Thursday, July 03, 2014
7 Musicals We Can’t Wait to See at NYMF
Backstage: Midtown erupts in song and dance July 7–27 when the New York Musical Theatre Festival returns! Each year NYMF celebrates the genre with productions, concerts, readings, and special events—and has launched shows including “Chaplin” and Pulitzer Prize–winning “Next to Normal.” For this year’s full schedule, visit nymf.org—but here are seven shows we can’t wait to see!
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The seven new productions coming out at NYMF cover a wide variety of topics, some that focus on more serious topics than others. The first show listed, “Der Gelbe Stern,” is a more serious piece that exposes the different ways that political, social, economic, and cultural shifts can change the art of an entire era. In this case, the art of Erika Stern is oppressed during the rise of the Nazi regime. Other productions that are coming out regarding political topics include “Clinton: The Musical” and “Propaganda! The Musical,” both describing the life of a president, one real, one fictional. Other productions that veer towards more serious topics are “As We Lie Still,” a story of a disgraced magician attempting to regain his fame, and “Mr. Confidential,” a production that exposes the darker secrets of show business. “Rescue Rue” is a production with a young target audience that caters to a new demographic by being an “autism-friendly” show. In this show, the lobby will be staffed with autism specialists, the house is guaranteed to be silent, and all flashing lights have been removed from the show. With changes like these, musical theater not only displays it’s public awareness, but also takes a step towards a new future where productions may one day be completely accessible for people with these disabilities. Lastly, “Zombie Strippers” is the black sheep in the lineup for being a campy (not to mention raunchy) comedy designed to be a good laugh for an audience. All seven of the productions are bound to be entertaining, no matter what the topic may be, and NYMF displays a positive diversity of ideas this July.
Looks like a great set of shows. I'm happy to see Rescue Rue accommodating viewers with special needs; I've known a few people who would love to see a show, but sadly can't because of the use of flashing lights and other uncomfortable effects. In a theater where these extra performances can't be afforded, it's always an awkward battle finding the middle ground between being accommodating and limiting yourself. I recently worked on a production that involved the use of an actual firearm onstage. It definitely made the show much more compelling but was it worth losing the audience who can't be around that sort of stimulation?
I just read a more in-depth article about Clinton: The Musical the other night. I'm definitely intrigued, especially by the choice of writing Clinton as two different characters: the respectable W. J. fulfilling his presidential duties, and the scandalous Billy. How will they pull this off? Identical twin actors? In any case, it's sure to be a fun and clever production.
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