There was a time when high school kids would dream of playing a role in the theatrical performance orchestrated by their schools. There was no greater honour than to be chosen to play the lead in Rent, or snap along as part of West Side Story. The Great White Way beckoned, promising fame, fortune, and most important of all, respect. Tens of thousands of musical aficionados flocked to Broadway, eagerly anticipating the next theatre production that would be the next big thing, the talk of the town for the next few weeks.
“I dreamed a dream in a time long by.” – Les Miserables
The time has gone by. The dream is dead.
The musicals of Broadway were a major influence on American popular culture up until the 1970s or so. The greatest honour in the entertainment industry, an EGOT, cannot even be achieved without the Tony Award, the Oscar equivalent for Broadway theatre. And yet, one of the oldest art forms in the world has faded into negligence. How many common people have heard of Cabaret, or Guys and Dolls? When was the last time people even recognized the names Gershwin or Jonathan Larson? Nowadays, Broadway is a niche entertainment form for those who have more money than they can spend, and has become more of a tourist attraction than anything else.
As a theatre nerd, it is a harsh reality to accept that Broadway is dying. There are a few musicals that still enjoy success, such as Wicked, but with the notable exception of Hamilton, most original theatre productions sink in millions of dollars’ worth of red ink. For every Hamilton, there are a dozen Tuck Everlasting. Most of the popular musicals have remained practically unchanged – Rent, The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Cats, A Chorus Line are among the few successfully running musicals and none of them were even created in this decade. It’s very easy for theatre-goers to resort to a classic well-known musical they know they will love as opposed to taking a chance on a smaller and more unknown production. With the extravagant price of show tickets, it is harder to take a chance and just see a show for the heck of it or one you have never even heard of. For most theatre-goers, their Broadway experience is defined by only the big blockbuster shows.
As a result, how a show gets to Broadway has changed – it’s primarily a high-stakes commercial endeavour. Art is negotiable. The edgiest musical in a long time, The Book of Mormon, only got made because the guys from South Park were behind it. The Producers, and Young Frankenstein were both based on the incredibly successful Mel Brooks movies. Even Hamilton’s amazing success is partially due to Lin-Manuel’s previous endeavours – there was another musical on the life of American president Andrew Jackson, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, that failed miserably despite positive reviews because of a lack of big names attached to it. Staging a musical costs tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars. No investor or producer is going to take a risk on something that isn’t a known entity.
For the most part, Broadway musicals have become bland and repetitive. Composers and performers have to be marketable brands to attract crowds, but they’ll find more money and more opportunities writing for pop stars, themselves, or for movies. In the modern entertainment industry, all that singin’, dancin’ charm of Broadway is not enough, alas, to keep it alive.
“For nowadays the world is lit by lightning! Blow out your candles, Laura – and so goodbye…”