MEGAHITS

MEGAHITS
On October 7, 1982 a bold new approach to musical theatre opened at the Winter Garden. Still running as of this writing, Cats has become the longest running Broadway Musical of history. It is another in the long list of works which had their premier run in England before coming to Broadway. With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and words by Trever Nunn after the poetry of T.S. Eliot, Cats seemed to begin the paradigm of phenomenal stage technology and costumes. Though it contains the celebrated song Memory the success of Cats must come from the production values more than the plot and music, launching a new emphasis on production to conclude the 20th century. Opening in Her Majesty’s Theatre in London on October 9th, 1986, Hal Prince achieved his zenith with the production of Phantom of the Opera. Based on the age old story by ??, Phantom had failed continually in every artistic form from opera, to film, to stage, radio, television, and even Broadway Musicals. What sets this production apart from the others is the herculean task of doing more with stage technology than had ever been seen before in history. There are chandeliers that fall onto the actors, lagoons that appear from no where, mirrors through which actors pass and candelabras which appear from the floor. Though the score of Andrew Lloyd Webber has some memorable moments, namely Music of the Night, the great success must to awarded to Hal Prince’s remarkable production values. Phantom is to musical theatre what Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey are to the circus world. It has truly come to be the “greatest show on earth appearing on Broadway”. It continues to enjoy a live presentation on Broadway as well as a myriad of touring productions throughout the world. The wonder of Phantom, is the way with which the public relations and advertising campaigns have convinced the American public that they simply must see the show even though it is clearly the most expensive night in the theatre possible. As people determine to go into hock to see this particular musical, it has left a wake of lowered attendance and box office receipts in other shows, musicals, and even concerts in the cities where it plays. It appears that the public makes a decision, based upon the hype of advertising, that they simply must see this “once in a lifetime” opportunity, even if it means curtailing their entertainment budget for the rest of the year. The other meghit on Broadway is a setting of Victor Hugo’s masterwork, Les Miserables. Opening in the Broadway Theatre on March 12, 1987, Les Mis has caught the attention of the entire world, as no other work based on a literary masterpiece has been able to engender. Les Mise has caused the world to fall in love with Eponine, Cosette, Jauvert, Marius, and Jean Valjean. It has caused people to galvanize their own personal decisions about what is noble and what is miserable. It is a moral play of the highest order, causing life-changing decisions to be made by witnessing it. One of the songs which was not in the show in it’s premiere is the prayer of Jean Valjean at the barricade. It was placed in the show at the suggestion of the producers asking composer Claude-Michel Schönberg, and lyricist Alain Boublil to insert an introspective moment for Jean Valjean when he prays for the life of Marius before the great battle. Bring Him Home may arguably be one of the finest settings of this nature in the history of the Broadway stage. Like Phantom, Les Miserables continues to enjoy a long run on Broadway as well as a myriad of touring companies as well. Unlike Phantom, it does not need the trappings of elaborate production values to continue to move the audience as witnessed with it’s successful concert performances. These two works hold a unique position in the history of Broadway, and set a standard that will be difficult to replicate. ????on ??? Disney opened The Lion King in their newly restored theater, formerly the Ziegfeld Theater on 42nd and Broadway. It is the amalgamation of wondrous scenic and costume effects, puppetry, African tribal ritual, ballet, mime, special effects and extraordinary casting choices. The genius of Julie Tabor, is behind this remarkable production. I do not recall seeing more genius and creativity demonstrated in any one show in history. The public is beating the doors down to get in, and it appears to be sold out for two years in advance, even at the very high price of admission. It is proof that quality is still recognized and sought after. Aside from The Lion King, which has some original moments beyond the film from which it is based, most of Broadway as the millennium winds down are long runs and revivals. It is very difficult to mount new original works on Broadway at this point, due to the difficulty in raising the immense amounts of capitol to mount a show. Few investors trust new works to recover their investments. Hence the courage of a young Hal Prince, or even Rodgers and Hammerstein appears to be a thing of the past. A show must run for such a long time before it begins to pay back the investment, that conservative judgments about new works seem to prevail. It will be interesting to see where the new works will come from. Perhaps they will come from outside the sacrosanct district of New York’s Broadway, and have better success in regional theatres throughout the country. Regardless of the outcome of the future, the Broadway Theatre clearly is the most impactful world art form to come out of America in history. Though it’s styles have modified with the tastes and times, it appears to have a continuing life of it’s own well into the future.