Studies in Musical Theatre - Volume 5, Issue 1, 2011

In this introduction to Studies in Musical Theatre’s special issue on theatre and the economy at the millennium, the production history and financial aspects of the troubled, $70 million Broadway musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark are discussed in relation to the contemporary commercial theatre and the current economic climate.

One of the most controversial aspects of the megamusical is the stage spectacle it offers. The aim of this article is to define this spectacle as an aesthetic category and analyse the reasons for its vast popularity in postmodern culture. A cultural reading of the megamusical’s staging vocabulary will show that the genre’s prodigious emphasis on the visual aspects of the performance is an integral part of a postmodern masscultural aesthetic that emphasizes aesthetic form instead of narrative content. This aesthetic, which has its roots in modernist and avant-garde practices, can be defined as ‘postdramatic’ and its commodification in postmodern culture is closely related to the late-capitalist reorganization of social life in spectacular terms. Moreover, cultural critics, from Walter Benjamin to Gut Debord and Fredric Jameson, have shown that this spectacularization of social life has a century-long history and intensifies over the years. Based on this theorization of spectacular transformation as an ongoing socio-economic process, this article will also trace the history of the megamusical’s postdramatic spectacle. It will show how capitalism, throughout the twentieth century, cultivated new modes of perception that made possible the introduction on the musical stage of new methods of postdramatic organization, which affected Broadway’s aesthetic production from the book musical, dance musical and concept musical to the megamusical.

Wicked falls into the mold of shows like Cats and Phantom of the Opera, which had mixed reviews from critics but became enormously popular with the public. Such shows are sometimes called ‘critic-proof’, meaning that the opinions of reviewers have little influence on the public. This article examines the status of Wicked as a ‘critic-proof’ show with a detailed survey of its critical reception by New York City reviewers and consideration of the reasons for its great popularity, including the continuing resonance of L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz stories, book writer Winnie Holzman’s successful portrayal of young female relationships in the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda and Stephen Schwartz’s popular score. Each of Schwartz’s major songs for Wicked is described in terms of its musical models and effectiveness, demonstrating how important the score of Wicked was in securing the show’s unofficial designation as ‘critic-proof’.

Tony winning musical In the Heights defied box office odds when it recouped its $10 million investment only ten months after opening on 9 March 2008 on Broadway. The marketing campaign of this unlikely ‘hit’, which blends musical theatre, Latin and hip hop styles to portray a group historically underrepresented onstage – namely, the Hispanic community of Manhattan’s Washington Heights neighbourhood – was as innovative as its subject and style. Close examination of the musical’s savvy marketing campaign reveals how it carefully negotiates the show’s hip hop and Latino identities and uses a range of media to attract new audiences while also cultivating the traditional Broadway fan base. Drawing upon ethnography and multimedia analysis, this case study provides a glimpse into the rapidly changing theatrical marketplace of the early twenty-first century.

Avenue Q represents an important case study in contemporary theatre economics. A hit in New York, Avenue Q proved that the musical was far from a ‘dying genre’ and could be successful with younger audiences. The musical’s popularity in New York was in part the result of a new marketing model that combined novel trends of Internet marketing with standard branding techniques, and served as an example of how to compete in the changing entertainment market. However, Avenue Q’s status as a financial failure when it was transplanted to Las Vegas complicates its reception. A study of the New York and Las Vegas productions isolates specific elements, both economic and cultural, of their respective markets that resonate with broader trends in contemporary musical theatre production. The case of Avenue Q demonstrates that the reception of musicals during this age of global reproduction can nonetheless be specific to geographical region.

In the last two decades, a host of British-directed revivals of American musicals have opened in London and on Broadway, in many cases to great acclaim. These productions have received critical praise for their fresh staging and dark psychological character exploration. This article suggests that British government subsidizing of the arts has opened the doors for not-for-profit theatres to explore radical reinterpretations of classic American musicals, without the pressures of having to cater to audience expectations in order to back the shows financially. Because of government support, British directors have been free to experiment with staging, physical design, cross-racial casting and character interpretation to get at the emotional core of the material. In many cases, the shows have generated enough critical support to allow them to transfer into the commercial sector – the West End, Broadway, or both – and the original producing theatres benefit from the transfer. This article examines two subsidized theatres in England that have produced some of the most influential musical revivals of the last fifteen years: the Royal National Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse. Through an overview of their histories, subsidy arrangements, and a few of the musical revivals they mounted and later transferred to Broadway, this article illustrates how not having to focus on the box office take can lead to innovation and creativity in musical theatre staging, and how theatrical experimentation in turn creates more opportunities for public funding.

Over the last 40 years, the size of the Broadway pit orchestra has diminished. Contractual rules, known as minimums, guarantee a certain number of musicians in each Broadway theatre. On one hand, producers argue that they should not have to pay for any more musicians than they need. On the other hand, the musicians’ union wants to maintain jobs and preserve the sound of a live orchestra. In 1993, the Special Situations clause was negotiated to allow producers to petition for an exemption from the minimums rule for shows whose artistic integrity would be impaired by a large orchestra. Here at the intersection of art and commerce, decisions are made as to what kind of sound will support a musical based on the artistic desires of the creative staff and the bottom line of a producer’s budget. This article examines the history of Broadway minimums and the Special Situations clause, using data about musician employment and interviews with producers, music directors, orchestrators and representatives from the musicians’ union, AFM, Local 802.

RUDOLF FRIML [AMERICAN COMPOSERS], WILLIAM EVERETT (2008) Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 132 pp., ISBN 978-0-252-03381-0, Hardback, $35.00 THE HAMMERSTEINS: A MUSICAL THEATRE FAMILY, OSCAR ANDREW HAMMERSTEIN (2010) New York: Black Dog and Leventhal, 236 pp., ISBN 978-1-57912-846-3, Hardback, $35.00 BOUFFONERIE MUSICALE: THE STORY OF H. B. FARNIE, AUTHOR, JOURNALIST, GOLFER, LIBRETTIST, ADAPTER, AND SONG WRITER (1836–1889), KEITH DRUMMOND SHARP (2010) Forest Row: the Queme Press in conjunction with the Fife Family History Society, 220 pp., ISBN 978-0-9567090-0-4, Paperback, £8.50