Is The Face Of Commercial Musical Theatre Changing?

Here we are, in the midst of another Broadway award season. I find that this time of year presents a great opportunity to take stock of the current state of Broadway theatre, and to take a stab at emerging industry trends.When it comes to musical theatre on Broadway, the state of our industry is strong. Four original Broadway musicals which opened this season are reliably bringing in more than $1 million in gross weekly box office receipts – a level that seemed impossible to reach not that long ago. This year, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, The Great Comet and War Paint seem poised to join the ranks of Aladdin, Hamilton, The Book of Mormon, School of Rock, The Lion King, Waitress and Wicked.I find this exciting for a lot of reasons. One, it is thrilling and encouraging to see a season bring in so many excellent shows. Two, the nature of these shows, the composition of the creative and production teams and the paths some have taken to reach Broadway suggest that audiences are willing to pay for shows that are more than mere entertainment – audiences will reward productions that take risks with their subject matter and teams – and that the path to Broadway is not set in stone. In every case, the four musicals that have broken through this season all diverge from the norm in some way. All of which undermines my oft-stated maxim that Broadway is becoming a closed shop.What is the norm? The typical path of a Broadway show involves a tryout production at one or two of the usual Broadway feeder regional theatres – Seattle Rep, La Jolla, etc. – and then a Broadway transfer. The typical producer of these Broadway musicals is one of the 20 or so producers who regularly open shows. And it is rare for a Broadway production to be the debut production for multiple people on the creative team.The show that came closest to this norm is War Paint. The show had its out of town tryout at The Goodman in Chicago, and then transferred to Broadway. Lead producers include David Stone and Marc Platt. But the show itself is far from typical. First, the show has two equal female lead roles. Second, the show made a conscious choice to portray competitive and successful women without turning the narrative into a cat fight. Yes, the show is largely a star vehicle for the immensely popular Christine Ebersole and Patti LuPone, but in a narrative the does not include a typical conflict driving the narrative.After War Paint, all the rules go out the door. Let’s take Come From Away (yes, I am prejudiced in favor of this show). The show takes place during the 9/11 terrorist attack, not an automatic crowd pleaser. And the path to Broadway for this show included the Canadian Music Theatre Project, NAMT, Goodspeed, La Jolla, Seattle Rep, Fords Theatre and the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto. This is the Broadway debut for writers David Hein and Irene Sankoff. Truth be told, right up to opening night no one on the show was confident that New York audiences and critics would embrace it.Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 also took a circuitous route to Broadway. The original production was presented in an immersive environment downtown by Ars Nova. From there the show went on to be presented in a tent both in the Meat Packing District and the Theatre District; Teatro Parapluie in Quito, Ecuador; and American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge. When the show finally came to Broadway, producer Howard Kagan completely reconfigured the Imperial Theatre to allow for a truly immersive production. And the show was the Broadway debut for both writer Dave Malloy and director Rachel Chavkin. Lastly, this musical is based on an excerpt from War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy – not an obvious choice for the basis of musical theatre.Rounding out our group is Dear Evan Hansen. None of the lead producers had a strong history of lead producing successful productions – it’s fair to say that this was the first time these producers actually helmed a production. The show started at Arena Stage, an established Broadway feeder regional theatre, but then opened Off-Broadway at Second Stage. When the decision was made to bring the show to Broadway, it was originally slated to open at The Belasco before it transferred to the more advantageously located Music Box. The show was the Broadway premiere for bookwriter Steven Levenson and only the second Broadway production for songwriters Benji Pasek and Justin Paul – their first outing being a short run of A Christmas Story The Musical. And the plot centers on teen suicide and features a lead character who may very well be on the autistic spectrum.As a side note, two of this season's breakout hits present one of the oddest family dynamics Broadway has ever seen. Producer Marc Platt is a lead producer on War Paint but is not a producer on Dear Evan Hansen – the show in which his son Ben Platt is giving a star-making breakthrough performance. Fortunately for the family Platt War Paint does not have a male lead that can challenge Ben Platt for a best actor Tony. THAT would have made for some awkward moments at family dinners.Maybe the industry and audiences are simply more sophisticated than I am. Truth be told, I am still eating crow for telling a client Fun Home was not commercially viable (she invested anyway). If I had had to choose a show this season in which to invest, it would have been A Bronx Tale. That show has all the traditional earmarks of a Broadway hit – from its production path to its plot, its production team and its creative team. And it was being presented by Tommy Mattola and The Dodgers as the replacement for The Dodger’s retiring super-hit Jersey Boys. And it had an out of town try-out at Paper Mill Playhouse. To be fair, A Bronx Tale is selling well in a theatre that does not have a gross potential or more than $1 million, so maybe it should be added to the list of this year’s breakout hits. But this show does not have the award buzz of the others.In any event, this seasons’ musicals have reignited my love of Broadway musicals. I can only hope that future seasons will include shows that continue to take risks and push the envelope of what is and is not commercially viable.