Has broadway ever seemed as commercial as it is right now?

Hey, if you want to be an actor, you mostly don't care what you're in so long as you're getting a paycheck. Acting gigs that pay as well as broadway are far and few between.

EDIT: Original post was edited and this post originally had more to do with that. So I'll just change my answer to: It's commercial af

Updated On: 9/29/17 at 08:54 AM

I don't really go to shows anymore because they all seem like heightened theme park shows to me, with very few exceptions.
I'm not paying $125.00 to go see Charlie and The Chocolate factory the musical, Or the cher biopic or a bunch of CCM grads dressed up as crabs in Spongebob the musical.

Updated On: 9/29/17 at 09:07 AM

yes...all 6.

Half of the shows on your list don't make much sense. If we're counting musicals based off of movies, then Waitress, Band's Visit, Bronx Tale, Kinky Boots, School of Rock are all commercial. Your definition of commercial seems to be kid shows, screen to stage adaptations, and bio shows. That makes sense, but why not include book adaptations? What makes former movie musicals worse than former book musicals (Wicked, POTO)? Why should it even matter? Some of the best shows are adaptations.

Updated On: 9/29/17 at 09:44 AM

It seems about the same, perhaps a little better than at times that apparently are off the radar of some of the myopically-inclined here. I think most people with a sense of context would view the 80s as more commercial. We have a lot of non-commercial shows right now, and more coming. But again, myopia makes posting so much more fun.

I'm not sure citing Twin Peaks: The Return as an example of television creators rehashing old ideas is your best example. David Lynch's project can be criticized in many legitimate ways, but the new season was certainly not the work of a lazy hack.

As for theater, it seems like the upcoming shows that often get the most attention are screen-to-stage musicals and jukebox bios. There are bigger names involved are more money attached. But my four favorite shows in the last couple of years - Hamilton, Great Comet, Hedwig, Fun Home - starred relative nobodies (except for Hedwig, which was written by and originally starred a nobody). Those shows don't usually get as much attention about casting, because most people couldn't pick the cast out of a police lineup.

Some of the planned 'commercial' shows make me cringe, but nobody is forcing me to attend. I guess I'm part of the problem, as I'm going to see the out-of-town tryout of Ain't Too Proud, the Temptations jukebox musical. Am I expecting transformative art? No. I'm hoping for a fun show that my wife and I will enjoy.

Seeing that hasn't prevented me from also attending local productions of Next to Normal, La Cage Aux Folles, Hamlet, and a plan to see the touring production of Rachel Chavkin's Small Mouth Sounds. Will I like that odd-sounding play? Beats me. But no one is stopping me from seeing shows or revivals that aren't aimed at families with young children or people who just want a fun night out. Shoot, sometimes I just want a fun night out.

I'd say "Kinky Boots" and "Waitress" were risks. New musicals based on obscure movies. Same with shows like "Light in the Piazza" or "Spellinf Bee." Both obscure source material, but hits. I'd much rather see that. And I don't understand why producers think people want to see " : The Musical" anymore. With the success of Fun Home (obscure source material), Hamilton, and Dear Evan Hansen, people want new, original stories. I think all of these new shows will die a quick and sudden death. Spongebob is just awful. Maybe the physical production will impress, but the album is awful.

Look, this new season is a bit disappointing in terms of new musicals, but let's not ignore the fact that we're still getting The Band's Visit, which is beautiful, and we're getting some great revivals of classics musicals, as well as some great plays. Yeah, SpongeBob, Frozen, Margaritaville, etc are all commercial garbage (sorry, not sorry), but let's not not forget that we are getting some wonderful and creative works too. Also, the fact that Tina Fey is writing the book to Mean Girls has me deeply interested. She's a truly hysterical writer. Also, yeah, if you're disappointed by the broadway season, venture out to the Off Broadway theatres and support those artists there.

Didn't someone on here recently say "what happens in Vegas eventually comes to Broadway" because honestly..... you're not wrong.

This isn't a new realization, as I have seen plays and musicals at venues of all sizes over the decades. But what has struck me, as I'm seeing more theater of late, is that there are still plenty of opportunities to see relatively new work as well as classics where I live in California.

