What Just Happened?

Something happened this morning.
I was in class waiting for the lecture to start and the next thing I know I had purchased tickets for Hamilton Chicago. It's all still a blur as to how it all happened but before I knew it I had my wallet out and I was transferring money from my savings into my checking and thanking God that my final check from my internship came last night. So, yeah, I'm going to see Hamilton in Chicago next March.


So, why did this happen? How did this happen? Why did I have such an out of body experience that I can barely remember pulling my wallet out to buy these tickets? The same thing happened this past March when I was in New York and saw Hamilton and bought a signed playbill and prop to help support BC/EFA.


I truly would do almost anything for Broadway. But why? Why do I love it so much?
I remember being a really young child and just barely getting the grasp of television and I just assumed that everything I was watching was live, that anytime there was a rerun the actors would just do the show again. I thought that when I saw Corey Matthews and Shawn Hunter trying to straighten Corey's hair and it becomes rock solid twice in the same week, they were acting out the scenes once more. I attribute this to why I love theatre so much. The medium is so easy to understand, it's instant. I don't have to try to pretend that I understand how television or film or even radio matter.
Theatre is one of the oldest art forms. A person can perform without any technology at all and still convey the message.

I love the simplicity of theatre, the live aspect of it. Theatre has an ability that I so rarely come across in TV or film where I can be actually moved to tears. Theatre has a such a strange and wonderful  hold on my heart that I wouldn't want it to ever be replaced.
I saw my first professional show when I was 12 and it was the Los Angeles production of Wicked and I fell in love. The picture below was actually my Facebook profile pictures when I was 13. When I was 15, I saw the tour of In the Heights and wept like a baby. To date, I have seen 62 different shows and really see no point in stopping.

I love watching theatre develop and, especially in a so connected world with social media, seeing new and emerging playwrights and composers grow their audience from Off-Broadway to Broadway. Its such an amazing community to support. There are always new things and exciting things happening on the Broadway boards and I can't wait to one day be a part of it.
It's been almost 10 years since I first saw Wicked and how I've changed and how Broadway has changed is such an amazing journey to be on.

Changing the Direction from Tourism

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about theatre that started off simple enough with us talking about our absolute confusion of Cats and all of the success it's had. Both of us have seen this show and neither of us can come up with a sound theory as to why it's a phenomenon. I don't know about her, but I have never had a conversation with someone about this show and the other person think it’s a good show. She then made a comment about how she doesn’t understand Andrew Lloyd Webber beyond The Phantom of the Opera and that she couldn’t understand how Love Never Dies even became anything. 

This made me think about what I believe to be an actual issue on Broadway: a lack of an original thought. To my friend and myself, Love Never Dies was just really bad fan fiction. It was a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera and it was, I assume, Andrew Lloyd Webber deciding that he didn’t like the way Gaston Leroux ended the novel, seeing that there were so many #TeamPhantom fans, and realizing that he was going to have an audience regardless. This is the man who basically ran both the West End and Broadway in the 80’s and people tend to bow down to him, he was knighted for God’s sake. Because of this, Andrew Lloyd Webber is surrounded by “Yes Men” who I’m sure tell him everything he does is great... and not all of it is. 

Now, this isn’t supposed to be an Andrew Lloyd Webber rant, though that could be a whole other post, but not this one. This post is about the current lack of creativity happening on Broadway. 

Why is it that the last few years, Broadway has been absolutely FILLED with adaptations? Why is it that an original story is so hard to find? Everything is either a movie, book, or biography. And yes, of course these all are great shows, but as great as they are, I can’t help but feel these are all a tiny bit of a cheat. In 2012 and 2013, every single musical nominated for Best Musical at the Tony Awards was an adaptation. Granted, they were all, well mostly, amazing. I love Newsies, Kinky Boots, Once, etc. but they were all based on something, making them not an original concept.

