I see a lot of theatre. Not as much as some people, I fully admit, but I probably average seeing 35-40 shows a year, maybe fewer when I’m busy doing my own shows. This number includes trips to New York (I usually go there roughly once a year), and it will include the Broadway tours New Orleans has just now gotten back after Katrina, but the vast majority of these are locally produced, whether by professional or semi-professional companies, schools, community theatres, churches, etc. I tend to see more musicals than straight plays, but it’s definitely a little of both. Unfortunately, I get treated to a lot of the same damn shows over and over again.
Most of the shows that are produced frequently are well-written shows. But does everybody have to do Little Shop? There have been at least three productions of it this year, and I think there are even more on the way. At least that’s a funny, smart, well-written show. But then people will do crap like Annie eight billion times. That show is so bad that my mother (who sees every single show I’m in at least twice) has said that she wouldn’t come to see it again if I were in it. Or they do Bye Bye Birdie. Now the book actually has some pretty good jokes in it, but the score is atrocious, featuring several horrendous attempts at rock songs by people who had no clue how to write them. I think I’ve seen about eighty-seven productions of Birdie, all of them dreadful. Including the Broadway revival.
I understand that people want to do something that will pull in an audience. Obviously, producers need to put butts in seats. And I don’t mind too much if a theatre wants to do the same thing each year—if you can do, say, A Christmas Carol every year and get an audience, by all means go right ahead—just don’t expect to see me in the audience more than once. As an audience member I get sick of seeing the same thing. Sometimes a once rare show gets produced multiple times within a few years—like when every other high school and youth theatre group did Zombie Prom. Sure, there are a few shows I don’t mind seeing over and over again—Guys & Dolls is probably the closest thing ever to a foolproof musical. You could see a bad production of that show and while you might think, “Wow, this is a really bad production,” you’d still think, “What a brilliantly-written show.”
Check out this list of the most commonly produced musicals in high schools. Among the list are mediocre shows like Grease and Thoroughly Modern Millie, both of which I’ve seen too many times. Thankfully there are a fair number of schools doing new, interesting things (Curtains is one show I’m really looking forward to; it was a delight on Broadway), and a lot of the professional and semi-professional theatres push the envelope (like the theatre that scheduled four local premieres in one season), but for every one of those, there’s at least two theatres that regurgitate safe choices. I’m not asking high schools to go out and do Oh! Calcutta!, but I’d love to see a theatre (school or otherwise) do The Baker’s Wife. Or Carousel—why is that the least produced of the R&H hits? Or A New Brain. Or The Secret Garden. Or Steel Pier—I admit it has some book problems, but I really love that show. Or Sweet Smell of Success—again, I hear it wasn’t the greatest show when it was on Broadway, but it seems like it’d be worth seeing. Or Violet. Or Wonderful Town. Let’s see something different, okay?
It seems like this post is completely self-contradictory. You insist that the same shows are done over and over, and you say you see roughly 35-40 a year including ones you’ve already seen.
It’s not like you don’t know what show you’ve bought a ticket for, you know you’re seeing one of these terrible shows. Either stop complaining or stop seeing the same shows.
PS: I believe you meant “fewer” in line two: “maybe LESS when I’m busy doing my own shows.” Apply this to the “humble” article…F***ing hypocrite
Yes, “fewer” is absolutely correct. Thanks for catching my mistake.
And seeing theatre is often as much a social obligation to people I know as it is something I do for the sheer enjoyment of it. That’s why I see shows I don’t especially enjoy.
You are talking about school shows when you complain about these overdone musicals. There is a good reason: my job is to find material that fits the talent leve of my students with technical elements I can afford to tackle and has a name with audience appeal. Children of Eden is a hard sell despite the fact that we all love it. JOSEPH is a sure win – despite the fact that we have done it 7 times. Audiences like to see it. Birdie has a story they like to see. Juke-box musicals are generally not popular with high school and middle school audiences — they enjoy a plot. That’s is why audiences love GUYS AND DOLLS. It is a good story.
