The future of the jukebox musical

I think general consensus is that revues do very well but jukebox musicals do not. I have no problem with a well constructed jukebox musical but I think the key is finding the story and then adding the music in not vice versa.

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exactly, wonderboy. I am going to see ASU in about a week, partly because of everyone's approval of it on this board.
musicals are never just about the music, and I think people (producers) forget that. if you do not have a strong story with enticing characters, then the songs that they sing are meaningless and will fall of deaf ears (and uncaring wallets)

I want to play devil's advocate for one moment though. I was thinking about this yesterday. with everyone's dissaproval of the jukebox musical genre (of which I am indifferent, I don't normally see them, but at the same time, I do not boycott them), isn't "side by side by sondheim" technically a jukebox musical, if we take the definition that it is existing songs of which are arranged to make a new dramatic through line? if people are so against this genre, then why is it different for these shows.
please feel free to discuss.

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but smokey joes and fosse has no thru line. it is just a collection of songs. side by side and putting it together have a through line and a dramatic arch.

sorry, arc.

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Updated On: 9/16/05 at 01:53 PM

There is a loose string perhaps in Putting It Together, but the plot of Side by Side is just narration about Sondheim...also none of Sondheim's songs have ever been in a jukebox.

Have you seen Fosse, Smokey, Side, and Putting?

yes, dogs, I have seen all but side by side live.

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Side By Side, Ain't Misbehavin, Fosse etc... are all REVUES. Even if there's a bit of a through line and narration, they're still revues.

A jukebox musical has a true plot with a beginning middle and end (usually a bad plot, but a plot nonetheless) and has actual characters to tell the story. Anything that takes an existing catalogue of popular songs which were not written to be part of a story, to advance plot or to inform character and crams those songs into a story, creating a book musical is a jukebox musical.

Movin Out is a modern dance ballet (and a terrific one) which tells a story through dance with the songs commenting on the action (not always directly). It's really no different than the full evening works Tharp, Mark Morris, Graham, Ailey etc ... have created over the years that have played at the Joyce, City Center and elsewhere. The only difference is that this one is playing in a Broadway theatre at Broadway prices (you can see Tharp's company doing similar 90 minute works at the Joyce for $45). I guess Movin Out is also a jukebox musical (though the relationship between the music and the story is so tenuous at times it almost feel like a revue .... then again ultimately the most accurate term for it is "modern dance ballet").. It is also the only other succesful Broadway jukebox musical so far besides Mamma Mia (Movin Out recouped a while back, has made a nice profit and is doing very well on the road).

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I'll second the notion that part of the jukebox musicals downfall is the use of pop songs and not theatrical material. I think it's also has to do with what era the music is from. I think that music before the 1950's is better suited for a jukebox musical (a la AINT MISBEHAVIN' although I still consider it a review). MAMA MIA while still modern pop tunes does well because ABBA's music is pretty theatrical to a degree. Also the fact that it's been one right after the other, The Beach Boys, Elvis, Lennon, etc. That certainly doesn't help the situation. I hated SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE but it was a well put together revue. Had they tried adding a story to it I think it would have bombed big time.

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Thank you Margo--as always you say it better--now tell us about Isam

"All Shook Up, the only one I saw and was able to see good things in"

When you saw it, you said "oh, well, the second act was 'cute'"

Now you see good things in it?

Hmmmm....why's that?
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What about Smokey Joe's Cafe?

Too funny, Margo! Maybe if we go back far enough, we can invent a new term: "The Gramophone Musical."

...As I pointed out in another earlier thread, the Jukebox Musical has been around as a successful format for years in film. "Singin' in the Rain," "An American in Paris," and even the recent "Moulin Rouge" are all jukebox musicals.

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"Despite this, it is not doing wonderful at the box office."

I was at TKTS and some lady wanted to see "that show about the witches." When I said it wasn't on TKTS, she said she would see HAIRSPRAY. I said, "see ASU, it's a lot of fun etc"

"What's it about?" she asked.

"Well, do you like Elvis?"

"No, well, yes, but not in a show."

And P.S.

A revue is not like a jukebox musical. A Revue is actors singing songs, without a plot...really. Shows based on movies are also different because 1) either new songs were added to the movie (ex Hairspray) and/or 2) The whole movie itself was adapted to the stage...

Take a book, turned into a show...

And, hell, I could say Les Mis is in the same boat as Hairspray. There was a book, turned into many different movies - then a stage version was made.

And, looking at some of the movies that came before the show was conceived, there are a lot of similarities between the show and the movies.

"Now you s[ay] good things in it?

Hmmmm....why's that? "

I think you missed my point, I won't go into it though.

Updated On: 9/16/05 at 02:41 PM

In the case of ASU, I think it suffers from cmparison to shows that maybe don't work as well--Good Vibrations, Lennon, that have crowded the market. Had it not debuted in the same season as the other shows, it might be doing better. I also think it will have quite a good run on tour as well. You also still had a megahit--Spamalot, theatre fan faves like Piazza and Spelling bee, and a crowd-pleaser like DRS. We also had alot of hot plays this season: Doubt, Pillowman, Glengarry, 12 Angry Men-- all recouped investments-i think it just got lost in the shuffle, but I doubt it will stop future producers from attempting this type of show. It's alot easier to work with composers who are dead.