said further up the thread, they were gambling with other people's money.

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120822201#Comment_120822201

As said further up the thread, they were gambling with other people's money.

And they knew there would be absolutely zero repercussions if it failed….

though I’d also reckon they never even considered failure, and all just simply assume it would be a blinding success…… and they’d be invited to Broadway of the West End in no time….

Arthur Pants

RTE asked for EUR 34.5 million 'bailout', presumably EUR 2.2 million of that was to cover the losses from this farce.

"RTÉ’s former director general Dee Forbes asked the Government for a €35m bailout while auditors investigated her involvement in the secret payments made to Ryan Tubridy, the Sunday Independent can reveal."

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/rte-asked-government-for-345m-bailout-just-as-auditors-uncovered-secret-deal/a1497190186.html

Arthur Pants

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120821017#Comment_120821017

Count your lucky stars.

sprucemoose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120131531#Comment_120131531

tony hayers?

Atlantic Dawn

So it emerges today that it would have cost €1.3 million in advertising costs if a private panto/musical had come to RTÉ seeking the same package of ads running from May to December of 2022 as were run for Toy Show The Musical. I thought I was imagining ads running for it last summer but no they were actually running from May.

Even with that behind it the show spectacularly failed, absolutely shocking.

"If a notional assessment were to be made using the RTÉ advertising rate card as a reference point, then the promotional value of Toy Show the Musical between May and December of 2022 would be approximately €1.3m."

https://www.rte.ie/news/politics/2023/0911/1404719-rte-toy-show-musical/

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121098403#Comment_121098403

Huge question on this promotion for "free" firstly this is not the case. I though for the RTÉ Guide it came from the cost of the RTÉ Guide. I assumed that only TV programmes, Radio programmes and the orchestras were allowed free on air promotion, but commercial things were paid for from a cost centre, RTÉ Guide gets little promotion by RTÉ for this reason. AFAIWA.

Mr Disco

Does anyone know is a scaled down version of this is on this year?

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121489616#Comment_121489616

I would seriously doubt we will ever see any mention of this farce again from RTÉ, scaled down or not....

A2LUE42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120812983#Comment_120812983

This was my take on it too. A few thought that this could be their 'Riverdance' opportunity.

z80CPU

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121489784#Comment_121489784

Sacrilege talking of Michael Flatley's craftine this!!

May you indeed be struck down by the Lord of the Dance!!!

odyssey06

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121489839#Comment_121489839

Seems like it was more akin to their Blackbird :)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_(2018_film)

Hotblack Desiato

A poster asking if TSTM is coming back?!?

Senature

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2023/1211/1421445-rte-musical/

On the rte website yesterday. Concerns over the accounting for the show. No surprises there...

RoTelly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121489855#Comment_121489855

No accounting for people. I remember along time ago RTÉ produced "The Big Bow Wow" ... they ran a repeat of it a few years later and someone on boards did ask if there were any more episodes as they'd got into the repeats.