msmusicals


 * Question: **

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?


 * Answer:**

If one takes a trip to New York City, there seems to be this unspoken rule that states that he or she must go to a Broadway theatre performance, and for many people, experiencing the magic of Broadway is one of the highlights of their trip. People from all over the country flock to the box offices and spend hundreds of dollars per ticket in order to have the chance to see their favorite play. Broadway is a place of music and money, and the amount of money that a particular show brings in determines whether it is a success or a failure. With money being the lifeline of musicals, those with consistently high revenues, such as //Wicked//, //Avenue Q//, and //The Lion King//, run on Broadway for years. However, those that do not make a high enough profit, such as //Taboo// and //Caroline, or Change//, are often short-lived, running for a few months and then closing. The drive to stay alive on Broadway in order to make it to the Tony Awards kindles a sense of rivalry among musical theatre professionals and leads them to concentrate on specific aspects that will enable them to create spectacular performances.

In order to create a successful musical, one must start with the skeleton, or the writing of the piece. The subject matter of a performance and the time period in which it opens is critical because those factors determine the type of audience that might be attracted. Looking at the history of certain plays on Broadway, //Oklahoma!// opened in 1943 and had a successful run because during a time in which this country was shaken by WWII, this play “represented nostalgia for the past at a time when war made for an anxious and uncertain present” (Arnold 350). //Oklahoma!// was set in rural America, and strengthened people’s faith in the traditional American way of life. Other plays, such as //West Side Story//, which focused on the conflict in the United States between different ethnic groups, and //Cabaret//, which expressed the worries felt by many Americans as the country’s political mindset underwent dramatic changes, opened to success on Broadway because they also addressed the pertinent themes of their respective time periods.

In a more contemporary look at Broadway, both //Wicked// and //The Lion King// are family-friendly shows because they emphasize themes, such as love, courage, and triumph. To the kids who watch these shows, the characters are like superheroes, and they become the role models for these children. With the positive ideals, moral characters, and lack of profanity, parents are more apt to bring their children to see these shows, generating a large amount of ticket sales. Completely juxtaposed to //Wicked// and //The Lion King//, //Avenue Q// is a far cry from a family-oriented musical. It has an interesting storyline because it is a mature version of Sesame Street. Its crude humor caters to an audience comprised of young adults who grew up watching the children’s television series. //Avenue Q// uses puppets to tell a story about the transition into adulthood and all of the worries and concerns that accompany that change. //Taboo// and //Caroline, or Change//, on the other hand, did not receive as much adulation as the preceding three plays. //Taboo// was somewhat successful when it opened in London; however, this play contained subject matter that was too radical for American audiences. Another troubling factor for //Taboo// was that Rosie O’Donnell, who produced the play, became caught up in a lawsuit around the time that the play opened, which perhaps detoured audience members from seeing it. Tony Kushner’s //Caroline, or Change// fell short of the glory that his award-winning //Angels in America// received. Before the play opened to the public, critics claimed that the storyline just “didn’t fit Broadway,” despite the outstanding performance of the play’s leading actress, Tonya Pinkins. Although this play had lovely music, it lacked the “wow factor” that it needed to compete with plays, such as //Wicked// and //Avenue Q//, which opened on Broadway around the same time.

In addition to the subject matter of the musical, both the set and costume designs play a large role in creating a successful piece. The goal of the designers is to create a setting that compliments the actors and allows the audience to be taken on a journey with the actors. Different musicals have different budgets, and because of this, some have the funds to produce very lavish sets. Musicals with large budgets typically charge a higher ticket price, and the audience demands to see all of that money put into action. High-budget Broadway shows, such as //Wicked// and //The Lion King//, have magnificent sets, whereas //Avenue Q,// which had a much smaller budget, featured a much humbler set, but it was still appropriate for that particular type of play. Regardless of the budget, creativity and uniqueness are two important aspects that must be incorporated in both the set and costume designs, for audiences constantly want to see something new and exciting. Julie Taymor, director of //The Lion King//, took the beautiful images from Disney’s animated movie and transposed them onto the Broadway stage. She created a breathtaking theatrical version of the savanna, and she used ornate masks and puppets to help characterize the actors as animals. With such a grand set and vivid costumes, audience members cannot help but feel as if they are in Africa watching actual lions, zebras, and giraffes walk across the grassland.

