2019/20 season shaping to be another jukebox season

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 4/30/19 at 11:55pm

Just looking at the confirmed and rumoured shows are their any original musicals that dont have a jukebox set?
Moulin Rouge
Jagged Little Pill
Tina
Dont Stop Til you had enough
Possibly Girl From the North County

 

then add that to shows already running. Cher show, ain’t too proud, beautiful 

Updated On: 4/30/19 at 11:55 PM

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 6:39am

Straight plays are the way to go rn for more innovative and provocative theatre. I’d really recommend looking towards though. Strong shows coming in like a The Inheritance, Lehman Trilogy, possibly transfer of Fairview, lots of strong possibilities on that end. Add those shoes in with The Devils Wear Prada Musical and Magic Mike and The Britney Spears musical. They could be great shows, just lacking originality.

[n2nbaby]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 6:39am

Also the Britney Spears Musical.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 10:33am

I hope Ride the Cyclone transfers finally.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 10:50am

Look, I don’t like all these bio-jukebox musicals either. Hell I’d be the first to crusade against them. But I don’t think it’s totally fair to complain about shows like Moulin Rouge, Jagged Little Pill, and Girl From the North Country, when they are in such a different vein as these hyper-commercial biographical shows. It seems like those three fall more in the artsy, creative side,

It’s kind of like when people complain about all the film adaptations, but don’t complain about something like The Band’s Visit. Because sure, it’s based on a movie, but it’s not the same KIND of adaptation that we’re so tired of seeing.

I feel like this situation is sort of equivalent.

Updated On: 5/1/19 at 10:50 AM

[OneL99]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 10:52am

I'm going to use my 1st post on this board to say....Jagged Little Pill is the best show I have ever seen. Easily. And I've seen pretty much everything (some people buy clothes, I drive to NYC from Boston several times a month...we all have our weakness). It has its own original story, the choreography is mind-blowing, and the orchestrations of Alanis' music and the new songs they incorporate are all top notch.

It's the biopics I'm over at this point. Is there someone who didn't know Cher's life story? Or Tina's? Or Michael Jackson's?

I saw Moulin Rouge. I was less impressed by it than JLP, but, I was also seeing Lempicka while MR was here, so everything seemed less impressive because Lempicka was so good.

I'm thrilled to see JLP again. I really can't wait.

I do wonder though.....at what point are we not going to have nominees for Best Original Score? Tom Kitt worked magic with Alanis' music in JLP, for example, so I know the orchestration can be nominated, but, a jukebox can't get original score, correct?

[DoTheDood]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 10:57am

OneL99 said: "I do wonder though.....at what point are we not going to have nominees for Best Original Score? Tom Kitt worked magic with Alanis' music in JLP, for example, so I know the orchestration can be nominated, but, a jukebox can't get original score, correct?"

 

Yeah, it does. It's full title is "Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre", that's why Ain't Too Proud didn't get a nom for score, but Mockingbird did

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 11:06am

I do wonder why producers aren't taking more chances on original works when all the successes of the past few seasons have been original or obscure references like Fun Home, The Band's Visit, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Book of Mormon, Spelling Bee, etc. 

[barcelona20]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 11:17am

OneL99 said: "I'm going to use my 1st post on this board to say....Jagged Little Pill is the best show I have ever seen. Easily. And I've seen pretty much everything (some people buy clothes, I drive to NYC from Boston several times a month...we all have our weakness). It has its own original story, the choreography is mind-blowing, and the orchestrations of Alanis' music and the new songs they incorporate are all top notch.

Welcome to the board! JLP is the "best show you've ever seen".  I know you're just new here, but that's a little much for a show stuffed with every single problem facing our society today and only one true showstopping moment. Just at the A.R.T. alone, Porgy and Bess and Pippin far exceeded JLP.  I'd be curious what the best show you've ever seen was prior to JLP.  

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 11:30am

barcelona20 said: "OneL99 said: "I'm going to use my 1st post on this board to say....Jagged Little Pill is the best show I have ever seen. Easily. And I've seen pretty much everything (some people buy clothes, I drive to NYC from Boston several times a month...we all have our weakness). It has its own original story, the choreography is mind-blowing, and the orchestrations of Alanis' music and the new songs they incorporate are all top notch.

Welcome to the board!JLP is the "best show you've ever seen". I know you're just new here, but that's a little much for a show stuffed with every single problem facing our society today and only one true showstopping moment.Just at the A.R.T. alone, Porgy and Bess and Pippin far exceeded JLP. I'd be curious what the best show you've ever seen was prior toJLP."

You understand that "Best show ever" is all subjective right? Just because it wasn't to you, doesn't mean it can't be to another person.. And from this comment, welcome to BWW! 

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 11:42am

 I dont think it really matters since the musicals have for the most part been well received. Moulin Rouge, JLP, and Tina [i think] all got really good reviews so it's not like we're getting 5 productions of Summer. 

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 11:47am

RippedMan said: "I do wonder why producers aren't taking more chances on original works when all the successes of the past few seasons have been original or obscure references like Fun Home, The Band's Visit, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, Book of Mormon, Spelling Bee, etc."

Those hits are rare. Remember, we've also had Gettin' the Band, Head Over Heels, War Paint, Bandstand, Amelie, In Transit, Great Comet, Shuffle Along, Tuck Everlasting, American Psycho, Bright Star, Disaster, Allegiance, Amazing Grace, The Visit, It Shoulda Been You, The Last Ship, Holler If Ya Hear Me, After Midnight, Bridges of Madison County, etc. Big risk can have big payoff, but not always. Unfortunately, producers get scared and gravitate towards familiar material.