What does this say about theatre, then? Are producers afraid of the audiences? Are the audiences afraid to take risks? Yes, of course producers want a success, and they see and understand that audiences want to make a safe choice with the one show they see while on vacation, so they produce shows that tourists will know they’ll like. This is one of the reasons why The Lion King is so popular. Everyone loves Disney, and The Lion King is such a success with both kids and parents. The thing is, it was already a musical so a stage adaptation wasn't such a far fetched idea. 

It’s not hard to understand that producers want to have a successful show. Its also not hard to understand that Broadway is expensive and a lot of families cannot afford to attend more than one Broadway show. Because of this, the families want to make sure that the show they are seeing is going to be something they’ll enjoy. Seeing a show where they know the basic storyline and characters is one way to do that.  But for a lot of these families, Broadway is an afterthought. It's an "Oh I'm in New York, I should see a Broadway show," kind of thing where they then buy tickets to shows that have been around for years and years rather than giving new works a chance. Not everyone who visits New York is there with the intention of seeing as many Broadway shows as possible. Not everyone is me. 

In recent years, the Broadway audience has been comprised of a lot of tourist. Two-thirds to be more specific. That is a hell of a lot. Is Broadway becoming less about the actual art form of theatre and more about a tourist destination? Are Broadway producers producing shows they think tourists will like? If that is what's happening, then I’m not sure that is the best direction. This raises an interesting idea: If we make theatre for tourists who themselves are not regular theatre goers, then theatre will start to be shaped by people who do not know what they are doing. 

I remember when The Bridges of Madison County closed (and while it is an adaptation I believe it fits the situation) I read a tweet or an article that said something along the lines of “we were making theatre for theatre goers, not for tourists,” and that is something that has always stuck with me. Tourists did not flock to the Schoenfeld in the spring of 2014 for one reason or another, but it closed, and yet won two Tony Awards. 

Clearly, the theatre community wants to make new and interesting musicals, but are producers relying too much on tourist traffic to let that happen? The Bridges of Madison County was a show with such beautiful and intriguing music that you had to pay attention to, you could not passively listen and understand. With shortening attention spans, this might not seem attractive to tourists who are not likely to see a show in their own home town. Because of this, it seems like producers are afraid to take a risk on producing works that require an attention span. To me it seems like Broadway producers are simultaneously afraid of and underestimating their audiences. 

So how do we change this? How do we satisfy both tourists and the hard-core theatergoers? Well, marketing, obviously. I think one of the best marketing campaigns I have seen for a Broadway show was the campaign for Something Rotten! This campaign was genius. The show that ultimately lost the Best Musical Tony to Fun Home (which is closing soon), used the defeat and their ‘rotten’ name to their advantage and celebrated their defeat. When they received a not-so-great New York Times review, they promoted the truth “A new show that opened on Wednesday night at the St. James Theatre” which showed their sense of humor. And it was an original idea for an original new musical. 

Word of mouth is another important factor. People who enter and win lotteries are more likely to talk about their experience, and if they see the show at such a discounted price they are going to be so jazzed about it, it will already add to their experience. When comps are handed out, people will still talk about the show with their friends and family. Word of mouth is so important. 

Starting the conversation online is another great factor. What I love is that Broadway.com has created the video blog series where they hand the camera to actors in different shows and have them make a connection with the audience and have them feel involved. Using social media to create connections between the shows, the actors, the creators, and the audience is such a great product of our time. 

Some things I think are great is that Broadway is becoming more popular with the incorporation of modern music styles, live network broadcasts of classic musicals starring legitimate Broadway performers, and PBS proshots of both plays and musicals. If these continue and more people visit New York with the intention of seeing musicals instead of it being an afterthought, we can move the art form in the right direction. 

So, to end this post, here are my closing thoughts:

Producers need to stop relying on adaptations

Audiences need to take chances

Producers cannot underestimate the audiences.

