Monday, September 29, 2008
How the British managed to seize Broadway
The Observer: "According to Eleanor Roosevelt, 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.' The former First Lady may have made her famous remark in a different context, but her words resonate today as British art and entertainment again dominate New York's cultural scene. For some American commentators it is as if there is still a collective colonial hangover in Manhattan, with audiences happy to prize talent from across the Atlantic above anything of their own."
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5 comments:
I didn't really notice the impact that the British have had on theatre in recent history. They put a huge impact into music decades ago with bands like The Beatles, Queen, and Pink Floyd. But now musicales like Blood Brothers are being performed across the US. The article mentioned Daniel Ragcliffe acting on broadway making out transition to British life complete.
i never really thought about the huge impact British theatre has on Broadway, but this article proved to me that they do. though i think part why we view british theatre as superior is because they only bring over the best of the best across the pond, while we have to compare good american theatre to all the other crap we produce. we only see the good british stuff, but my bet is that their bad is just as bad as ours.
Let's not forget about OUR influence on British Theatre! Take a stroll around London's West End, and there you'll find plenty of American plays and musicals. In recent years "Wicked," "Avenue Q," "The Lion King," "Hairspray," "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and many other American shows have graced Britain's stages. I don't think we should be worried at this point. A little outside culture can do no harm. We need a break from ourselves sometimes.
I think, in a larger sense, we also have to look at the way we perceive theatre and how this comes from our British roots. Relic of the perception that theatre is only for the upper-class, an elitist British mantra which still exists, I think we stillfoster the idea that only the middle to wealthy classes can enjoy or even see theatre. And because there is a presumption about who will be at the theatre, rarely the working class, writers may perhaps tailor their writings to that demographic.
I'm a bit peeved that they call this an "invasion of culture." Shouldn't we be celebrating more worldly culture where art can transcend oceans so readily? British art and culture have always had a huge impact in the Americas, and the interaction between the two can produce interesting results.
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