Musical Theatre Blog Video

Do, A Deer, A Female Deer: The Songs of Broadway and Their impact

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The one thing that sets musical theatre apart from other art forms is the unique method of storytelling they rely heavily on- music. Many shows are very successful in balancing the right amount and genre of music depending upon the function they serve, as well as the type of show it is being presented in. Professor of theatre in Nashville, Dr. Larry A. Brown, explores the different functions certain types of songs serve to the show as a whole, as well as the effect these choices have on the story and the audience.

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The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, Oklahoma, set the standard for the structure of successful musicals back in 1943. This shows was revolutionary in the fact that they used song to advance character and advance the plot, rather than just being filler moments or finales. It also established the different types of songs and the varying functions they serve.

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Exposition Songs:

These songs are essential to the storytelling process of shows, as they draw the audience in, giving them the vital first impression that they will carry with them for the rest of the performance. However, the purpose these serve is even more important than making a strong first impression, which is the introduce the characters, allude to possible points of conflict, and invite the audience into the world they get to explore for the next two hours. Songs of this nature include Fiddler on the Roof’s  “Tradition” in which Tevye introduces himself, his family, and the village of Anatevka, all while foreshadowing future conflicts and establishing the values and beliefs of the community- all in a 7 minute song that leaves the audience excited for more.

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Additionally, these songs allow the story to set up years worth of events very quickly, as seen in the opening number of Hamilton, “Alexander Hamilton” in which the first two decades of the title character’s life and establishing who he is as a character, as well as his motivations and goals.

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The I Want Song:

These songs are essential, as according to Stephen Schwartz, every good show has one. This allows for the audience to take a look inside the character’s thoughts, as they reveal their deepest desires and most ambitious goals. We get a very clear view of their goals and what they want, making it easy to distinguish them from other characters .

An excellent example of this includes the belt-anthem “Gimme Gimme” from (one of my very favorites) Thoroughly Modern Millie, in which Millie admits that despite all of the ups and downs, she does crave love because the heartbreak is worth it in the end.

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However, as seen in Hamilton's "Satisfied" the "I want" song can also provide justification for why a character does not chase after something they want. In Angelica's case, she explains that she was in love with Alexander before her sister even met him, but backed off when realizing how deeply her sister cared for him, all because the love she had for her sister was greater than her own selfish ambitions.

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The interesting thing about “I Want” songs is that they often come either just before or directly after an inciting action, often before the climax. This gives the character the depth for the audience to understand what they’re about to do or what they have already done.

Narration Songs

These songs help to tell the stories that don’t unfold onstage, providing us with important context and backstories and allowing us to skip backwards and forwards in the time frame. Ragtime’s tearjerker, “Your Daddy’s Son” tells the story of Sarah’s doomed romance with the father of her child, and the heartbreak he caused that led her to kill her child. This song presents the story with much more emotional depth than any dialogue could do, while also providing the audience the opportunity to decide whether or not Sarah’s actions were justified.

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Conflict Songs

As the name implies, these songs highlight various conflicts in the story, whether it be internal or external. An example of an external conflict song is “Cabinet Battle” from Hamilton, as Hamilton and Jefferson literally rap battle over important political issues, and “Yorktown” which chronicles the characters trying to win the Battle of Yorktown while escaping with their lives.

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Internal conflict songs include Into the Woods’ “On the Steps of the Palace” in which Cinderella must decide whether she will run from the prince and return to her dreary, but comfortable life or if she will embrace her life as a fake princess. She eventually decides to run, but leaves a shoe as a clue, giving the prince the tools to come find her, testing his love for her.

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Other types of songs in musicals include parodies, in which the characters humorously mock pop culture or sometimes, other musicals. For instance, in Something Rotten, there is a song titled, "A Musical" in which the characters who live in the Renaissance, develop the idea of a musical, and they parody around a dozen famous musicals, including Chicago, Annie, The Music Man, Les Mis, and Rent.

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Another type of songs worth noting are cameos, in which a featured actor is given a song that allows them a brief moment in the spotlight. “A Sentimental Man” from Wicked gave renown actor Joel Gray a moment in the sun, while still furthering the character of the Wizard.

