Variety: "At the end of the 2008-09 Broadway season, a Tony-winning producer was trashing his fellow producers' new show.
'There aren't any characters you care about!' the producer brayed. 'Who wants to see it? And where were the elm trees? It looked like 'Desire in the Rock Quarry'!'
His remarks were especially egregious because they were uttered very loudly. At the opening night party. In the party's press room!
Whatever happened to legit decorum? But, almost as important, whatever happened to opening-night parties?"
9 comments:
I found this article to be very interesting. Let me just say though that the thing that really bugged me about the article is the fact that the author used 'legit' three times! Legit is not a word, legitimate is, but NOT LEGIT! Anyway back to the article, I find it very true that nowadays it seems as though the weight has been taken out of the opening night party. Which is very sad and unfortunate, I loved the stiry about spending 150,000 dollars on a party. Even thoughh it seems excessive, back then it was the thing to do, you actually socialized and mingled and it was a big deal. I dont know why that cant be the case now. And I think the author said it best when he said that everyone is looking down at their blackberrys instead of looking up. Thats the clincher right there we are caring too much about whats going on in the little piece of electronic equipment in our hands than the social ineraction around us.
With the influx of pop culture blogs and TV shows, we are constantly being bombarded with news of what celebrities are doing, the lavish parties they are throwing, what they are wearing, etc. Because of this, the one time party full of press and donors (most of who nobody knows) isn't really news. While I agree that Opening Night parties are a tradition that helps bond the company before a long run and is a great way to celebrate the process, they just aren't as interesting to outside people as they may once have been. Maybe it's better such parties are smaller, intimate, with less press...that is the nature of theatre.
I find this article especially interesting because in today's day and age the opening night party is not as widely publicized or as big of a to-do as it once was. I hardly think about it, and this article really brought it to my attention. Today, possibly because Broadway is changing so quickly, the party feels like a smaller event, meant for only cast members and some close friends. The days of throwing the party of the year for every show to open on broadway seems to be dead.
To address Sonia's comment...I KNOW, what the hell is up with the word legit?!
To address Brian's comment...maybe I'm just the biggest dork in the entire world...but I definitely watch all the opening night videos on Broadway.com to see what the party scene was like/how the show went/what everyone looks like out of costume :D So at least for me, it's al entertaining and interesting. I had absolutely no idea that opening night parties were dulling down, because they usually seem so lavish. I would have to disagree that the public is not interested in them anymore, however. I think opening night parties are a great publicity stunt. Get all the pretty actors all dressed up in a pretty place with lots of cameras and reporters + lots of food? Sounds good to me.
Broadway once was once the home of all the stars. Of course all the national press wanted to see what Frank Sinatra and Ethel Merman did at the opening night party. The whole country wanted to know. Now, Broadway stars are the kids that got picked on for joining show choir in high school and if you're not a theater person (who follows playbill.com) then you probably don't want to read articles about how 'those theater people' spend money on their parties.
It's unfortunate how the mighty have fallen.
What's upsetting about this article is its focus on the business of opening night soirees. I understand for producers the right party and the right guests is great pubilicity for any product of entertainment. However, it claims that opening night parties are dying out because they are not national events anymore. The tradition of opening night parties is not a buisness transaction. It's letting the cast and crew celebrate the end of a long process and reward themselves for all the work they've done. It's about the community. It's disheartening to know that Broadway is so far removed from that sense that they don't see the point in putting money in parties that won't in turn feed the show. Another good point brought up was the Blackberry. That also feels like a loss of community as the cast and crew segregate themselves to find out the news. Is the sense of community dying in larger theatres? Granted, may not have been as predominant as a regional or smaller, but stil....
I really think that this article made a good point... what is the purpose of the opening night party? The last paragraph really summed it all up, it's annoying that people are on their blackberries instead of talking to people and enjoying themselves. This article is really a commentary on the times. This is how it is at every party that people go to. It is a time where people are more worried about work than friends and people are more worried about themselves than others, get drama people involved and it's even worse.
This is definitely something I've never really given thought to before and which I find kind of disappointing. How sad is it that "big" opening night parties aren't so big anymore? I understand not wanting to spend an excessive amount of money on a thing like this, but it surprises me that interest has dropped so significantly and opening night parties are becoming a thing of the past. Do people not like to dress up and be glamorous for a night anymore?
"legit" is a "term of art" in the trades, they're not shortening "legitimate".
If you follow more of the Variety articles, you will see they have a whole bunch of interesting linguistic tools.
Post a Comment