Sunday, September 04, 2011
Shows Like ‘Sister Act’ and ‘Priscilla’ Struggle on Broadway
NYTimes.com: The new Broadway musical “The Book of Mormon” has been setting box office records, and this has been the best summer yet for the long-running hits “Wicked” and “The Lion King.” But this blockbuster bounty has not trickled down to everything on Broadway; several major musicals have struggled to fill seats during an especially lucrative time of the year, with some shows closing, while others are bracing for the traditionally slow-selling fall.
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9 comments:
When I first started reading this article I thought that it was going to be about how shows that were more provocative were not selling as well. While I think the article is saying this to some extent, it did go on to say that shows like "Book of Mormon" were selling really well, this is not a family show and it is provocative. It seems to me that Broadway theater goers and Broadway theater makers have quite a different view of what should be on Broadway. Most tourists that see shows are people with money who have kids, this means that they want to take their kids to shows. and while family friendly shows lead to lots of flash and cool gadgets they don't nessisarly lead to the most interesting plots/stories. Billie Elliot is an interesting case because it is a family musical and it is marketed as such but even it had to cut back on it's racy content. So this leads me to the question: do theater goers just want something that they can see with there kids? Should we stop producing things that are racy and have mature content?
How do we create a musical that appeals to everyone? This is always the big question. It's not such a simple thing. We live in a society where parents feel the need to shield their children from anything that might be "bad" for fear that their kids might start asking questions. It's sad to me that musicals that aren't all that risqué in my opinion are being rewritten so that they aren't deemed "inappropriate" by anyone. Broadway is already a boring place, and what writers and producers are being forced to create is making it even more boring.
Normally, I am not a fan of frivolous musicals, but when I went to see 'Priscilla', I truly enjoyed it. It has a great message of acceptance, but it seems that Broadway audiences can't just look past the drag queens to see that it would be a great show to take their children to, because it has such an important message; everyone is different, but that doesn't mean that we should discount them or fear them, because they are people too. Oh yeah, and it was totally a fun show!
I am very, very sad to see shows selling poorly. Whether or not I like a certain show, having it close means that people are out of jobs. Theatre, and especially Broadway, is a business. While I do not want shows to make changes to the content to become more "family friendly" it might just be what is needed to make a show survive. I hope the changes in advertisement for Priscilla and Sister Act help to sustain the shows and help them to turn a profit. The "money back" policy that Priscilla is implementing could really be harmful, but I guess the only thing to do is sit and wait and see what happens.
What I see is that the most important thing is to have a large pre-existing fan base. Wicked has it, How to Succeed has it (Harry Potter), Book of Mormon (South Park). Wherever the fan base is from, the interest is preexisting. Priscilla is fantastic. I'd recommend Priscilla over Billy Elliot any day. The fan base existing from the movie can't compete with the others. Sister Act is having the same problem, they are riding on the movie fan base.
I think the main overarching factor which must be remembered is that we are still in a recession, hence theatre goers are going to be very selective about which shows they actually attend. Shows like "Sister Act" which have been done would hardly draw tons of repeat viewers, yes it may be a new cast, different direction, choreography; however if you have seen it, whether on stage or on the television, there is no real pull to view it again, unless you are a faithful follower. This is in contrast to Cirque du Soleil's productions, which tour and usually have sold out or almost sold out audiences. They offer spectacle and a complete production of all the elements. Which would you choose? A show which will shock you, leave you in awe, display fantastic performers with various, potentially dangerous talents; or an entertaining musical? Audiences crave something new, whitty and "different" (if anything is ever really different) and this is what apparent with The Book of Mormon. They have tapped into numerous potential audiences. They captured the interest of the usual theatre goers, who just want to see if it will be good/bad; the faithful Soutpark followers, some who may have never attended a musical (and even profess to hate musicals), as well as the audiences who love/ crave any comedic, raw entertaining musical. I however have not seen the musical, therefore I can not credibily comment on the performance!
I realize that correlation does not equal causation, but I did notice that a lot of the struggling Broadway shows mentioned are musicals based on movies, while the hugely successful Book of Mormon is a completely original work. It's likely that I'm just projecting my own biases onto the situation, but I think people are more eager to spend time and money to see big shows that present a completely new experience than shows that are simply musical adaptations of movies they've seen. Hopefully there will soon be a trend of more original work and fewer adaptations and revivals.
Also, removing the profanity from a show set in an English coal-mining town? There's broadening your appeal and then there's just being silly.
I think Hannah hit the nail on the head. The shows succeeding or failing doesn't have to do with whether a show is family friendly or not. Mormon is not family friendly and its doing good, Sister Act is and it is needing to rethink marketing. The shows doing well are the ones that had preexisting fan bases before they opened, so they draw tourists. Like the ones in the article they don't want to take a chance with their money in this economy. They stick with what they know. That's why the tourists don't line up for Priscilla. If they felt more financially secure they might take an extra night to see something new. Also as for family friendly the thing is most parents are going to see what their kids ask to see. They ask for The Lion King not Sister Act. The marketing people on that show need to reach the kids to turn things around.
It's interesting to see, with the economic condition, what shows are pulling through, and which ones are kicking the dust. We have seen Wicked, Book of Mormon, and Lion King really take off, more so than in their past, and exponentially higher than that of more socially risque shows on Broadway.
The marketing techniques employed by these shows is also an interesting phenomenon. I question why putting Bette Midler's name on Priscila's marquee would increase ticket sales. Yes, it is great to know that such a big name is new on the producing front, but how will that encourage tourists to see the production? Why are television and radio ads used to target new audiences for these long-running shows? Although Broadway constantly has people running through their theaters, when do the shows reach a point at which their audience pool grows dry of their marketing campaigns?
Zoe brought up a good question. Do theater goers want something that they can see with their kids? This is entirely dependent upon what market of theater goers we are examining. If we look at the Broadway model, one that targets the tourists of NYC, we see a lot of families. The shows we see pulling through hard on Broadway are those timeless, family friendly tales. Whereas, if you look deeper into NYC's theater scene, you will find avante garde work at the height of popularity.
It's a shame to hear about these shows struggling. I know when we were working on Priscilla it seemed like a show where people were invested in the production and really striving to make something interesting. It seems unfortunate that it's fairly hard for a new show to make an impact on the broadway world, while long-standing, well-known shows and franchises are consuming much of the public attention. I would hope that there is space for something interesting and new.
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