Music Man recording?

I would have assumed a Music Man cast album with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster would be a sure thing but it's starting to look less likely.

Weird that this hasn't been announced...

It needs to be recorded. I wouldn't buy, but it needs a publicly accessible archive that the general public can listen to and experience the performances. I believe this about all Broadway musicals.

Plays have scripts, musicals need the recordings.

As of right now, according to a cast member, nothing has been said about either a recording or a program book. I ask him every few weeks so I'll update if this changes.

spicemonkey said: "jenn328 said: "As of right now, according to a cast member, nothing has been said about either a recording or a program book. I ask him every few weeks so I'll update if this changes."

What is a program book?"

The souvenir programs they sell with photos of the production.

God forbid we lose the new Shipoopi, never to hear it again.

They make $3.5 million a WEEK. If this doesn’t get recorded it’s because someone doesn’t want it recorded.

pdjennings said: "Is it me -- or does all the footage (seen in the new trailer and the recent "In The Wings" episode) certainly make it seems that they pro-shot the entire show? Something tells me this might wind up on Disney+ or something at some point in the future."

Typically, B-roll footage is only supposed to be used for press. I think Band Stand is the only exception on record. This has to do with the unions involved.

pdjennings said: "They B-Roll the entire show, with fully composed, multi-angle shots of seemingly every scene? Hmmm."

They may have filmed it for TOFT and the producers harvested the footage from that.

binau said: "Between Company and The Music Man I hope we don't lose the trend we've had for many years now that basically everything is always recorded"

Because both shows were caught in the crosshairs of COVID, and just getting the productions onstage was difficult enough, I don't think the lack of a recording bespeaks a new trend going forward. I imagine both shows want to release a recording, but the unique circumstances created a unique situation. Hopefully both will be recording, and cast recordings of major revivals will continue to be a thing.

CarlosAlberto said: "pdjennings said: "They B-Roll the entire show, with fully composed, multi-angle shots of seemingly every scene? Hmmm."

They may have filmed it for TOFT and the producers harvested the footage from that."

…you know that TOFT filming looks nothing like B-Roll, right? Especially this B-Roll?

Folks, there are many ways to shoot b-roll.

Sometimes shows just set up a few cameras at the back of the house, and then the ad agency edits excerpts together for various purposes (montages, 30-second spots, 15-second spots, etc). MUSIC MAN has gone full-out –– crisp 4K footage that was obviously shot at a specialized video-call without an audience, and then edited together to sort of resemble a film trailer. Per Equity, there are limits to how much b-roll can be released to the general public, and I am too brain-fried to remember those specifics at the moment.

The agency will have full recordings of the show sitting on a hard drive somewhere (shot from multiple angles) and also HD audio. The stage manager will have a video of the show for training/archival purposes, shot from back of house. These things are true of nearly every single Broadway show. They will never be released to you no matter how much you whine about it.

On a personal note, the b-roll of MUSIC MAN just underlines my problems with the production –– its ultra-high sheen and bright lighting, its clunky set design and saturated colors, Hugh's knowing winks to the audience, Hugh's very 2022 haircut. Some shows don't translate well to b-roll; it's an entirely different medium, especially when you're getting up in their faces as this is doing.