Pearson format to get stageshow treatment

Pearson Television International & Enterprises (PTIE) has inked an exclusive US licensing agreement with Capp, Crane & Rose for the live rights to its gameshow The Price is Right.

The stage version of The Price Is Right, what Pearson reckons to be TV's longest-running gameshow, is being developed as stage show for venues such as theatres, hotels and casinos across the country, as well as on cruise ships on the high seas.

The deal stipulates that the live shows cannot be televised.

The show was first launched in the US in 1956, and Capp, Crane & Rose intend to keep the stage version as close as possible to the present day format of its TV counterpart.

Audiences will, in the manner of the TV show, be invited to Come On Down and take to the stage in the battle of shopping knowledge and nerves. The stage version will also feature Showcase Showdown, with two contestants competing to win prizes

{Unlike some game shows that have been transferred to the stage, and feature just a few contestants, The Price Is Right has always lent itself to audience participation on a grand scale,{ said Rand Capp, the veteran entertainment producer.

He added: {We are working on developing an interactive component that would enable the entire audience to play along at the same time, which would then give everyone in attendance an opportunity to be a winner.{

The show is expected to make its live debut later this year.

Capp, Crane & Rose was set up by Capp, alongside Linda Crane and Rich Rose, two former execs from Caesars World Entertainment. The Pearson deal was packaged by AMS Enterprises.