Best Musicals of 2009

As the year winds down, I would be wrong to not include my Best of 2009. This was a great year for the New York theatre scene and here are, in no particular order, the Best Musicals of 2009:

• Next to Normal
• Rock of Ages
• Memphis
• Fela
• Rooms: a rock romance
• The Toxic Avenger
• This Beautiful City

This is my list, but I want to hear what YOU think! Comment with your best of this year and call me out on my list!

Check back on New Years for my Best of the Decade!

2009 Theater Year In Review

With 2009 winding down, I thought I’d make my first post in a while a wrap up of this past calendar year. Obviously, these lists are usually not the most relevant because the theatre year goes from Tony season to Tony season. At the same time though, there was some wonderful moments for the musical theatre this year that deserve to be tied up in a nice little bow.

1. Even the most popular “Golden Age Musicals" can flop in today’s market.

When I heard there was going to be another revival of Guys and Dolls, I was less than excited. I didn’t see a reason why audiences needed to revisit this masterwork today. There was a wonderful revival in 1992 that breathed new life into the work and made it accessible to contemporary audiences. This new revival took the entire spectacle out of the musical by relying on projections to create the visual world. Theatergoers have spoken: do not give me projections as the primary visual outlet (As if The Woman in White wasn’t enough proof). I hope that the next revival is produced in 2025, the 75^th anniversary of its creation and we can once again compare the musical theatre of our time to the “Golden Age”

2. Casting can deter even the most marketable of musicals

When Roundabout announced it was producing a revival Bye Bye Birdie, the theatre community was genuinely excited to see the first Broadway production since the original. When the casting was announced, people started to get skeptical. In many situations, people are pleasantly surprised by the actors they doubted and take back their criticism. Then there are times when the performances just don’t gel. Although I haven’t seen this revival, from my sources I can conclude that some of the casting choices might not have been the best fit for such a high profile revival. I think it’s a really shame that it couldn’t open the new Henry Miller’s Theater with more fanfare.

3. Small musicals on Broadway are a tough sell

I commend the producers of The Story of My Life for taking the chance of putting this musical on Broadway. They did many things right, including booking it into the Booth Theater; a house with a manageable amount of seats. They cast two wonderful musical theatre actors who could give such shape to a beautiful story. Unfortunately, the economics of producing this type of work on Broadway are astronomical. This is going to be a challenge for young writers and producers who are trying to get the best visibility for a work: How can you produce a small musical on Broadway without star casting under an economic model that isn’t doomed from the first preview.

4. Hair will always be in style

I am enamored with the popularity of Hair, a musical that in form is so out there, yet so accessible to many generations. It is remarkable that this production has once again brought theatergoers in wartime (I think we forget this) together. I hope this revival can run at least one more year on Broadway and then book a national tour; maybe even an international tour.

5. Rock of Ages might have started a new trend of Compilation Musicals

As much as many musical theatre lovers might hate this idea, the idea of a compilation musical is nowhere near new. The example I think of is a form between ballad opera and comic opera called the “pasticcio,” a dramatic work where the writer selects music from various famous composers to tell their story. The most popular example of this is John Gay's The Beggar's Opera. Although today in the age of copyrights this would be considered illegal without permission, this form was key to getting people who didn’t usually go to the theatre to enjoy seeing a story by way of integrating familiar songs. There seems to be a similar trend today. People enjoy familiarity and sometimes that is what is going to bring them into the theatre. From my point of view, there is a place for this in the musical theatre canon along with standard musical theatre fare. I also don’t think this type of work will ever replace what we deem “standard musical theatre” because most people clamor for a musical story that is told through conventional and unconventional avenues.

6. Sometimes the biggest musical is going to win the Tony Award, no matter how hard a disagree

It is no secret that I believed that Next to Normal should have won the Tony Award for Best Musical. I thought this piece was the rare original contemporary musical that explored something new in the human condition. Billy Elliot has wonderful choreography and tells a remarkable story that many connect with. At the same time, if you’re deciding which of the two you were going to vote for, I don’t see how Next to Normal doesn’t get the nod, but I digress.

