Will there be another Sondheim, Webber or Rodgers and Hammerstein

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 12:22am

While I look at some of these greats either now passed or up passed 70.  I’m curious how the next generation of composers will fare?  Ones that will have a series of 15-20 plus shows in their life. I really can’t see Miranda composing that many. And I think his work will see him much more with the big paycheques of Hollywood.  As well as Pasek and Paul.  Do you think we will see shows more focused on top 100 songs incorporated into a show? 
I realize the landscape for theatre has greatly changed and now it’s nearly a decade for a show to open on Broadway.  Do you think we’ll be stuck with more revivals, billed with “stars”?  

[Ke3]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 12:49am

I doubt we ever see anybody get 15 shows on Broadway ever again. Broadway simply doesn't have the churn rate that allowed for that anymore. It takes years for people to get one show on the boards, and the goal is to plant that show there forever if you can. I don't think the number of shows one puts on Broadway is important though. Some incredibly gifted composers never got close to Sondheim's numbers. 

I don't think revivals with stars are going anywhere. That goes for both stars of the stage or screen. Revivals offer a safe bet on the surface that appeals to everyone involved.

No, I don't think the Billboard Hot 100 will become a major part of Broadway. &Juliet is an outlier that frankly, I'm not convinced will work in the US the way it worked in the West End. US audiences have shown a preference for jukebox musicals that focus on the songs of one artist. Jukebox musicals are here to stay. They will never disappear as long as there are catalogs to exploit.

In all I think the theatre will be fine. Excited for so many up and coming composers, still enamored by some older ones (yeston please give us just one or two more shows 😭), and always looking for new voices on the horizon.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 1:05am

A few things break down your comment:

1. Going backward: I think the disdain for revivals is a pretty strange trend considering that they still make up a fraction of the overall landscape. This season there were only 4 musical revivals (compared to 9 new musicals), two of which were stellar reinterpretations of their original source material, not just selling on stunt casting. 

2. I also think that the fear of jukebox musicals is misplaced. Songs not originally written for a show being in shows has always been a thing. I know that last season all three Tony-nominated/winning shows were jukebox musicals, but this season just 2 out of 9 eligible shows are. I'm often not a fan, but let's not overblow it. 

3. As far as Miranda and Pasek and Paul, I agree. It seems to be a pattern that anyone who has a big show on broadway immediately makes a jump to film. in the end, it's likely that they'll have a comparable number of scores to the likes of Sondheim, R&H, or ALW, but it's likely that most of them are for movie musicals. It sucks.

4. So, the question is then, is there someone who can break the pattern? I'm not sure. Two voices I would definitely keep my eye on are Shaina Taub and Michael R. Jackson. While none have really blown up, Shaina has three scores under her belt at the Public and is the lyricist for The Devil Wears Prada, opening in Chicago this summer. MRJ has his first show on Broadway and is supposedly already hard at work on another show, which will be workshopped this summer. However, I'm not sure if either will truly blow up and, if they do, I do think it's possible they also get sucked into film. Jeanine Tesori seems to be the closest thing to another classic, Musical Theatre composer. But, as of right now, she's not as foundational to the craft as what I think you're imagining. Maybe she could be someday!

I hope we have someone who can become as crucial to Musical theatre as some of the aforementioned composers! I am always rooting for people to succeed! 

Updated On: 4/26/22 at 01:05 AM

[Owen22]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 3:11am

I have been waiting for years for a composer and/or lyricist as good as the ones in the title of this thread. The closest we come are David Yazbek and Miranda.  Michael Jackson and Shaina are one's to watch, but from what I've seen of their out put so far, they're actually no where near the talent of even Kander and Ebb in their prime (compare Strange Loop to the best of William Finn...). Pasek and Paul? Gosh no. I don't know why musical theatre talent has stalled. But even ALW and Maury Yeston aren't nearly what they were...

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 3:54am

Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 7:28am

Owen22 said: "I don't know why musical theatre talent has stalled."

Guesses...

Fewer musicals adapted from books and more adapted from movies (with the movies like The Band's Visit and Dogfight and Waitress in the minority compared to big commercial properties)

Fewer composer/lyricist teams and fewer composer/book writer collaborations

More actors writing projects for themselves 

Too many copycats (that sound like bad knockoffs or default to a bland "contemporary musical theater" sound)

People producing projects are not good at selecting talent to champion. And given that, 15 is a big ask for anyone if you can't even count movie musicals. You need someone to take a chance on you early and then you need the luck to get 15 different projects launched since you basically have to start out of college and never take a break. And never stall in development for too long.

[John Adams]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 8:47am

Frank Wildhorn - currently working on "Song of Bernadette". If Pasek & Paul are included in this topic, surely Wildhorn should be mentioned, too.

Jason Robert Brown

Adam Guettel - my fav for a Sondheim-level composer. Sure, some don't care for his politics, but if Webber (who I think is a fraud/hack) is included,  I'm adding Guettel to the list.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 9:48am

I think it also has to do with the style of music. Today's newer scores seem derived from the pop and rock or the last 30 years, so they're more focused on drum beats instead of a sweeping orchestral tone. And in terms of lyrics, where some composers can be more introspective, nowadays they feel less nuanced, and in the case of P&P, overtly feel-good anthem themed. I don't know, there's still good people out there, but few that are great. Who in the last decade or so have we said, "Oh, did you hear the new ___ musical is coming out?" and actually refer to the composer?

Updated On: 4/26/22 at 09:48 AM

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 10:30am

Probably not, but you never know.

[Soozie]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 10:35am

everythingtaboo said: "Who in the last decade or so have we said, "Oh, did you hear the new ___ musical is coming out?" and actually refer to the composer?"

Well, there's a recent thread on this message board with this title:
Shaina Taub's SUFFS at the Public to feature Phillipa Soo, Nikki M. James, Jenn Colella, Grace McLean, Taub, and more
Started By: ErmengardeStopSniveling

Updated On: 4/26/22 at 10:35 AM

[Lot666]

Posted: 4/26/22 at 1:50pm

Theatrefanboy1 said: "While I look at some of these greats either now passed or up passed 70."

D@mn you, now you've got me worried about ALW. I don't know what I'll do when his day comes.