This felt long, but it was what I needed to say,

Until next time,

Katie

Our New Season

As we enter the post-Labor Day, back to school, end of summer atmosphere, I am only excited about the fact that it is now (though not officially, but generally considered) fall! While there was an opening or two over the summer, PARAMOUR and Cats (the former I know next to nothing about, and the latter I prefer not to talk about), fall is when we really kick it off.

This season is already shaping up to be stellar. While I'm not sure we will see as much ethnic and ability diversity this season as last, it's still sure to be entertaining.

Like mentioned before, both Cats and PARAMOUR have opened, and Holiday Inn just began previews last week on September 1st and opening a month from today on October 6th. Holiday Inn marks the Broadway return of Corbin Bleu (In the Heights, Godspell), who is also the newest Broadway.com video blogger, and Bryce Pinkham (Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder). This show can be seen at Roundabout Theatre Company's beautiful Studio 54 through January 1st. I love Studio 54, it is such a different theatre on Broadway with the orchestra in the boxes, hanging above the audience, and such a lovely foyer with beautiful chandeliers. What else could you expect from a renovated disco-turned-theatre.


At the end of the month, we will see the beginning previews of the revival of Falsettos, starring Stephanie J Block (returning to Broadway after having a beautiful baby), Christian Borle (most recently seen in his Tony Award winning role as William Shakespeare in Something Rotten!), and Andrew Rannells (who was last seen on Broadway as King George III in Hamilton). Previews begin September 29th with an October 27th opening over at the Walter Kerr.


The next show you can catch this fall is the Off-Broadway transfer of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, previews beginning October 16th with a November 14th opening. What. A. Show. This is one of the shows I am most excited for this season. Its an adaptation, yes, but its building a full blown musical from a section of War and Peace. The music from the Off-Broadway cast recording is so beautiful in its storytelling and simultaneously funny and heartbreaking. This is the show that Phillipa Soo began her post-Juilliard start, and now she is a Tony Award-nominated actress for Hamilton. However, Denèe Benton will now be portraying Natasha and making her Broadway debut. Congrats! This also marks the Broadway debut of Josh Groban who is no stranger to showtunes. His performance in Chess in Concert as Anatoly Sergievsky has always stood out in my mind. Another thing that so intrigues me about this show is that they are rearranging the seating in the newly vacant (RIP Les Miserables) Imperial Theatre. They are trying to recreate the feel of the Off-Broadway productions, and I am all about that.


Next up we have A Bronx Tale with previews starting November 3rd and opening December1st. Coming off a run at the Paper Mill Playhouse, this production brings along co-directors Jerry Zaks and Robert De Niro. Now, I was completely unaware that De Niro was a director, but with Zaks (who directed Sister Act and The Addams Family and Chazz Palmentari's original A Brox Tale) at his side, he's in good hands. We also get new music from Alan Menken and Glenn Slater which is something that can always be counted on as a good thing. We also get Nick Cordero (Waitress), Ariana DeBose (Hamilton), and Richard H. Blake (Legally Blonde, Jersey Boys) in starring roles.


For the first time on Broadway, there will be an all a capella musical In Transit at the Circle in the Square, previews beginning November 10th and an opening night of December 11th. Another Off-Broadway transfer will be making history this winter.


Dear Evan Hansen, the toast of Off-Broadway last season, will be making the transfer over to the Belasco with previews starting November 14th and opening on December 4th. From what I hear Ben Platt (Book of Mormon) absolutely kills this role and breaks the heart of every single audience member while singing the songs of Pasek and Paul. I am just so curious to see how Broadway reacts to this show.


Come From Away, which is currently playing at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. through October 9th, will be the first musical to open in 2017. Previews will start February 18th with an opening night of March 9th. A musical about travelers to New York City whose flights were diverted on 9/11 seems like such a strange plot for a musical and I am so concerned as to how New Yorkers are going to respond to a show with a subject matter that hits so close to home.


