"A New Musical" -- for how long???

[jpbran]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 12:51pm

This marketing tag is used a lot, obviously, but at what point do they just need to stop?

I saw Wicked about 2 weeks after opening in NYC, and FOUR YEARS LATER I'm still getting emails from Ticketmaster advertising Wicked in Chicago -- "Don't miss Wicked: a new musical!"

Never mind the fact that I have opted-out of Ticketmaster emails 3X, and they keep sending them. (And I'm not even in Chicago anymore) I'm just wondering what is the sell-by date before "New Musical" just looks like a joke. IMHO, it's way past.

And as an aside- just saw a local high school poster advertising their TMMillie production. The poster (seemingly legal marketing materials from Millie's licensors) said "A New Musical."

Hmmmm....

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 12:59pm

WICKED is a new musical. It's not a revival.

[DrTheatre]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 1:07pm

Yeah, but I think that some get tired of "THE New Musical" slogan. After a while, when does it NOT become a new musical and simply just say "Wicked"?!

There are many shows that have titles that ARE new musicals, but don't say they are a new musical. And sometimes I look at "the new musical" slogan as something that JUST happened. Something brand new. It confuses me when you see a show 20 years later and still says "New Musical". The first thing I think of is, "New Musical? wasn't this done 20 years ago, how can it be new, I wonder if it is different from the one 20 years ago?"

MPO I think that the slogan should be taken off after 5 years of exposure.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 1:35pm

If you look at the bigger picture, Wicked is still a new musical.

[TechEverlasting]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 1:56pm

What's especially disturbing is that the city where this so-called "new" musical is playing has the audacity to refer to itself as "New" York after being in existence for well over 350 years.

To be truly honest the ads would have to say that the tired old musical "Wicked" is currently playing in "York".

[kasim]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 2:02pm

I was wondering the same thing. Actually i was wondering in general why is spring awakening and wicked called "a New Musical" .... i mean anything that isnt a revival is a new musical.

How common is that nomenclature to use?

[roseaddams]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 2:31pm

What really gets me is The Producers in Las Vegas is still being marketed as 'the new Mel Brooks musical', despite the fact that it isn't.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 2:38pm

It is also a pretty smart marketing technique that helps to bring the producers money. And if they are making money because of it, don't expect it to disappear anytime soon.

[myManCape]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 5:14pm

It will be there until the revival.

[philly03]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 9:54pm

I've heard that a lot since about 1997, everything seems a "new musical," but of course it's always been used, just much more recently.

[CTTheatreLvr]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 11:38pm

I think for most of these shows, "A New Musical" is actually part of their titles. For instance, I think the "copywrited" (which isn't the right word, since you can't copywrite a title) for "The Producers" is actually "The Producers: The New Mel Brooks Musical".

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 10/28/07 at 11:47pm

Beauty and the Beast eventually became "Broadway's Classic Musical," didn't it?

~Steven