When are you going to produce a musical? Why leave it up to the rest of us? What show would you do? Where and when?
I think a lot of schools have a built-in audience (parents, students, teachers) that changes surprisingly little given the “name” of the show. I certainly realize the constraints in terms of talent and tech aspects, but schools have some of the most leeway to experiment in terms of a show that’s off the beaten path, especially at those schools fortunate enough to have a lot of financial support. Oddly enough I believe the three best sellers of the shows I was in during my high school years were Tommy, Footloose, and Copacabana–all well-known names from other incarnations, but little known (especially at the time) as musicals.
I certainly understand that even non-profits like schools are often under a lot of financial pressure, and that theatre ain’t cheap, but I think that, for most schools, probably 80% of the audience is going see it no matter what (because their kid is in it, their friends are in it, they did shows at the school when they were in high school, etc.). Most of the rest of the audience is going to go because the word of mouth is good, regardless of the show involved. I think very few people are concerned with whether it’s a big-name show like Joseph or Guys & Dolls or not. And I think the people who would rather see something different may very well outnumber the people who want to see the same old thing—if not in terms of numbers. The people who like to see new shows probably see far more shows than the people who want to see the tried-and-true musicals. It makes more sense to go after the audience that already sees more shows than the very casual theatregoers.
And as for your questions, if I thought I could break even, I’d happily produce a couple of musicals a year. But that’s damn near impossible if you don’t have a space you can use for free and musicians who will work cheap, regardless of what show you pick. Until I have both of those things, I’d just be throwing money away.
If you honestly think 80% of school theater-goers are family and friends, I would say you are completely wrong. You are saying that every night, 4/5 of the audience is drawn from the cast. I don’t know what kind of theater you did, but that is certainly not the case. The fact is, from empirical evidence, word-of-mouth and name recognition are the biggest motiviating factors. You think that “big name shows like Joseph and Guys&Dolls” have nothing to do with audiences? Compare that to a program that does an unknown show, and I garuntee that the show will lose more than 20% of its audiences (your figure of those attending the show out of interest rather than familial obligation).
Also, you say that you would produce a couple of shows if you could break even. That’s a big “if.” Producers and directors aren’t garunteed anything. If you really mean it, take a risk, girly man.
If you go with an audience favorite, you can turn a profit. In my 12 years, only twice have we not recouped our expenses (both CHILDREN OF EDEN.) So when are you going to produce your obscure musical?
If I felt like losing a couple thousand dollars, I’d take my friends on a theme park road trip. I’d get my money’s worth that way. I’d have to be able to sweet-talk a church into the footing the bill for an obscure musical for it to happen.
So why are you in your third production of Footloose? Really take a stand and stop being in the same show over and over again. I know you need to do Footloose again because you need things to bitch about on your blog.
Since I have recently produced most of the musicals you complain about I am annoyed with your comments. I pick the shows because I know I will work hard to make it the best production possible. If I don’t think I can top a show that I have already seen then I won’t attempt to do it. Regardless of the show I work hard, the staff works hard and the cast works hard. Plus we all have fun and so does the audience. Also, the house is almost always full.
So when I do another overproduced show this summer please man up and don’t sign up.
I’ll have been in Footloose in 2002, 2007, and 2010. Pretty lengthy gaps in between. And I can only think of three or four other area productions of it in that time span (a couple of them on the Northshore), so while I’ve come across that show a fair amount, it’s hardly as overproduced as some others.
Obviously I have the utmost respect and admiration for the time and money you spend doing what you do, and if I didn’t enjoy your shows I wouldn’t be a part of them. As a performer I enjoy the chance to revisit the same show, whether in a different role or the same one, because knowing the show better the second or third time around gives me insight into the plot, characters, etc. that I didn’t have the first time. And if the audience keeps showing up, you make some cash, and we all have a good time, just keep doing what you’re doing. FWIW, I’d hardly call Footloose or The Pajama Game overproduced.
Fine. Keep on writing. Merry Christmas