Our next musical is one that I will have the opportunity to see before New York does. Amélie, which is slated to open in the spring, will have a pre-Broadway run at the Ahmanson in Los Angeles, where I already have my tickets. Another adaptation for this season, had a successful and extended run at Berkeley Rep with Samantha Barks at the titular Amélie, will now star Phillipa Soo.


MISS SAIGON IS COMING BACK! I repeat MISS SAIGON IS COMING BACK! That's right! Miss Saigon, which just had a successful run on the West End, is returning to Broadway. I am way too excited about this. Obviously. Previews begin March 1st with an opening of March 23rd at the Broadway. I feel like not much information is known about this coming production aside from the fact that Jon Jon Briones and Eva Noblezada are set to star. Still. SO. EXCITED.


We are getting a revival of Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce this spring. Does much else need to be said? Previews start at the soon-to-be vacant Shubert on March 15th with an official opening of April 20th.


The Bandstand, another Paper Mill Playhouse transfer coming to broadway this season. Again, not much is known about the specifics of dates and theatre, but we will get the return of Laura Osnes (Grease, South Pacific, Bonnie and Clyde, Cinderella) and Corey Cott (Newsies, Gigi) which is quite exciting for me, specifically.


Christian Borle is going to be a busy man on Broadway with his second show of the season as Willie Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Another West End production coming to the states will feature a whole new score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, but will include the iconic "Pure Imagination". Previews are set for March 28th with an opening of April 23rd at the Lunt-Fontanne.


And finally, the last scheduled musical of the season harkens back to my childhood. Anastasia. A preview date hasn't been announced but opening will be on April 24th at the Broadhurst. Another adaptation, this time of a terribly historically inaccurate cartoon that has somehow found it's place in my heart for the past nearly twenty years. In fact, this show will come to broadway in the year marking the film's 20th anniversary. Last night, I saw a clip of "Once Upon a December" from the Hartford Stage production and it was so beautiful that I immediately sent it to my friend who is absolutely obsessed with all things Romanov. This is definitely a show I am so looking forward to seeing.

From what I've been reading, this season is shaping out to be a fun one. Not as dark or as important as our previous "BroadwaySoDiverse" season, but a great one nonetheless. I can't wait to see the surprises and shocks that will come, the last minute replacements, the cast changes, and the drama that surrounds this thing we love called Broadway.

All my love,
Katie

Showing Up Right on Time

Well hello, there!
I'm doing it. I'm doing it! I am actually going to start this thing instead of letting it roll around in my brain for weeks on end.

Hello and welcome to Show Up, a multi-platform blog where I will post about the "hottest" new shows to hit the Great White Way. As this season kicks off (I know Holiday Inn had its first preview last night) I will keep you updated on the amazing triumphs and heartbreaking losses of the Broadway season.

A little about myself might be a nice introduction.
Hello, my name is Katie and I am a current college senior, majoring in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations.

I am also an avid theatre-goer, seeing shows literally all the time. I have interned at one of the major theatre companies here in Los Angeles and even a symphony association. As of writing this post, I have seen a total of 62 different shows, not counting different productions or multiple viewings. Yeah, I like theatre a lot.

So, my intentions with this blog are to write a full critical analysis/review of the shows I see in this space, and then go talk about the experience on my vlog channel (here). Now, I haven't posted anything on that channel yet, but be sure to stay tuned for the super duper quality content I'll be posting over there.

Now, because I currently live in/around Los Angeles, a lot of what I will be reporting on will be from sources like clip reels, cast recordings, production photos, you know, materials that I can get my hands on. Also, because Los Angeles is such a major tour stop, I'll also be talking about the different tours that come through our wonderful, beautiful theatres.

From time to time I may enlist the help of a couple of friends who either tag along with me to shows or go see shows on their own. Either way, it's sure to be a blast.

I cant wait to get started on this wonderful wonderful journey, and I hope you'll stick around for the ride.

All my love,

Katie