Broadway Composers Who Get Totally Screwed Over By Audiences

"Jeanine Tesori (I'm not counting Thoroughly Modern Millie. I had no desire to see that show when it was on Broadway and I have no desire to see it now.)"

Hmm, refusing to see a good composer's show because its too commercial, now there's a twist.

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Ok, skittles, I was talking about The Wild Party.

And, Julian, the other reason I didn't see Thoroughly Modern Millie was because I saw the revival of Into the Woods instead.

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Anybody agree with these statements?

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Sondheim is perhaps the best composer in Broadway history. People know his name, for sure, and they may be able to name a show he composed... But have they actually SEEN one or more of his shows? Probally not. Not saying that is true for all. Generally speaking if you know his name and a show he wrote, you are interested enough to go see it.

I agree with you.

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The thing with LaChiusa, for me, is that Broadway audiences are so tourist-heavy that yeah, when you're looking at theater that is however unfortunately truly a business, that's going to happen when you're dealing with pretentious, high art writing. Broadway isn't exactly about the highest, most complex art. It's about what sells. And... intellectual theater like LaChiusa's work isn't what sells to tourists. People outside of hardcore theater gurus don't exactly want to go see a show to be challenged or you know, have to think, which is a big part of the problem. It's as simple as that. I also happen to think that while he does turn out some great stuff, other work of his is pretentious to the point of being inaccessible and self-important, but that's another story.

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Guettel, Brown, Tesori and LaChiusa are still too new to be put into this category. They've all had what, ONE major Broadway run to each of their names? Hardly enough to say they're being screwed over!

People know who Sondheim is. The man is revered by many to be a virtual God, and you're saying that he doesn't get enough credit? Please. He doesn't appeal to the masses - so what? The masses are asses.

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Bump!

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I didn't care for "The Light in the Piazza", but it didn't stop me from seeking out "Floyd Collins" and "Myths & Hymns" both of which I play plenty.

I liked "Thoroughly Modern Millie" on tour. I just bought "Twelfth night" by Jeanine Tesori. I have to do some research because I thought Millie was related to the Julie Andrews movie which I assumed it was an adaptation of a stage show.

Edit: I didn't get a chance to finish. I had to leave at a moments notice.

The point I think I was trying to make is that I think it is unfair to blame the audience. I am one of your "ignorant tourists" who doesn't have a chance to see off-broadway material. But, have to seek it out by way of recommendations on boards like these and picking up names and following the composers bios to find other material. Your list of composers have an amazing body of work available on CD. Which in previous years would not have happened based on ticket sales. Their level of exposure is way ahead of many prominent composers at this point in their career. I hear fans of every genre of music say the same thing. Punk rockers are out there saying the rest of the world is brain dead because they don't love punkrock music. They have a choice, write what they love and try better marketing or try to write what will sell to the size audience they want to attract. In that sense, maybe the composers are screwing the audience for NOT giving them what they want.

Updated On: 10/19/06 at 06:02 PM

>> I thought Millie was related to the Julie Andrews movie which I assumed it was an adaptation of a stage show

Other way around, as I'm sure you've found out by now.

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Sondheim is a well-known name, but I wouldn't say he is the most well-known composer. I'm sure many people heard of Rodgers and Hammerstein or even Andrew Lloyd Webber before they heard of Sondheim, simply because their shows have been more sucessful than Sondheim- whether in movies (Sound of Music) or on the stage (Cats, Phantom)

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There have been tribute concerts and recordings and productions for Sondheim up the wazoo for decades...all within his lifetime. I can't name another musical theatre composer who has been more honored. I can't deny that he's never been a huge smash with audiences--and I know that's what the title of this thread says it's about--but the way Sondheim has been deified, I don't think he quite belongs on the same list as the other composers in the original post. He hasn't been "totally screwed over". His shows are generally pretty accessible for those who go to see them, and many audiences have seen them--more, I bet, than all of those other composers' shows combined.

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Incidentally, I didn't even know that Jeanine Tesori composed Millie till I read her playbill bio at Caroline, or Change. I saw it on the Tonies and it just looked really unappealing.

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