There is a buzz unlike any other when you take in a live performance (just ask any Swiftie).
So it was a group of excited travel trade media who convened at Toronto’s CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre on 20NOV to take in Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
The show knits excerpts of 70 pop songs from such legends as Elton John, the Stones and Adele to enhance a tale of love, jealousy and mistaken identity. The setting is the Moulin Rouge, a struggling nightclub in Paris’ famed Montmartre neighbourhood at the turn of the 19th century.
Were there dancing girls? Lots! And did they dance the cancan? Mais oui!
Our host for the evening was Todd Rappaport of The Shubert Organization which was established 120 years ago and is the oldest professional theatre company in the US. It currently owns 17 of the 41 Broadway theatres, as well as a company called Broadway Inbound which books theatre tickets for all Broadway shows for tour operators and travel agents. Some 27 shows are currently available through Broadway Inbound including such smash hits as the Lion King and Aladdin.
Also attending the event was Mimoza Jakimi of SimplyiTickets, which works with Broadway Inbound and provides tickets to concerts, special events and sporting classics such as Wimbledon and the Super Bowl. “We have availability right up until 2 hours prior to the event,” she told Open Jaw. “Wherever your clients are travelling to, we have the tickets!”
Which is all good news for agents who know that FITs are the way of the future. The more you can build into a customized itinerary, the more your clients come to trust and rely on you – and the more opportunity for commission and/or mark-ups.
As Rappaport (who figures he has taken in 9 shows in the past 3 weeks) told Open Jaw, “You can go to a movie or sit on a couch and watch Netflix but nothing beats being in a theatre with people around you.”
Moulin Rouge! runs in Toronto until 12JAN.