And for some quick hits in the play world:

7. Movie stars ruling the straight play world might not be the worst idea

I recently read a quote by a producer who said in regard to this trend that basically: maybe we like putting movie stars in straight plays because they were our dream choices for the roles. I bet when A Steady Rain was produced in Chicago, Keith Huff never would have dreamed that Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig would star in the play on Broadway. What a tribute to a writer. I think it’s pretty remarkable when stars come to Broadway and embrace the challenges of a grueling rehearsal process and eight shows a week. I know I gain more respect for them by doing so.

8. Neil Simon is no longer money in the bank.

A year ago, if you asked me, “I want to do a revival of a Neil Simon play that would make me the most money,” without thinking, I would tell you to do Brighton Beach Memoirs. It would be a no-brainer. Every community theatre on the planet sells out when they produce it and there hasn’t been a Broadway revival. A year later, I am still shocked that the revival didn’t last two weeks. There are many ways to look at this, but I think the fact that their advertising deal with The New York Times, which didn’t allow the producers to do extraneous advertising like direct mail, really hurt the building of a core audience. I also think it was hurt by the fact that the Yankees were in the Playoffs and World Series during this period, which made some theatergoers (including myself), wait to see it. At the same time, you’d think a Neil Simon play would be a home run in itself. It is also tragic because I was very excited for a revival of Broadway Bound, which I’d never seen.

So there you have it: a year in review. I am proud to say that even in tough economic times, the musical theatre has given us a lot to be happy about this year. Not including in this piece were the countless developmental readings and workshops of future musicals that will hopefully be changing the landscape sooner than later. That is what I’m truly most excited for this year. Nothing makes me happier than to see a writer put pen to paper and catch a break.

Feel free to comment with your favorite moments in theatre for 2009. That being said, stay tuned this week to my Top Ten Musicals of the Year, as well as the Best of the Decade. Thanks for reading!

Theater Is Sports and Sports Is Theater

Today there was a press release about a Broadway-bound play based on the life of Vince Lombardi. For those of you who are not sports fans, Lombardi is one of the greatest football coaches of all time (the Super Bowl trophy is named after him). You might be asking, why is this play of any significance? To me, pieces like this are a part of why I love the theater.

For many years, I have straddled the line between my passion for theater and sports. In most circles, this would seem like the most idiotic and oxymoronic combination of interests. For years, people have laughed at the sight of me writing or doing research about the musical theatre while watching whatever sporting event was peaking my interest.

Many people are led to believe from an early age that a person cannot be a fan of both the arts and sports. This is probably due to school's segmenting kids into specific activities. Certain kids will play football, basketball, etc. while some kids will be in the school play and sing in choir. For most people, this distinction is pretty commonplace, if not involuntary. This is especially apparent in high school, where students are told to choose their interests wisely with college applications looming sooner than later.

Luckily for me, I was blessed to always have both in my life. I started out as an athlete, but as I started doing theatre and realized that that was where I wanted to put my focus. At the same time, I didn't leave sports behind. I still followed my favorite teams, even though I had much less time to devote to it.

As years go by, I realize more and more why I have both of these interests: theater IS sports and sports IS theatre. The fundamental element of both is conflict. In fact, the origins of theater go back to the Greeks where festivals of plays were produced as contests. Central to each of the plays was the "agon" or battle. For years, people would come to plays in the same way they would attend sporting events: to see a battle.

Has this impulse changed? I don't think so. Sports can even be considered the ultimate theater. When we don't know how A-Rod is going to perform in the playoffs, that's theater. When an underdog takes the field, fans are hoping that they will show up and shock the world. Although it is hidden underneath the players salaries and numerous endorsements, any sport is still a conflict between two entities. In the same vein, a good piece of theater is grounded in dealing with conflict.

So I ask you: why not sports and theater together? It's worked before! Of course there's the hit musical, Damn Yankees, which uses baseball as its backdrop. We also see sports play a role in musicals like The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, All American, Wonderful Town, Ragtime, etc. One of the best non musical examples of sports as theater is Richard Greenberg's Take Me Out. This play deals with homosexuality as it relates to the sports world. This play was a huge hit and brought in a very different type of audience into the Broadway theater.

I can only hope that I will be lucky enough someday to contribute something to the theatrical canon that relates to sports. Hopefully, Lombardi will be a success and lead to many more sports/theatre crossovers! Who knows, maybe I can be a special theatrical guest analyst for ESPN someday!