And I don't live near New York City, where there are even more options. If the new Broadway musicals don't appeal to you, see the plays that do. See more off-Broadway shows, as several of you are planning. I admit to having a pretty negative reaction to reading about the planned Pretty Woman musical, but what do I care? And musicals aimed at families? It happens every year. Admittedly, I was hoping the recent flurry of interesting, original Broadway musicals would feed on itself, but it takes a while to prepare shows, and there may be some retrenchment going on. Shoot, the relative absence of jukebox musicals in the last few years is probably more surprising than their re-emergence now.

It is show business. Producers want to make money, and the easiest way to draw a crowd - at first, anyway - is with familiar 'brand names' and stories.

Updated On: 9/29/17 at 06:44 PM

RippedMan said: "I'd say "Kinky Boots" and "Waitress" were risks. New musicals based on obscure movies. Same with shows like "Light in the Piazza" or "Spellinf Bee." Both obscure source material, but hits. I'd much rather see that. And I don't understand why producers think people want to see " : The Musical" anymore. With the success of Fun Home (obscure source material), Hamilton, and Dear Evan Hansen, people want new, original stories. I think all of these new shows will die a quick and sudden death. Spongebob is just awful. Maybe the physical production will impress, but the album is awful."

I certainly understand your point, and my own strong personal bias favors original shows, especially when I'm visiting New York. But I wouldn't bet against all the new shows you're dreading. Frozen is certainly going to be a hit, with its built-in audience and Disney promotion. The Harry Potter play should do fine because it's Harry Potter. Mean Girls should not be underestimated. An entire generation of girls and young women grew up with that film. (If I was headed to Broadway next year with my teenage daughter, which is not in the works, I would be required to see it, reviews be damned.) And my guess is that at least one of the jukebox musicals is at least a modest hit. I have no idea which one. They're not all headed to Broadway at once, and some might not get there at all.

I wasn't responding to the OP, who ticked off a list of recently-closed Broadway shows, musicals scheduled for this season, and jukebox/bio/family-with-young-kids shows that are on or will have out-of-town tryouts, posing a question of whether Broadway has ever "seemed" as commercial.

I was responding to RippedMan's prediction, which I think was more of a hope, that all the new shows "will die a quick and sudden death." I think Frozen, Mean Girls, and the Harry Potter play will all be hits to one degree or another, and expressed the view that at least one of the jukebox musicals would be at least a modest hit. The Disney musicals (not counting Frozen) are already long-running hits, as is Beautiful, and Anastasia has been doing pretty well.

Others who know their Broadway history better than I do can speak more intelligently about this, but I'm just wondering why this is such a terrible thing. I've never seen a Disney musical on Broadway or on tour, but plenty of people enjoy them. Lots of jobs are created. (Chris Jackson's first Broadway job was on The Lion King, to name an example of someone who went on to have a little success.) Some kids (and parents) might discover that they like live theater. Disney, it can be argued, helped revive theater in the first place with its movies, starting with The Little Mermaid. But whether that's a good or bad thing doesn't matter. It's on Broadway, a fact of life. But is it killing Broadway? I don't see how.

Kids' shows, movie adaptations, and jukebox musicals aren't going to disappear. But that hasn't stopped original shows like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Fun Home, Hamilton, Great Comet, Come From Away, and Dear Evan Hansen all from drawing big audiences on Broadway during the past three years (even if Comet ended up losing a lot of money). I'm leaving out some other original musicals, but my point is that there has been plenty of original work aimed at adults. And that's if you ignore off-Broadway, which seems foolish.

Maybe this year turns out to be a disappointment by comparison. But even if it's as bad a Broadway musical season as some people fear, it doesn't mean it's a bad year for theater overall or a harbinger of doom.

Updated On: 9/30/17 at 02:12 AM

Inspiration is "stealing." Art is "stealing" Creativity is "stealing."



Broadway has always been commercial. If you don't make money, you can't continue to produce. Period. Youi have to have several successful shows to be able to financially take a risk on an artiistic show.



And how do b'way audience thank producers for takinga those risks? By buying tickets fo Frozen.