ngMusicals

Using as source material the videos linked to the wiki schedule page illustrating musical theatre, the dvd seen in class covering the development and making of Taboo, Caroline, or Change, Wicked, and Avenue Q, as well as The Fantasticks, speculate on aspects of the shows presented that appear to have led to their success and/or failure in the periods in which they were developed. In other words, why have some shows succeeded while others have failed, during the period when they were created?

Musical theater has its roots in ancient times when music was used in short interludes between acts of plays. Without a doubt, musical theater has definitely progressed since its initiation into a form of storytelling that combines both music and dialogue.

In my small experience with musical theater and from the segments that were provided, I noticed that musical theater productions that have been successful in the past have had catchy songs that have instantly become a hit. The use of popular music to tell a story has proven to be very successful. Kristin Chenoweth’s "Popular" is an example of a song that has brought popularity to the Wicked musical. I believe that music is key in producing a successful theater production. Also, similar to what defines the success of a regular theater production, elements such as costume and stage also contribute to the success of musical theater. Above all, music is a characteristic that determines the success of a musical theater production. The music in the production must be characteristic of the current time period in order to attract an audience.

My favorite musical productions are musicals on Broadway. Broadway productions always seem to generate the most revenue. For one, Julie Taymor’s __The Lion King__ is one of the highest grossing broadway productions of all time. Its success can be attributed to its out-of-the-box creativity with dance and stylized movement. Taymor brings new ideas to the musical theater by incorporating both puppets and masks. The broadway production presents a larger than life atmosphere that comes from the astounding number of dancers on stage. The dance moves are obviously meant to mimic the moves of animals, but are incredibly synchronized and choreographed.

In the “dance play” __Contact__, there is a nice balance between large group dances and individual dances that forward the plot. The choreography in the work is impeccable and there is an element of creativity in the dance moves. A reason for the success of this work comes from the time period in which it was released. The production served as a stress reliever for many people after the 2001 terrorist attacks. In __Fantasticks__, the musical aspect of the production was successful in part due to the talent of the actors. There was very little dancing and I thought that the play did not benefit from the dancing because the songs were unnecessary for the development of the plot or characters. A good musical theater production has a large focus on the musical aspect of the production. In addition, the overall message and concept of a musical production is important. I believe that Avenue Q was not as successful as a production like __Wicked__ because its concept of “Adult Sesame Street” was not the best. The __Lion King__ is a childhood favorite of many people around the world who form its permanent following.

I believe that productions like Cabaret and Chorus Line have been discontinued from appearing on stage due to their cheesy and over the top stylized dance scenes with exaggerated costumes and makeup. Musicals need to be enjoyable by a wide range of audience members, not only those who understand the technicalities of theater. The glamor and costumes used in these particular productions were characteristic of the time period in which they were made. Personally speaking, I would not watch either production if they were produced on stage because it would be hard for me to identify with that time period. The dancing in musical theater in the past served less of a purpose in the past. Today, dancing is used to forward the plot and reveal character traits.

Musical theater is a risky business. It involves attracting public attention through producers, directors, and well-known individuals involved with theater. It is important that a musical is commercially successful so that at least a break even is achieved. Advertising is key in familiarizing the public with a particular work. Reviews are incredibly important in that they either persuade or push people away from wanting to watch a particular work. Critical reviews are what people use to decide whether or not to watch a work because unlike movies, there are no trailers. A poster is the only preview of what is to come in the actual production. When the storyline of a work is good, people are more likely to relate and enjoy the work. The audience will also relate to the work if the work correlates to the respective time period in which it was created, but also transcends the time period and is universal in its message. __Avenue Q__ is a long running work that most likely has continued running due to its universal coming-of-age moral in which adults experience disillusion with their expectation of adulthood. Additionally, the work must be interesting and offer something that other productions do not have in order to hold a must-see production value.