Is Carrie the Musical Making A Comeback?!

Ladies and Gentleman, today it was announced that the famed flop Carrie the musical is having an exploratory workshop in mid-November. This musical has been known as the gold standard for musical flops unfortunately. In my wildest dreams, I had always thought that Carrie would have a revival through Encores somewhere down the road. Now that there are producers willing to give it a second life, I'm happy to hear that over 20 years later, the writers are going to be able to take another stab at this musical. If you haven't read the article yet, click here!

Daddy's Home: My Return to the BC/EFA Flea Market

Today, after four years, I was able to return to the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Flea Market. This event was pretty much an annual holy day for me before I went to college and was happy that this year's event wasn't rained out.

Each year, my primary focus is supplementing my Playbill collection. Some people collect stamps, some people collect coins, I collect Playbills. It's something I've done since I saw my first show on Broadway (1994 revival of Grease). For me, a Playbill is the fundamental record of a production. Reading any Playbill tells you so much about the history of this art form.

This year, I ended up purchasing 107 Playbills. Here are some highlights of some of my favorite finds:

1. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - Being that this was Alan Jay Lerner's last show, I've been searching for this one for a while. This piece was meant to be a celebration of the bicentennial, but never really amounted to anything desireable. At the same time, any Leonard Bernstein score is worth a listen!
2. Bobbi Boland - This play, starring Farah Fawcett, lasted about 5 days of previews before the producers shut down the production. This playbill has a stub for the closing night!
3. Assassins (Playwrights Horizons) - For some reason, I never acquired this one until now!
4. Bells Are Ringing - 1958 - Original cast with Judy Holliday. A wonderful show that needs to be produced with more regularity.
5. Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public - You have to have pity for any musical sequel. This show lasted 16 performances.
6. Celebration - I have a soft spot for this musical that just doesn't work.
7. Destry Rides Again - Always interested in this Harold Rome musical from 1959 that was staged by Michael Kidd.
8. Do Re Mi - Original cast with Phil Silvers
9. Follies - For some reason I never had a Playbill for the Original Broadway production!
   
10. Goodtime Charley - One of many Grossman/Hackady scores.
11. The Happy Time - An underrated Kander/Ebb score
12. How Now Dow Jones - Interesting musical from 1968
13. I Can Get It For You Wholesale - I recently read this musical and would love to see a great book writer take a stab at updating it.
14. Kean - 1961 musical starring Alfred Drake that deals with actor Edmund Kean.
15. King David - This concert musical, written by Alan Menken and Tim Rice, opened the New Amsterdam Theater in 1997.
16. Oh, Calcutta! - Another show I couldn't believe I didn't have. With its racy content, I'm suprised there hasn't been a production of this by a daring theatre company.
17. On A Clear Day You Can See Forever - A show that absolutely needs a revival. The Lerner/Lane contains some of the most gorgeous music you'll ever hear.
18. One Two Three Four Five - I had never heard of this musical until today! Opening in December 1988, the musical was written by Maury Yeston and Larry Gelbart. My new quest is to find out what became of this musical!
19. A Party With Betty Comden and Adolph Green - This concert is classic Comden/Green.
20. The Red Shoes - This musical version of the classic story boasts a score by Jule Styne and Marsha Norman. The show was an $8 million flop that ran 5 performances.
21. Sail Away - Elaine Stritch starred in this classic Noel Coward musical.
22. Stop the World, I Want to Get Off - Although many would consider Anthony Newley's vision of musical theatre dated, I think that with the right director, this musical could be extremely relevant.
23. Sweeney Todd - Although I've had other Playbills from this production, I was happy to have one from previews!
24. Take Me Along - This adaptation of O'Neill's Ah Wilderness! boasts a Bob Merril score.
25. Two By Two - This musical, with such brilliant minds (Richard Rodgers, Peter Stone, Martin Charnin), never amounted to very much. In fact, star Danny Kaye was forced to continue performing in the show from a wheelchair after he broke his leg!
26. The Unsinkable Molly Brown - Always wants to learn more about this musical, written by The Music Man's Meredith Wilson.
27. Via Galactica - This musical, which lasted 7 performances, featured a score by Galt MacDermot (Hair).
28. Welcome To The Club - Here's another musical I'd never heard of (Michael Mooney to the rescue). Featuring a score by Cy Coleman (here co-writing lyrics for the first time), this musical opened in 1989 and lasted 12 performances.
29. Encores Playbills - The Apple Tree, The Boys From Syracuse, Carnival, Chicago, Golden Boy, House of Flowers, & No Strings.

