Wait a minute, MisterMatt. Passion won a Tony Award for Best Musical, Into the Woods and Falsettos both won the award for Best Book and Score. Passion failed because the characters and situation were not made credible or compelling for a contemporary audience, particularly among the distaff set, which is why some of the more melodramatic scenes were greeted with laughter and derision. Into the Woods (1987) is considered one of Sondheim's most commercially successful musicals, thanks to its marketing (reputedly the placement of the inflatable boot atop the marquee turned the show's fortunes around). Parade already had a built-in subscription audience at Lincoln Center but was unsuccessful because it failed to effectively dramatize its main concern, which was the estrangement and reconciliation of Leo Frank and his wife. No, the Tony Awards are not the problem.
I don't believe in looking back. An 18th century philosopher argued that the ancients were wiser than the moderns. And Voltaire replied: "Yes, that's true. The wise old men are giants and we are only dwarves. But the difference is that we are sitting on their shoulders." That's how I feel about the musical.We can appreciate the legacy but not necessarily its mannerisms, just as we return to Shakespeare and the Bible, not for historical fact, but for the poetry and insights into the human condition. By stepping backward, we move forward.
No one can deny that the American musical has taken enormous strides since the days of Oklahoma!, extending the range of its subject matter, stagecraft and storytelling techniques. Many exciting innovations have resulted from these pioneering efforts. But for all its advances, it's my belief that the musical seems to have lost touch with what it does best--entertainment with an idea, celebrating our humanity with intelligence and feeling. In other words, the modern musical lacks craftsmanship and soul.
It seems to me the the enormous influence of Sondheim and his collaborators (not unlike Wagner's in the opera world), the intellectual cachet accorded their work by the press, and the media's ever-insistent mandate to MAKE IT NEW, has spawned a whole generation of writers and producers who, hell-bent in their ambition on becoming charter members of the modern elite, concern themselves more with "pushing the envelope," or blazing new trails, being "edgy" and serious with SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO SAY rather than connecting with their audience in basic, fundamental ways.
The musicals of the Golden Age were not above being direct, accessible, humorous, romantic and, yes, even corny in their desire to entertain and have continued to do so 50 years after their initials productions. The notion that Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote "dark" musicals is absurd and just an excuse for latter-day directors to impose their fingerprints on the work. In truth, R&H were comparable to Shakespeare, who presented both the dark and the light sides of life, the spiritual and carnal in his work.
Today's shows are simply not landing with audiences, generally due to boneheaded thinking, poor dramaturgy and/or undistinguished and unmemorable scores with little appeal and no emotional payoff. But rather than taking stock and doing some soul-searching, the industry points the finger at the audience (as do many on this board) and cries: " THE AUDIENCE IS WRONG." This is a far cry from the appraisal Oscar Hammerstein gave Allegro when he stated that he "overestimated the audience's ability to identify with the character and situation" (probably the problem with most shows today, despite their high ambitions) and took responsibility for his own work. Let's not forget the audience today is generally a middle-class, middle-aged and educated cross-section of people who are well-read and patronize the arts, be it museums, concerts or theaters. Think about it: How many musicals are there, truly worthy of recognition, that have somehow slipped under the radar and are deserving of reconsideration? ( Given the nature of producing today, the horrendous flop of four years ago probably has a stronger chance of being produced than new work.) If there are any, they are very few. Ultimately, Broadway is in the communication business: if they don't communicate, they're not in business.
As far as the mega-hits are concerned, let me ask this: Was the world sitting around, holding its breath for an ABBA musical? I don't think so. But if Broadway can't or won't offer stories and songs that allow for audience identification and involvement, than the audience will settle for the next best thing--revelling in the familiar. Nature, after all, abhors a vacuum.
Updated On: 12/13/03 at 05:32 PM
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