The Distinctive Baritone said: "I do have to say again though that I think the show's biggest issue was the graphic sex stuff. A show's cast recording is its biggest marketing tool, and lines and lyrics about things like rectal prolapse and c*mming on someone's chest probably made even some of the most gay-friendly straight people (i.e. me) decide this was not something they wanted to go see."
It's a show about someone's experiences and identity. Mulling over why this didn't play for 3 years to reasonable grosses is... very stupid. Everybody know. No producer who is actively involved in theatre who invested money on the project (and not just a celebrity who threw money at it like RuPaul & Jennifer Hudson) thought that it'd have long legs. It's graphic and it should be. Some of the most highest profile Oscar winning films were financial losses. The numbers game is not always the point. The larger successes they back allow them to fund smaller niche risky projects like this. If it turned around and made money I'm sure they'd be thrilled, but they didn't go in with that expectation.
But as for you, someone who is well versed in theatre and knows there more value to art than hearing the words in your ear should know better. They're just words, they're not going to hurt you, they'll make you feel uncomfortable at best. They're not performing graphic sex acts on stage. As you said yourself, your love of Sweeney Todd is hypocritical. You can take the act of slitting a throat and making people into food in a theatrical setting, but sexual words hurt you? Grow up.
ElephantLoveMedley said: "Yup—thank you. There have been a lot of people on here accusing others of being homophobic and unable to withstand discussing and seeing gay sex on the Broadway stage. I amliterallya gay man who has had many of the experiences that Usher goes through in the show, but still, the level of graphic detail that this show went into made me cringe multiple times. This isn't about being an ally or a foe to the gays; it's about having an expected level of decorum when you see a Broadway show.
A Strange Loopaccomplished a lot in terms of representation on the Broadway stage but it just went way too far in some areas for it to have any chance of a long commercial life."
You're lying if you think that homophobia played no role in why the show had as short of a run as it has. The show branded itself as "Black, Queer, Fat" and that carried through all the show's marketing. The sexual stuff, doesn't even begin until the 5th song on the cast recording and if you made it that far you already know whether the show is for you or not. No it's not a tourist show, but is also not one designed for you to bring Grandma too. A lot shows aren't. It did more than doing something for representation on Broadway, it's a good show and had they not pushed those areas then it wouldn't have been. It's unashamed to be an unfiltered view of a particular fat gay black man's life that is also relatable to plenty of other people who fall into even just ONE of those categories. People in this show's audience KNEW that it wouldn't have legs for long running production because they know the world we all live in. The fault wasn't in the times the show delved into the reality of the gay sexual marketplace. That's a cop out to run away from it as confirmation of their prior ideas about the premise of the show from the jump. Hair is FULL of vulgarity and the revival played for over a year being very financially successful. It was going to be performed on NBC. I wonder what the difference is and why the themes and language used in Hair are more palatable for a general audience. It's a mystery, really. Avenue Q ran for 6 years on Broadway, another decade off Broadway. Vulgarity is not the issue, it's the WHO it's about that is the problem. Having to confront gay sex has always been a problem with the straight community. It's what heterosexual society has ALWAYS centered Gayness as. They will all live whatever perverted sexual lives they want, but having anything repeated back to you from a gay perspective suddenly we've got problems with marketability.
Updated On: 10/11/22 at 10:38 PM