Last but certainly not least, I also bought a Glory Days T-Shirt! Until I see a production of this musical, I will not believe that this show was an artistic failure, only a victim of it's late entry into the Broadway season.

All in all, it was a wonderful day and best of all, all of the proceeds went to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Let me know what you think of my purchases and let me know, if you were there, if you grabbed anything of note!

Avenue Q Moves Up to 50th Street

Since the last time I posted, an amazing thing happened that I must comment on!

The producers of Avenue Q (Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, Jeffrey Seller, The Vineyard Theatre and The New Group) announced that the Broadway production would transfer to Off-Broadway's New World Stages. If you haven't read about this yet, click here.

There are many reasons why I'm excited by this. First of all, Avenue Q is a wonderful musical that deserves to been seen by more audiences, even though it ran on Broadway for six years. I'm also so impressed that the producers didn't buy into the "Broadway or Bust" mindset. They made their money, but still think this production needs a further life and made it happen.

That being said, what I'm most impressed with is the producers courage to make this transfer happen for the right reasons. They still believed that they could sell this show, but filling a Broadway theater for another few years might be a tougher task. Now, once they transfer, they have a new target number: 499. Selling a house of 500 seats is very manageable when you transfer a Tony award winning musical.

As excited as I am about this transfer, I would be even more excited if this became a small trend. As everyone knows, it is so hard for a show on Broadway to recoup its initial investment. What if there was a business model where a new show could open ob Broadway later in the season, make most of its money back in a post Tony Award summer, and then transfer soon after to a smaller commercial Off-Broadway space? Now of course, there are many wrinkles in this scenario. It could take a long time to recoup certain shows and there are less and less commercial Off-Broadway spaces each year. I leave this suggestion in the hands of those who could figure out a fiscal way to do this.

Among other things, a model like this could help small musicals succeed on Broadway and be profitable. In the meantime, I will happily make my way to New World Stages to see Avenue Q return to Off-Broadway.

Musical Theatre Nerd Quiz #1

One of my favorite things to do is to make fun, yet challenging musical theatre quizzes. Let's see how much you know about musical theatre history. This first quiz is similar to one I posted on facebook a while back, so if you have taken this before, I hope you remember the answers. Take a look at the questions and post a comment with you answers! I'll let you know your scores later on. Good luck!

1. What is the only musical that Richard Rodgers wrote music and lyrics for?

a. I remember Mama

b. Two By Two

c. No Strings

d. Rex

2. Which of these musicals did not win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama?

a. How to Succeed in Business…

b. Fiorello

c. South Pacific

d. Oklahoma

3. What musical did Danny Kaye perform months of the show from a wheelchair?

a. Let’s Face It

b. Rocky Horror Show

c. Two By Two

d. Lady in the Dark

4. Which Sondheim musical features a character written specifically to be African American?

a. None

b. Company

c. Sweeney Todd

d. Merrily We Roll Along

e. Follies

5. Which of these musicals did NOT run for one performance on Broadway?

a. Dance A Little Closer

b. Carrie

c. Glory Days

d. Kelly

6. What was the original title of Oklahoma?

a. The Farmer and the Cowman

b. Green Grow the Lilacs

c. A Prairie Home Companion

d. Away We Go!

7. Which musical does not feature any relation to sports?

a. Damn Yankees

b. Wonderful Town

c. Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

d. All American

e. The Pajama Game

8. Which one of these musicals did not play at New World Stages?

a. I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change

b. Toxic Avenger the Musical

c. Evil Dead the musical

d. Rooms

9. Which of these classic musicals did NOT feature Alfred Drake in the original production?

a. Kiss Me Kate

b. Kismet

c. Gigi

d. Oklahoma

10. What Sondheim musical did NOT win Best Musical at the Tony Awards?

a. Passion

b. Company

c. A Funny Thing Happened…Forum

d. Into the Woods

e. A Little Night Music