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The dawn of social media and online music has opened up many more opportunities for people to hear this music, helping to widen fanbases and expose listeners all across the world to this music. ITunes and Youtube have become a very valuable asset to Broadway, as people don’t even need to have gone to New York to see the show to to contribute to the revenue being accumulated if they buy the soundtrack on iTunes. On itunes, you are even able buy soundtracks from shows that graced the New York stage many decades ago, which has come in handy for Central’s own musical theatre kids as we were able to listen to original soundtrack of Fiddler on the Roof in preparation, as well as the much more obscure Secret Garden soundtrack.

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The success of varying songs on iTunes helps to reveal what people want to listen to outside of seeing the shows, as according to the popularity meters located next to the songs on iTunes, ballads and high energy songs have the highest download success. Therefore, shows with a large number of these songs, such as Hamilton, Hairspray, and Wicked have become very popular, as people are willing to pay large amounts of money to see shows with these very fun or very dramatic songs.

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These songs and the emotional impact they provide are a huge component of what makes a show worth  paying upwards of a hundred dollars to go see. As discussed in previous posts, audiences want to see shows with relatable premises, exciting worlds, and enthralling music. Obviously, opinions of shows vary from person to person, so the criteria for what specifically makes people want to go see is pretty subjective and difficult to pinpoint. However, a show with the winning combo of heart, wit, energy, and toe-tapping music typically has a pretty good shot.

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Broadway Post 4: Advertising and All That Jazz

As the Broadway hit, Chicago, boldly asserted

“There is not bad publicity”

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On the Great White Way, it is often debated about whether or not this rings true. However, due to the cut-throat nature of this business, the marketing side of producing Broadway hits is equally as competitive. People obviously cannot trade money for tickets without having heard of the show, so a show’s success or lack of success can be very dependent on what company represents the show, how the advertising is executed, and what methods of advertising are used.

The main companies for this competitive business include Serino Coyne, SpotCo, and Eliran Murphy Group, each with their own specialties as far as types of shows and methods of campaigning.Serino Co has allowed hits such as Spamalot, and Mamma Mia, and Wicked soar to new heights, as well as getting Disney hits, such as Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King to the New York stage. They have the creative priorities of an independent organization to assist with the artistic aspects, as well as the financial backing to achieve these goals.

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SpotCo, known best for its campaigns with Rent and Chicago are renown for their sleek, fresh perspectives, helping to jazz up (literally) shows that have been gracing Broadway for decades, allowing them to continue to dazzle audiences with new and striking presentations and advertisements. Both of these companies use a wide variety of methods to advertise, as they are targeting both regular theatre goers and tourists.

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The smallest of the three is Eliran Murphy Group, which is best known for backing smaller shows or shows with limited engagements. Their more well known clients include Little Women, Follies, and Our Town.This group often advertises more to the “regulars” the people who live in, or near New York, as they are the target audience for smaller shows.  All three of these companies claim to represent all of their clients equally to ensure each of them will have their best chance possible.

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There are a variety of ways to get the word out, many of which have been mastered and perfected by these companies. Traditional methods of advertising include billboards and newspaper articles, and these are still used often. However,in our increasingly media driven world has opened the door for many companies to attract more tourists, to begin taking full advantage of social media, creating hype via websites such as BroadwayWorld and Broadway.com as well as Facebook and Twitter. iTunes allows the soundtracks for these shows to be accessed by millions who would otherwise never hear about the show or become emotionally invested, as seen in the overnight success of Hamilton following the iTunes release of the soundtrack.. For attracting “regulars” companies often employ tactics such as mailing teaser albums directly to them or getting them to buy season passes to the theatre. Sometimes, especially during exceptionally competitive seasons, these advertising companies have to get a little more creative. A very unique example of another form of marketing was Avenue Q covering an entire taxicab in puppet fur, which generated interest and created buzz, drawing people to the show.T

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This very successful marketing strategy allowed them to overtake Wicked for the 2004 Tony for Best Musical, a feat no one believed to be possible, further proving the power of smart advertising and the importance of getting it right.

