BFMusicalTheater

Given the readings, the evidence from the DVD and that of the youtube examples, discuss why some musicals succeed and others seem to fail. Use examples to support your opinions.

Musicals, just like plays, are meant to tell a story, speaking to the audience. I feel like the most successful of musicals all have a storyline that captures the audience in the world of the play; they tell stories that the audience can relate to. The music flows with the dialogue and enhances the emotion brought by the play. The successful musicals usually have a moral to their stories which the audience may learn from. Musical productions tend to be expensive endeavors. It is very risky to invest in a musical since many close before they even have a chance to open. It is rare that a show makes a profit; most just hope to break even. Successful musicals have strong characters, memorable songs, a plot that is easy to follow, have had enough money invested in them for the set and costumes to be adequate if not sensational. Some musicals fail due to timing; perhaps the storyline doesn't fit the times. Other's fail because they have something missing in the story or the production; maybe the story isn't relatable or the set and costumes aren't up to par or the song's aren't well written or memorable enough. Other times musicals fail because they lack the necessary funds due to a lack of sponsorship or a weak showing and low revenue during the first opening nights of the play. Sometimes musicals are successful because they are adaptations of stories the public already love like //Wicked// and //The Lion King//. //The Lion King// appeals to both the children who grew up watching Disney's animated version as well as adults, since the adaptation is a bit more mature than the cartoon. //Wicked// appeals to a broad audience since the original //The Wizard of Oz// is already well-known, and this new take on the story from a different perspective sparks curiosity in the already large audience that enjoyed the story //Wicked// came from. Also, //Wicked// came from a book; therefore the fan base was already growing before the script was even written. I think that //Avenue Q// was successful because the comedy came over well with a broad audience and the situations presented in the musical were very relatable to people's lives and therefore all the more funny to the audience.