Show Doctors...bad medicine?

I was intrigued by Patrick Healy's recent NY times article on this subject...so Today on the Crazytown Blog I discuss the wisdom of hiring a show-doctor to fix a problem show.

Composer Ryan Scott Oliver weighs in with his two cents as well!

http://www.crazytownblog.com/crazytown/2011/04/broadway-shows-need-a-nutritionist-not-a-doctor.html

Here's the thing- even now, I would wager most shows that get doctored don't announce it. Sure, the shows mentioned are certainly mentioned- but the majority of those shows were troubled to start with, so the announcement that a well-regarded veteran was stepping in would actually bolster confidence in the public or among potential investors or whatever. Who knows how many successful shows currently on Broadway actually received some fixing up from unnamed people?

I think show doctoring is certainly necessarily sometimes, and is part of the collaborative process. Directors or writers aren't perfect and sometimes another voice saying "Scene 4 doesn't work" is needed.

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From the two shows I've worked on with script doctors, I can tell you that a lot of their success depends on the climate they are walking in to. The first show, which will remain unnamed, had a rather positive interaction. The original writer was open to the ideas, and "constructive" criticism of the script doctor. The composer/librettist was open to songs being moved and restructured (even a few lyric changes). The producers were supportive of the changes. It was truly a team effort where they embraced the new team member.

I was a P.A. on one of the shows mentioned in the Times and can tell you that an open and supportive environment was not at all happening in our theatre. The only people who seemed to be behind the script doctor were the producers. Even some of the cast acted like a**holes to the script doctor. Needless to say, the changes weren't nearly as significant (and ultimately helpful) as they could have been within a supportive environment.