By Barbara & Scott Siegel . . .
Here we are at the crossroads of the 2023-24 season. As always, there are things to praise and things left better unspoken. But the bigger picture is more problematic. Where is the audience? Well, to be more precise, where is that missing percentage of the audience that is the difference between profit and loss? Oh, sure, some small handful of shows will defy the math and live long and prosper — Merrily, We Roll Along, among the new shows, Wicked among the old guard — come to mind. But there is a vast middle ground of quality, special interest, and just flat out escapist entertainment that must navigate a treacherous new marketing landscape. Broadway has changed. And it is changing right now. How are shows coping? Let’s discuss this with some representative shows in mind…
Gutenberg! The Musical: We saw this Off-Broadway some years ago and loved it. At the time, it never occurred to us that this clever little show would transfer to Broadway. Not then, not ever. The production we saw was a cute, low budget enterprise with two fabulous actors, Jeremy Shamos and Christopher Fitzgerald. They were charming and funny and the show seemed perfect for exactly what it was, and where it was.
The bet for Broadway was that with two different, high profile actors, Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad, it would succeed precisely because it has only two actors! Economy of enterprise. The show, which is trying a little too hard to fill Broadway expectations, is nonetheless just as funny as it was Off-Broadway. The actors are playing comic charm rather than being comic charm, but the material is flat out hilarious so most musical theater fans, one would presume, would go for the ride and delight in the nutty concoction of a musical about Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press.
But banking on the pull of its two popular stars to get folks in, and then hope that the word of mouth would do the rest, did not work. The show has posted a closing notice for late January. Had it gotten better reviews, perhaps it could have limped through the Winter but the show just didn’t have enough wind in its sails to carry it, despite the lesser costs of the production. Still, this is an inexpensive show and a national tour with Broadway cache, might help make this a profitable venture in the long run.
Photo by Julieta Cervantes
Harmony: This is a special case; a show 30 years in the making, with a score by Barry Manilow, that could not be more resonant with the times we are living in. Here is a dramatic musical about the rise and fall of a Jewish singing group in Germany before, during, and after the calamity of the Nazis. If we didn’t know otherwise, you would have to believe it was specifically written for this moment when anti-semitism has been normalized in the Western World and it seems like we’re currently living in 1930s Germany.
But the show isn’t selling. We will tell you that this will surely be one of the best musicals of the year, but it will likely close long before the Tony Awards might acknowledge it. Where is the audience? The Jewish audience, which used to be a big slice of the audience pie, is gone. They have died, they have retired, they have left for warmer climes; whatever the reason, the Jewish audience that made shows like Fiddler on the Roof a hit, including its many revivals, is a shadow of its former self. The writing was on the wall long before the pandemic when the planned revivals of Neil Simon’s three personal shows, his three best plays, all about being Jewish, failed to make it to Broadway. At an earlier time, those would have been cash cows.
The only genuine box office star of Harmony is Barry Manilow, himself, but of course he’s not in it. His name is bringing in the older audience, but there isn’t that much of that older audience left. Barry Manilow’s name among younger theatergoers probably doesn’t carry much weight. But perhaps his past success, and the money he has earned, will keep the show afloat if he chooses to spend it and keep the show open despite nearly half-empty houses.
While it’s not our money, we hope that he does keep it open for as long as possible. Chip Zien, one of Broadway’s great character actors, is giving the performance of his career in the show; at 76 he is the star of the show, and what a brilliant cap to his formidable resume of stellar performances. Julie Benko, Sierra Boggess, Danny Kornfeld, among many others, are all excellent; the music is strong; the song “Every Single Day” will emerge from the show and remain long after Harmony has closed.
Simply put, this is a show that would have been far more commercially successful years ago, but for better or worse, it’s here now, and we hope people will come out and support it.
How to Dance in Ohio: This sweet, funny, earnest musical about people with special needs is a fascinating gamble. It’s gotten generally kind and positive reviews. And we don’t mean “kind” in the sense that critics are giving it a pass because of its subject matter; rather they are being kind because it is obvious there is no commercial hook to this show. Not a star in sight. It’s not based on a famous book or musical. It’s not a gay show, appealing to that Broadway constituency, or any other specific Broadway audience.
Its plot is somewhat obvious but the writing is still full of enough surprises to keep one engaged. And the cast is wonderful. They are truly a surprise. Genuine. Talented. Very much free and relaxed on stage like they were born for Broadway.
We don’t know the thinking behind bringing this musical to Broadway, because there is no reason to think it would be a commercial success, but it could be that Broadway was merely a strategy; to get the Broadway imprimatur and using that cache to make a movie? Or a touring show? One can only guess. The only sure thing is that it’s not going to be on The Great White Way for long.
Monty Python’s Spamalot: What a great idea to bring this goofy musical satire back to Broadway. This revival is both long enough from the original to avoid too many direct comparisons, yet still fresh enough so that the humor is largely not dated. In addition, the appeal of Monty Python’s comedy is still fresh because their material is currently all over the internet. Finally, the cast is full of todays most gifted young musical comedy performers who are making the musical their own.
It’s hard to pick favorites, but among the many standouts are Ethan Slater, James Monroe Igelhart, Michael Urie, and just about stealing the entire enterprise, the extraordinary Leslie Rodriguez Krtizer as The Lady of the Lake. This is her Tony performance!
When one looks at the shows that are packing them in despite these hard times, Spamalot most resembles those long-term hits. While it’s not doing Wicked or Aladdin kind of business, some of those Tony nominations in the Spring might kick it up to that level of business. Frankly, it’s the kind of big, brassy, semi-old fashioned kind of musical that tourists come to see. And while it makes fun Broadway musicals, it’s purpose is to be what it parodies — and it succeeds. But will audiences agree? The jury is out.
So, at this halfway point in the season, what are we to think? That Broadway producers have not yet found their way. They are trying — as they always do — to find the right show, for the right moment. The second half of the season might light the way. Let’s hope so!
