How we brought David Bowie’s Lazarus into people’s homes

In 2020, going to the theatre wasn’t an option. Audiences were captive at home, waiting for an opportunity to relive the magic of a musical in person. In honour of Bowie’s birthday and the fifth anniversary of his death, Robert Fox Ltd decided to stream an unreleased recording of the London production of Lazarus.

Showings of Lazarus have run across the world, in cities including New York, London, Düsseldorf, Vienna and Hamburg, and more are planned for the future. However, the show had never been released as a video recording, meaning that fans who missed out on these events have never been able to enjoy it in its complete form.

Susie Graves of Robert Fox Ltd understood the opportunity that the company had to create a magical experience for fans. “​​With 2020 marking the fifth anniversary of David’s death, our goal was to commemorate his incredible life,” she says. “The recording of the London production of Lazarus is something we’ve been eager to share with fans. But with the limitations on live events, we wanted to make sure we put on a production that would delight fans.”

DICE worked with the team at Robert Fox Ltd to release the recording in the right way. Multiple streams were created to accommodate audiences around the globe and over two evenings, with extra matinees across three time zones. After a quick turnaround, tickets were available after just a week of the partnership being agreed. The technical aspects of the stream were handled by the team at DICE, working with a streaming partner to create reliable high quality experiences for fans. 

To get the word out, Sine Digital were brought in to run a digital marketing campaign in the week leading up the streams. Video teasers and trailers were shared using unseen footage to create a sense of exclusivity and intrigue among fans. The hype began to build around these special streaming events on the Lazarus social media pages, David Bowie’s official website and fan-run social media pages.

Thanks to a strong online presence, the events sold well: fans bought 17K tickets in just a week. The Guardian, BBC Music, The Times and more media outlets featured the event, which was very well received by fans. An additional £10K was raised for charity, thanks to a donation option.

The team at Robert Fox Ltd were happy that they had a guided experience with streaming from the experts at DICE. “Our friends at The Old Vic theatre recommended DICE because of the success they’d had with live streaming. We got in contact and the process was so simple that tickets were on sale a week later. This was our first streaming experience and DICE guided us through it with support and advice. The event was a success and we’re glad that David’s work was able to be enjoyed by so many fans,” says Graves. If you’re interested in how DICE could bring your existing content to life, we’re here to help.