Enough with the onslaught of jukebox shows!

Clickable:

http://www.newnownext.com/jukebox-musicals-michael-musto-musto-unfiltered/12/2017/

I think what saddens me most about Jukebox shows is throwing away the gifts a really good lyricist can bring to a musical-- by definition all lyrics become generic when they weren't actually written for the characters and plot in the play they're shoehorned into. It's the lowest form of musical-theater writing for me.

Can I try to mount a They Might Be Giants jukebox musical first?

My personal belief is that lyrics are as generic or as specific as the point of view from which they were written allows. Regardless of the song's origin, for stage or for album only, how good and how specific is the lyricist? Are the songs written with music as a vehicle for lyrics, or lyrics as a vehicle for music? Does the songwriter lock into one overarching persona with specifics and distinct points of view (see: Green Day)? One generic and nonspecific persona (see: Queen and many but not all the Great American Songbook writers)? A variety of personae and viewpoints for a variety of songs (see: David Bowie)?

The thing hampering so many of the jukebox musicals is not a genericity of lyrics (although it happens to lots of them), it's the fact that many popular lyricists, though not all, have no sense of the theatrical. I don't mean a sense of grandiosity or flamboyance, though that's how "theatrical" is often used in popular criticism. I mean a sense that a song can be more than a simple statement or a mood piece. It can express a specific moment, a specific point of view and a specific dramatic impulse.

Although the lyrics were frequently abstract and impressionistic, the early works of Elton John and Bernie Taupin are highly theatrical in structure- songs that set the scene, clear character pieces, moments of dramatic impetus. Billy Joel, though arguably a superior songwriter overall, tends towards either a detached third-party narration of events in other people's lives, or nonspecific "mood pieces" a la Great American Songbook.

^Right?! And we can't even blame Trump!

We've been seeing variations of this doomsday sort of article for well over a decade, yet the biggest hits of the last two seasons have been a 3-hour musical about a previously mysterious Founding Father and an original musical about teen suicide and mental illness, with both featuring a cast of unknowns. The American musical is doing just fine.

Exactly. Enough With All the Hysterical Bitching About Jukebox Musicals. They sound like snotty brats conveniently ignoring history and reality so they can whine that Broadway's not doing what they want all of the time. Instead, Broadway is being Broadway: a commercial hub for diverse entertainment. If people think Broadway should be limited to only certain forms of theatre dictated by academics, by the time they've finished burning the books on Broadway's extremely diverse history in order to cover up the seedier or less-than-desirable details, they will turn around to discover it has collapsed from bankruptcy. Jukebox musicals are still in the minority and be forced to sink or swim like any other show.

And while he credits the trend to Mamma Mia, that may be somewhat true for Broadway (the form existed previously, though less successfully on Broadway), but the trend in London, from whence Mamma Mia was born, started in the late 80s with Buddy and Return to the Forbidden Planet (though preceded by the late 70s hit, Elvis). And it's not as if critics have bemoaned revues all this time for lacking lyricists OR book writers. Quite the opposite when celebrating such darlings as Ain't Misbehavin', Smokey Joe's Cafe or Fosse. No, the prejudice is quite specific and, in my opinion, quite elitist.

I still think it’d weird that of all the musical acts, it was ABBA that really increased the popularity of jukebox musicals. (Maybe they existed before but I think they became more popular after... all though that doesn’t mean it CAUSED the increase in popularity I guess.)

I used to think I hated jukebox musicals. I’ve since realized I just hated Mamma Mia. I liked many of the others. Not everything has to be serious art or have brilliant lyrics. It’s ok to make shows that make the audience have fun. I guess that’s what I enjoyed so much about Escape to Margaritaville... sometimes you’re just in the mood for a cheesy musical about an unrealistic beach romance, and Jimmy Buffett’s music is pretty perfect for that. It’s also why I enjoyed the first act of On Your Feet—it was pure fun and made you want to dance. That’s being said, some of these possible jukebox musicals seem downright weird and there are certainly some I won’t see.

I do hope these don’t become so prevalent they displac too many musicals with original scores, but we’ve seen some great shows recently so I’m not too worried. And although there is talk of a lot of potential upcoming jukebox musicals, that doesn’t mean all of them will make it very far. (With the exception of a few on this list that are already far along, like Margaritaville and the Cher one.)

As I know has been rehearsed many times on this forum, I personally would like to see more musicals with original stories make it to stage. I’m more worried by the fact that it seems an increasing majority of new musicals are adaptations of movies. Those seem to make up a higher proportion than jukebox musicals. Which isn’t to say some of them aren’t great, so again, I’m not saying they should be made, as long as they don’t displace everything else.

Either way, I just hope we continue to have a healthy variety of shows to bring in a wider audience. I myself can enjoy a good piece of art, a fluffy bit of fun, or a maudlin tearjerker depending on my mood. Variety is the spice of life!

I also just realized how many jukebox musicals have Chicago tryouts or previews. On Your Feet, Margaritaville, and Cher make 3 in a row....

Yeah! When will we see real musicals on Broadway again, like Song of Norway, Kismet, The Happiest Girl in the World and Anya?

This contains an interesting list of jukebox musicals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukebox_musical

These started back in the 70's and I agree with Kad, they aren't going anywhere.

To me (and I am not alone) there is a difference between a jukebox musical and a bio-musical. If the show is about The Four Seasons or Carole King or Peter Allen or Shlomo Carlbach or George M. Cohan, then the show is going to have their songs. If a show is staging a concept story album like Tommy (a rare breed) then it is not a jukebox musical either. But, if the show is a "new" story shoehorning in prior songs - such as Singin' In The Rain, Return to the Forbidden Planet, Mamma Mia, Bat Out of Hell, Movin' Out - then I think of it as a "jukebox" musical. Interesting that the wikipedia article does not list "Nice Work If You Can Get It" which I thought crafted a new story around the Gershwin catalog - which makes it a jukebox musical. .

"As I know has been rehearsed many times on this forum, I personally would like to see more musicals with original stories make it to stage. I’m more worried by the fact that it seems an increasing majority of new musicals are adaptations of movies. Those seem to make up a higher proportion than jukebox musicals. Which isn’t to say some of them aren’t great, so again, I’m not saying they should be made, as long as they don’t displace everything else. "

Great post and I agree 100% !!

To clarify, I understand ABBA is very popular. But I think of it as dance music. I wouldn't expect dance music to be fodder for a musical. I was referring to the nature of the music, not it's popularity.

Updated On: 12/5/17 at 08:04 PM