Aside from the subject matter and the set and costume designs, the most important aspect of a successful musical, in my opinion, is the music and choreography. Nicolas Coster, who has a great repertoire of Broadway theatre performances, asserts that the music is the key; a play can be well written and well structured, but if the music is a bore, it will never be a success. When thinking about this particular wiki question, I personally asked some of my friends which particular musicals they thought were successful. They were able to tell me the names of songs that they loved, such as “Popular” from //Wicked//, and “Memory” from //Cats//, easier than they were able to tell me the names of the actual shows. The quintessential songs in every musical shape the audience’s perception of it because those songs become engrained in people’s hearts and memories, and they catch themselves buying them on iTunes and singing them for months after the show has ended. I personally have never seen //Wicked//, yet I listen to Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth sing “Defying Gravity” almost every day. Music defines Broadway, and the ability to incorporate both singing, dancing, and acting into one performance makes for a spectacular showcase of talent. It is through the music that the actors are able to tell their story, for there is an “increasing responsibility on the music and lyrics as the driving force in the creation of the drama” (357). The lyrics are “poetry set to music;” they are the words with which the actors tell the story with a new level of emotion (357). Also, the score must be written to perfection; it, along with the lyrics, establishes the particular mood and theme of the play. For example, //West Side Story//, set in a poor New York City community, has a score with “an edgy, urban dissonance influenced by jazz and Latin rhythms,” which helps to establish the sense of hostility and violence between the Puerto Rican and Anglo gangs (353).

Complimenting the music, the choreography is also an important aspect regarding the success of a musical. The actors’ movements must themselves be lyrical, well rehearsed, and correspond to the melodies of the music. Dancing brings a new level of excitement to the stage, and it captivates the audience’s attention. Different forms of dance might be used to convey the particular meaning of the play. For example, //A Chorus Line// features both jazz dancing and singing, while in //Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk//, characters express themselves using hip hop dancing. Successful musicals are those in which the music and the choreography serve as mechanisms that the actors use to deliver poignant messages to the audience.

Another important aspect that leads to a show’s success is the way in which the producers promote the show. In essence, producers try to sell the public the idea that their show is the best on Broadway. Advertisements, such as billboards, radio and television commercials, and theatre marquise signs, might be employed to attract attention to the show. Also, the producers try and market the characters and make them seem more relatable to the audience. //Wicked// hosted numerous autograph sessions that allowed fans to take pictures, get autographs, and to the producers’ liking, buy plenty of souvenir merchandise. //Taboo// had a large amount of funding set aside for advertisement, but as noted earlier, producer Rosie O’Donnell was facing an enormous amount of legal problems, and she did not have the time to devote to promote her play. Another aspect to consider is the importance of a theatre critic’s review. While all critics have different opinions about a play, the view that they express certainly influences the audience. For all Broadway plays, //The New York Times// is an especially important criticism that determines the success of a show. Finally, if a play can survive the critics’ reviews and live long enough to see the Tony Awards, that play has a very good chance of success. Winning the coveted “Best Musical” Tony Award almost always guarantees that a show will have a long and successful career on Broadway.

People of all ages enjoy musical theatre, and the beauty of Broadway is that it is rich in a wide variety of shows that cater to all different types of people. While each show might have its own target audience, there are certain qualities that a musical must have in order to ensure its success. First, successful musicals must have alluring set and costume designs that are unique and creative. Second, and the most important in my opinion, successful musicals must have fantastic music, unforgettable songs with lyrics that are not just words, but an actual story full of emotion and passion that touches the audience. Along with the technical side of musical theatre, there must also be producers that handle the business side, promoting the play with different types of advertisements and other publicity methods. Finally, a play might achieve long-term success if it obtains positive theatre critic reviews and receives a Tony Award, one of the greatest honors on Broadway.

Arnold, Stephanie. // The Creative Spirit: An Introduction to Theatre //. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.
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