Broadway Musicals with a Solo Piano Orchestration

I was listening to the cast album of [title of show] the other day, and I remember seeing the clips online of the Broadway production that just had the music director on the corner of the stage behind a keyboard.

I know there's been some off-Broadway shows like Ordinary Days or Murder for Two that have a piano as the sole musical accompaniment, but are there any other Broadway besides [title of show] that have done this?

I can't imagine there'd be many. Even in the smallest theatre, it would sound so anemic (although I think this was the point in [tos], trying to create the notion of anti-spectacle).

As mentioned above I'm pretty sure a solo piano arrangement on Broadway would require paying the minimum number of musicians anyway even if they're not performing.

A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine had a two-piano orchestration. So did the revival of The Most Happy Fella.

I believe if a show can justify why they have a fewer number of musicians than the house minimum, they are not required to pay extra musicians. [title of show] is a good example of this; the show only required one musician.

Actually doing a piano only show on Broadway is cost prohibitive. The American Federation of Musicians has a contract in place for a minimum amount of musicians who must perform as part of the orchestra or else there are very high fees to pay to work around it. There have been a few shows where the actors had to join the specific musician's union so the production could go ahead with their actor/musician concept. I swear John Doyle's Sweeney Todd had that happen, though it might have been his Company that had to do it. It would be cheaper to have actor/musicians join the AFM and be under a modified contract for both than pay the fines to have fewer musicians. It's the same reason why using tracks on Broadway productions is a no-go. It can be negotiated around if it can be justified by the production, but that's rare.

With that said, there are a few Broadway shows that have piano only orchestration packages from licensing houses. Side by Side by Sondheim, The Most Happy Fella, and The Music Man (no longer available, but it was quite lovely when I studied it) have or had two or three piano orchestrations available to license. The TYA and Jr adaptations of Broadway shows can be performed with one piano, though the big push is to use the orchestrated tracks that come with the license. 

Sticking with off-broadway, Gutenberg! The Musical! employed a lone piano player for the orchestra. 

If the cast recordings are any indication, Forbidden Broadway only ever uses a solo pianist. But I'd be curious to hear if they ever fleshed it out more for the live show.

Both Summer and Priscilla Queen of the Desert had half (or less) of the house minimum at their respective theatres, and for both shows, the producers justified these as Special Situations and artistic choices for the small orchestrations. The musicians’ union somehow agreed, even though the disco music in these shows require full horn and string sections. In the case of Priscilla, they actually did use prerecorded strings (a keyboardist would trigger the tracks with a button), and musicians in the union made a big stink about it.

Many shows don’t meet the house minimums. Hamilton doesn’t. Six doesn’t. Shows sometimes get around this rule when the show is already orchestrated and later moves to Broadway, like Hamilton or Six or [title of show].

Updated On: 7/19/20 at 01:43 AM

For those who are curious, the minimums are below. As others have pointed out, shows can negotiate for a smaller number of musicians but it's hit or miss. Long ago the minimum was based on house size, but in '93 it was set for each specific theater, not based solely on house size. To @temms point, "walkers" are rare. Usually, you have a sense of what theaters you're considering and what the minimums are and adjust accordingly (you were planning on 4 in the orchestra but the house requires 7? You just orchestrate for 7 since you have to pay them anyway. Most composers and MD's won't say no to more musicians. When actors are also paying instruments you can sometimes get away with paying one salary but health and pension for both unions.

• Broadway and Majestic – 26
• Palace and Lunt-Fontanne – 25
• Gershwin, Imperial, Marquis, Minskoff, Richard Rodgers, St. James, Shubert and Winter Garden – 24
• Neil Simon – 20
• Martin Beck – 16
• Broadhurst – 15
• Barrymore, Brooks Atkinson, Music Box, Eugene O’ Neill – 9
• Longacre and Nederlander – 5
• Ambassador, Belasco, Biltmore, Booth, Circle in the Square, Cort, Golden, Walter Kerr and Lyceum – 3

itsjustmejonhotmailcom said: "For those who are curious, the minimums are below. As others have pointed out, shows can negotiate for a smaller number of musicians but it's hit or miss. Long ago the minimum was based on house size, but in '93 it was set for each specific theater, not based solely on house size.To @temms point, "walkers" are rare. Usually, you have a sense of what theaters you're considering and what the minimums are and adjust accordingly (you were planning on 4 in the orchestra but the houserequires 7? You just orchestrate for 7 since you have to pay them anyway. Most composers and MD's won't say no to more musicians. When actors are also paying instruments you can sometimes get away with paying one salary but health and pension for both unions.

• Broadway and Majestic – 26
• Palace and Lunt-Fontanne – 25
• Gershwin, Imperial, Marquis, Minskoff, Richard Rodgers, St. James, Shubert and Winter Garden – 24
• Neil Simon – 20
• Martin Beck – 16
• Broadhurst – 15
• Barrymore, Brooks Atkinson, Music Box, Eugene O’ Neill– 9
• Longacre and Nederlander – 5
• Ambassador, Belasco, Biltmore, Booth, Circle in the Square, Cort, Golden, Walter Kerr and Lyceum – 3

"

How old is that list?  The Martin Beck changed names in 2003.

If you're looking for shows to do locally, in a n-f-p theater, a number of shows have versions for high school and even younger students.  The music is simplified and I believe they come with piano accompaniment score.

@bowtie7 you're right I made a stupid mistake. And lol at AFM putting contracts behind a wall for members only but then allows deep linking to them.