Question+2+JG

We spent considerable time in class seeing a DVD about the development, rehearsal, and presentation of 4 Broadway musicals. Discuss some of the major topics that were introduced on the DVD. Next discuss what you learned from the DVD about the making and development of these commercial ventures. How did they differ one from the other? What were some of the unique features of each? What were some similarities that they all seemed to share?  **Response:** In class we watched //ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway//, and it really opened my eyes to the extremely hard task of putting a production on Broadway. The documentary covered four extremely different plays: //Wicked, Taboo, Caroline, or Change// and //Avenue Q//. While each play had a different set of specific problems, they all faced one common enemy: harsh critics. This highly acclaimed documentary brings up some major topics that the general audience never sees on stage. In the case of //Wicked//, the biggest problem was revising the play for Broadway. They had a lot of issues when performing off Broadway, and they were rushing to perfect the production before its opening night. While it wasn't well known in the beginning, it quickly gained a cult-like following among the teenage girls that could relate to Elphaba. Unlike //Wicked, Taboo// started with a huge fan-based, obsessed with the play. In fact, some people had seen the production dozens of times and were gushing about their love of //Taboo// on opening night. Despite this strong following, //Taboo// was surrounded by controversy due to Rosie O’Donnell’s court troubles. On top of this negative publicity, it seemed as if the production was very chaotic and confusing with no solid plan of action. When it came to //Caroline, or Change// and //Avenue Q//, their biggest issue was being different. Both productions were something outside of the norm, and the playwrights were afraid of how the plays would be received. While the productions grappled with their issues we learned a lot about the development of Broadway productions. The most prominent lesson in the documentary was the power critics held over Broadway plays. One bad review could ruin a play before it even began, no matter how spectacular it was. Throughout the film, the critics would meet to discuss the four productions, and what they thought of them. Some critics could be quite harsh, while others seemed to be more sympathetic to the struggle of putting together a production. We also learned how great the risk is when putting money into a performance because there is a good chance that it won’t be profitable. In the case of //Caroline, or Change//, everyone accepted the fact that they would be losing money and decided creativity was more important. For //Avenue Q//, many critics claimed that there would be no audience for the “adult Sesame Street”; however it was a great success and went on to win 3 Tony’s among other accolades. //Wicked // also rose to great success, and remains extremely popular today.  We also learned how detrimental negative publicity can be to a play, when it came to //Taboo //. //ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway //reveals the immense amount of time, work and money it takes to make a productions ready for Broadway. This documentary also highlights the harsh sink or swim mentality of the business. While the productions, besides Taboo, were successful in varying degrees several other plays weren't as lucky. In a quick montage, the film highlighted the plethora of plays that opened and closed in the blink of the eye. This only serves to increase my respect for the actors and actresses that risk it all for a chance on the big stage.
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