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An underestimated method of advertising, creating stage-to-screen adaptations, literally brings the show from New York to movie theaters and living rooms across the world. As the quote above from Chicago boldly stated, any publicity helps. This show, which was met with rave Broadway success, as well as a critically acclaimed movie. This brings about the question of whether movie adaptations of musicals do more harm than good. In this case, the movie adaptation of Chicago did significantly help the musical, which closed initially after two years on Broadway, in the 1970s. The movie breathed new life into the story, as many people were first familiar with the movie, falling in love with the scandal and excitement of the Jazz Age, creating buzz for the show when it reopened in the 90s, as tourists who enjoyed the movie were more likely to go watch the musical if given the chance. This absolutely helped give Chicago the stamina to become the second longest-running show in history, at 18 years, and is what has allowed it to continue to still be going strong.

In contrast with this, less-than-faithful adaptations, for instance, the Sondheim hit: Sweeney Todd, which stars Johnny Depp, was slammed by the musical theatre community for casting weak vocal leads and changing some of the story. This gives an often negative connotation to those initially unfamiliar with the musical, as some people only familiar with the movie were not impressed, which hurt the reputation of the Broadway musical as it was judged mainly on the poor performances in the movie.

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Overall though, as musical theatre is often not in the limelight of pop culture any attention, whether it be from a movie or television adaptation or a Broadway star making a name for himself in the film industry, does help make more people aware of musical theatre and create interest.

Question for Next Post: What are the specific components of the shows that are most attractive to audiences?

Author's Note: Best Stage-Screen Adaptations (only shows that were Broadway musicals first)

Into the Woods

Les Miserables

My Fair Lady

Fiddler on the Roof

Chicago

Guys and Dolls

The Music Man

The Sound of Music

West Side Story

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Give My Regards to Broadway: Or What Allows Shows to Defy Gravity?

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Despite being reknown for being one of the most challenging businesses in the world, there are still many shows that are met with great success. Shows of all genres, from the razzle-dazzle of Chicago, to the mystery of Phantom, or the electricity of the hip hop score of Hamilton, continue to bring in substantial profits year after year, still managing to fill entire theaters, thrilling audiences of all ages.
Through an interview with a Broadway Chicago veteran, Michael Keefe, I leaned the secret to success for long-running Broadway shows: having a premise that can resonate with a large demographic of audiences, the funds to keep the shows operating and improving, and the ability to transport audiences to exciting, enthralling worlds.

1. As with any form of entertainment, having a relatable premise is a must for successful shows. People need to be able to relate to the characters, to root for them, and this demographic of people needs to be large enough of a fan base to keep the show alive. Wicked, for example, was not critically well received initially. However, the story of Elphaba and Glinda's friendship resonated with girls and women of all ages, as the struggles of self identity, love, and forgiveness endured by these witches are universal and shared by everyone.  This helped in creating a strong fan base of people who formed connections to the characters, providing the show the stability it needed to survive and thrive.


Similarly, A Chorus Line tells the story of the trials and heartbreak accompanying a life in theatre, which literally hundreds of thousands of people can directly relate to and and are able to see themselves in the story, which made this show an instant success. In contrast, the musical Kelly, which ran for one performance in 1965, chronicling one man's plan to survive a jump off the Brooklyn bridge was slammed for its poor writing and forgettable songs, as well as its inapplicable and unlikable story. If a story can capture the attention of an audience with relatable characters and a premise that resonates, then its chances of survival are greatly enhanced.  

2. As with any business, a key element other than good ideas and the people to make it happen,  is having the funds to keep the show going. The magic of theatre is its ability to continue to adapt and change, constantly striving for perfection. However, this pursuit of perfection requires a lot of time and money, as many shows endure literally hundreds of script and score changes until they are deemed ready for The Great White Way. A lack of funds to let this process take its course unfortunately means that many shows are not given the opportunity to be seen on Broadway at their best. Shows with some promise, such as the doomed Annie 2, didn't even make it to Broadway, as the hundreds of script and story changes took far longer than the funds to support it would allow.