Updated On: 5/1/19 at 11:47 AM

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 11:54am

JBroadway said: "Look, I don’t like all these bio-jukebox musicals either. Hell I’d be the first to crusade against them. But I don’t think it’s totally fair to complain about shows like Moulin Rouge, Jagged Little Pill, and Girl From the North Country, when they are in such a different vein as these hyper-commercial biographical shows. It seems like those three fall more in the artsy, creative side,

It’s kind of like when people complain about all the film adaptations, but don’t complain about something like The Band’s Visit. Because sure, it’s based on a movie, but it’s not the same KIND of adaptation that we’re so tired of seeing.

I feel like this situation is sort of equivalent."

This is a great point. As someone who rarely gets excited for musicals these days, these 3 all have my attention. They seem not only well done, but different forms of their genre. Im expecting a lot from these, and have already enjoyed Moulin Rouge. Moulin Rouge excels in bringing you INTO the story with its immersive set and lighting, along with the incredibly talented cast that comes alongside it. JLP seems like she tells a story with the music, which surprisingly not all jukebox or bio musicals do/pull off. I think these 3 shows are much more unique, yes. 

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 12:24pm

See I don’t disagree with any of the points. A good show is a good show. I have enjoyed good and well developed jukebox shows and am looking forward to a number of them this coming season. I was just more surprised at the limited “new original scores” for this coming season. Which is kind of sad that new theatre songs seem to be more and more scarce.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 1:41pm

I don't really mind movie-based musicals, which have functionally been the dominant force for the entire history of musicals - exchange movie for play, book, etc, it's all the same. And we've had garbage adaptations of movies for ages (Henry Sweet Henry is a great example - the musical makes such a huge assumption that the audience is familiar with the movie that the plot doesn't really make any sense).

Jukebox musicals are more frustrating because the ratio of good to awful is so much worse than movie adaptations. The bad ones are either so obsequious that you might as well just stay home and read a bootlicking autobiography while listening to a compilation album or so stupid that they should pack a gun into the program to shoot yourself with. And it's not just that they're bad, it's that they're basically huge advertisements that you pay for and then subsequently have to, more often than not, suffer through.

It's like going up to a cover band and asking them to spit on you while telling you about the band's rise to fame.

[hveasey]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 6:24pm

While Jagged Little Pill And Girl From the North Country use pre-existing songs so they are jukebox musicals, I think there’s a difference between that and the bio-musicals like Beautiful, Cher Show, Ain’t Too Proud, Summer, Tina, etc. They’re more similar to the shows that riff off an existing book/film, which has always been done.

I’m very excited to see JLP and while I didn’t love Girl From the North Country when I saw it at the Public, it was good and much more interesting/different than the usual jukebox musical show.

I’ve also been listing to the Tina cast recording recently and if Adrienne Warren comes with the production’s Transfer I’ll be excited to see it just for her performance.

[YvanEhtNioj]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 6:58pm

hveasey said: " if Adrienne Warren comes with the production’s Transfer I’ll be excited to see it just for her performance."

 

Well, you're in luck 

 

[mailhandler777]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 7:48pm

barcelona20 said: "OneL99 said: "I'm going to use my 1st post on this board to say....Jagged Little Pill is the best show I have ever seen. Easily. And I've seen pretty much everything (some people buy clothes, I drive to NYC from Boston several times a month...we all have our weakness). It has its own original story, the choreography is mind-blowing, and the orchestrations of Alanis' music and the new songs they incorporate are all top notch.

Welcome to the board!JLP is the "best show you've ever seen". I know you're just new here, but that's a little much for a show stuffed with every single problem facing our society today and only one true showstopping moment.Just at the A.R.T. alone, Porgy and Bess and Pippin far exceeded JLP. I'd be curious what the best show you've ever seen was prior toJLP."

It's the best show I've ever seen too and I've been seeing shows for 26yrs. What is best to that person doesn't have to be best for you obviously. Its subjective. 

[A Canadian in NYC]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 8:06pm

Call_me_jorge said: "I hope Ride the Cyclone transfers finally."

I agree. That would be fantastic! 

[barcelona20]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 9:11pm

It's the best show I've ever seen too and I've been seeing shows for 26yrs. What is best to that person doesn't have to be best for you obviously. Its subjective."

You clearly need to see more shows then.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 9:24pm

There’s definitely something to be said for the division between jukebox musical and biomusical - a unique story jukebox can at least offer the promise of being relatively divided from the creator. Every time I see a biomusical all I can think about is the yesses and nos that were passed down from the original artist. Even Mamma Mia offers something of interest, particularly juicy, fun roles for older women, while Beautiful, while being a passably classy evening, isn’t much more than a carefully re-molded Wikipedia article.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 9:39pm

three main factors account for the high volume of jukebox musicals. 1. They come with easy money. 2. They come with a built in audience. 3. Producers still do not see very much really good material. It's this last factor that controls. If material that is both good and that people are interested in materialized in volume, the money would follow. (It's not like the track record of the jukeboxes is especially good overall, but you can't sell something that no one wants to buy.)

 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 9:39pm

three main factors account for the high volume of jukebox musicals. 1. They come with easy money. 2. They come with a built in audience. 3. Producers still do not see very much really good material. It's this last factor that controls. If material that is both good and that people are interested in materialized in volume, the money would follow. (It's not like the track record of the jukeboxes is especially good overall, but you can't sell something that no one wants to buy.)

 

Updated On: 5/1/19 at 09:39 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 9:40pm

delete

 

Updated On: 5/1/19 at 09:40 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/1/19 at 9:40pm

delete

 

Updated On: 5/1/19 at 09:40 PM