What has happened to Broadway?

[romanov]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 3:40pm

Is there anyone else out there who feels Broadway has become the domain of theme park musicals? I have stopped traveling to New York because of a lack of intelligent theatre choices. In 1980 I saw Sweeney Todd, Lansbury/Cariou; Sugar Babies, Rooney/Miller; Hamlet, William Hurt; A Month in the Country, Tammy Grimes, Phillip Boscoe, Farley Granger, and Amanda Plummer; Evita, LuPone. (Mandy missed that perf.) For almost 20 yrs. after that I returned yearly and saw The Rink, Fences, Hay Fever, La Cage Aux Folles, Angels in America, The Destiny of Me, Night Mother, The Petition, Noises Off, Kiss of the Spider Woman,
Jeffery, and a lot more. Then, the choices became slimmer. I have not been to New York since Ragtime. Is there any reason for me to return? I am thinking of returning during Christmas. Is there anything currently running or upcoming that would be worth it?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 3:43pm

Hey, don't go. Nobody's holding a gun to your head and forcing you to be somewhere are see things that can't hold a candle to, um, The Rink.

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 3:47pm

I can understand where you're coming from but there are alot of great great musicals on Broadway right now. La Cage aux Folles, Fiddler on the Roof, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Light in the Piazza, Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf(w/ Kathleen Turner) and numerous others! Besides that, some great off-broadway shows are playing such as Alterboys, Dessa Rose ect. If you're looking for intellectually stimulating pieces I'd go with Dessa Rose, Who's Afraid of V.W and Light in the Piazza. Broadway and New York always have so much to offer(theater, muesems, night-life)and I can't imagine you wouldn't want to come just to be in the greatest city in the world!? I hope this has helpped.

[magruder]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 3:47pm

Despite some shows that can be termed theme-park material, this is not the season to be complaining about the state of the Broadway theatre. There are four or five worthy new musicals (Spelling Bee, Piazza, Spamalot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and I rather liked the "juke-box" musical All Shook Up), two acclaimed new plays that are still running (Doubt, The Pillowman), and excellent play revivals (Glengarry Glen Ross, Virginia Woolf, Twelve Angry Men). I'd also put a couple of the long-running musicals way ahead in quality of many of the musicals I saw during the fallow period of the entire 1980s.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 3:51pm

I agree with Namo. Dont go if you dont want to but just about every show Ive seen on Broadway (thats still on) was pretty good. Its someone's opinion to call shows the best but I believe that there are many, many shows on Broadway that are pretty damn great.

[eyeonbroadway]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 3:52pm

I agree that this is a reasonably good season on Broadway. I can't wait to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and I'm having an awful time getting tickets to Spamalot the week of July 4...

[LouW95]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 3:54pm

Bway should be able to attract a wider ticket buying base and thus provide more jobs. I have often stated here that an elitist attitude about which shows are "worthy" is dangerous for our community. Some folks want Sondheim and more seem to want Mamma Mia and Disney shows. There should be room for all tastes.

[Derek]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 3:57pm

There are plenty of shows out for quite a variety of people. People who love romance could see The Light In The Piazza...people interested in musical comedy could see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Hairspray, Spamalot, Avenue Q...people who enjoy popular music could see Mamma Mia or All Shook Up...or people who are interested in BIG brassy musicals could see Chitty, Wicked....There is something for everyone. There are also plenty of revivals....:)

[romanov]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 4:29pm

After reading Namo and Wicked's messages, I think I'd rather travel to Yazoo City, Missippi.

[capnkidd]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 4:55pm

It's Mississippi, Romanov, and Yazoo City is actually a very nice place to visit (even if you might not want to live there).

I'm with the others here - plenty of room on Broadway for all tastes...

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:01pm

First off, welcome to the boards.

Second, Broadway is commercial theatre. Most theatre professors don't like it because they don't consider it "true" theatre.

And most of the crap on Bway now hardly compares to what was once there. As Namo said, if you don't like it, don't go.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:02pm

"And most of the crap on Bway now hardly compares to what was once there. As Namo said, if you don't like it, don't go."

Were you there or something?

And ever year that there was one or two good shows that are now "classics," there were probably 12 bad ones. Not much has changed now.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:05pm

I was.

Yeah, well now there are too many revivals - and all the new shows are, well, BKLYN.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:07pm

All the new shows are BROOKLYN? Are you just pulling this material out of your ass, because that's were it sounds like it's coming from.

Too many revivals? I am overjoyed to see the amount of revivals on Broadway right now - especially the classics - but those are mostly plays, and I suspect you don't really care about those as much. I don't understand your logic.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:09pm

I was kidding. I meant, for the most part, the newer shows aren't anything special (aka BKLYN).

And actually, there are more plays I want to see then musicals.

[ljay889]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:10pm

Some of you need to get your facts straight. Broadway is in MUCH better shape now than it was in the late 70's and early-mid 80's. Not just show wise - we have more Theaters open for shows - the area is a lot cleaner and family friendly.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:11pm

Yea, definitely. There might be a handfull of crap shows, but there are definitely a few gems each season - especially this season.

For a season that started out looking worse than hell, it's shaped up quite nicely.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:13pm

"For a season that started out looking worse than hell, it's shaped up quite nicely."

I'll agree with that. The Frogs and Dracula - not a good way to start the season. Then LW and BKLYN. Oy. DRS, Spamalot, Bee, Piazza definately saved this season.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:22pm

Not to many years ago, there were a ton of empty theaters

The upswing started with the british invasion of musicals & than Disney renovating the New Amsterdam. Say what you want about Disney, they have opened up Broadway to many people & put fannies in seats. Broadway needs to do something to keep down costs or else, no matter how good the shows are, they will be priced out of many budgets

Dracula was enjoyable to many but not to those who "count" - the critical (I do mean critical) community

Updated On: 5/7/05 at 05:22 PM

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:27pm

i agree rox

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:29pm

While I can enjoy bad shows (Dance of the Vampires, Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks, Taboo) Dracula is not one of them. I thought it was like watching paint dry.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:31pm

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. We liked DOTV. Anyone who thought they were seeing Oklahoma or a great musical was not using common sense. All it was was mindless entertainment. I do admit I would have loved to see the original version Steve Barton was in as DOTV was played too much for laughs

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:34pm

Everytime you post your opinion about a show you say "We liked it," "We gave it about an 8," "We hated it." Are there two of you posting this or something? I don't get it.

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:41pm

he means himself and his wife.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/7/05 at 5:42pm

Oh okay, I get it now. It always made me wonder, but I always forgot to ask.