3.   For centuries, people have gone to the theatre for same reason- to escape. A whole world is created in front of you, and people love the idea of losing themselves in this new world. A major component of successful shows is their ability to craft a whole worth being enthralled by. Whether it is the romance, elegance, and mystery of a 19th century opera house haunted by a masked genius, the exotic island lifestyle of South Pacific, or the majesty and wonder of the African savannah. People are thrilled by these fantasy worlds due to their adventure and excitement, such as Oz or the cultural differences seen in Miss Saigon or The King and I. You are given the rare gift of forgetting your own troubles for two hours as you are swept up in this story, enchanted by a world so far removed from your own reality. A show's survivability often relies on this component, as it keeps people coming back and buying tickets for multiple viewings.

Question for next post: What roles does advertising play in the success of Broadway musicals? 

Broadway Post 2: What I Did For Love/ Sunrise, Sunset

What I Did For Love/Sunrise Sunset

Or Why Broadway shows close long before their sunset

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“They say for every bright light on Broadway, there is a broken heart, an unrealized dream.” 

Two time Tony winner Sutton Foster made this rather unfortunate, but painfully true observation of one of the most notoriously difficult professions. Despite being a challenging business to break into, there are still many inspiring success stories of new “classics” such as Wicked making it big and producing huge stars. However, why do shows with engaging stories, talented casts, and brilliant scores close after a few weeks, or some never even see the great lights of Broadway?  Renown blog that chronicles news regarding the Great White Way, The Broadway Bulletin, claims the main causes of shows closing are a lack of ticket sales and funding, being housed in the wrong theatre,  and not gaining enough commercial attention.  

1) The unfortunate reality of any business is that if you lack to funds to continue improving the show and keep it running, maintaining the project is very difficult. If ticket sales are not turning as big a profit as is necessary to offset production costs, keeping the show alive is not only difficult, but also very risky financially. Shows such as Shrek and Spiderman: Turn off the Dark took $27 million and $79 million to produce, respectively, and as both were met with lukewarm reviews and rather small crowds, they were not able to earn back everything they had spent. The producers obviously wanted to cut their losses at that point, even though this meant closing two excellent shows with very talented casts. Similarly, Bonnie and Clyde, a promising show with an engaging premise and two of the biggest names in musical theatre as leads, Laura Osnes and Jeremy Jordan, was forced to close after just four weeks on Broadway due to declining ticket sales after taking a couple of critical hits. The unforgiving nature of show biz is that it can be nearly impossible to get a hit without the funding to keep it alive.

2) Another cause of Broadway shows flopping is simply that a show can be housed in a theatre that doesn’t best showcase the story. Next to Normal, for instance a simple show with a small cast did exceptionally well in a smaller theatre, providing a more intimate setting, which fit well with the story. Larger shows, like Wicked, that contain huge numbers, elaborate sets, and impressive orchestras require a larger space, which is a reason it has been met with so much success at the Gershwin.  These varied settings also help to ensure that the right crowds are being drawn to these shows, as people looking for a more personal, quietly powerful experience will be drawn to shows like The Last Five Years, fans drawn to classical, lyrical shows will attend My Fair Lady or The King and I, whereas audiences hoping for a fun, loud, feel-good show will gravitate towards Aladdin or Matilda.

3) As many Broadway-theatre-goers are tourists, gaining commercial attention is very important to accumulate interest and bring in ticket sales.  Methods of obtaining this include producing an iTunes soundtrack, a very powerful form of advertising that can also turn a profit in itself. As a passionate theatre kid, I can tell you there is nothing more frustrating than hearing rave reviews about a Broadway show and not being able to access the soundtrack to hear the gloriousness everyone is talking about. Additionally, advertising in ways that introduce the everyday person to the show, as there are not enough die-hard fans with the proximity to New York, as well as the funds, to keep the show afloat. This can include social media buzz or talk shows that can assist in obtaining attention. Tourists will often go see shows they have at least heard of, which is one of the reasons famous shows such as Wicked or Phantom have done so well for so long.  
Future Research: Why some show last for decades with great success. How they keep things "fresh"

Author's Note: Best "Forgotten Shows"

• Bonnie and Clyde
• Shrek
• Thoroughly Modern Millie
• The Bridges of Madison County
• Carrie
• Chess
• Sundays in the Park with George
• On the 20th Century
• Heathers
• Hunchback of Notre Dame
• Jekyll and Hyde
• Ruthless