Broadway Blues

I have written about how I feel currently about the state of American Theater as it plays out on Broadway. There are two camps of theater goers: The ones who love it and Tourists. They are often parallel and can be very similar in tone and like when it comes to seeing the current productions on Broadway. Some have been playing so long they are woven into the fabric of the street and are always packed with audiences that come from far away or even near to share that experience of joy when the house lights go down. That would apply to many long standing hits that have long passed the Tony Awards, the stellar famous casts that have tread the boards in that production and have been filmed or even closed, and returned as many often do. Think Phantom of the Opera is one such example but there are always more waiting stage left.

Today there was an article in the New York Times about the struggles on Broadway, and with that a picture of the empty seats at The Girl for North Country I immediately purchased a seat for the final performance on Sunday. I had cancelled my Opera tickets for this past Sunday due to concerns of weather and frankly I am still but I have every intent of making it to the show as it deserves respect. The musical is a transcendent piece with the song catalog of Bob Dylan in which to move the story along in ways that are remarkable. Not forced nor deliberately altered during the pandemic, it stood the test. Many productions felt that the need to change the story and/or casting to meet the new pressure to acknowledge people of color, both in front of the stage and behind the curtain leading to many shows being put on that had not had out of town try outs in which to build and craft the story and at times it showed as they have not lasted long. But even those with a built in audience and rotating talent that can quickly transition in are having difficulty finding their footing and in turn their audience. The juke box musical Ain’t too Proud to Beg is one and the other was Jagged Little Pill. They had gone out of their way to alter the story and attempt to make it more relevant, had a cast rotation set in place as one Actor had given birth and wanted to job share, but ultimately it did not find an audience. Is is a sing along rouser or a play with music. That is Girl from North Country, and Pill is despite the pedigree of a Hollywood writer, a Juke Box Musical. As for Plays I saw the Lehman Trilogy, twice and it was a limited run, and sold out as it had prior to the Pandemic with solid reviews and tickets that were in the triple digits. A cast change had little effect and it closed on time without any cancellations or alterations. I have several plays booked ahead and I wonder what the end result will be as we go forward.

I have commented that New Yorkers are a scoldy lot, entitled and arrogant with it and that gives it a reason many feel New Yorkers are rude. No, they are not but there is a “type” just like in the South that carried a behavior set that was both offputting and truly a stereotype. And I will leave it at that. Note the end of the article when a young woman, from Brooklyn, making her a New Yorker went to both Girl and Six and she loved the latter. Why? She whooped it up and sang and danced along. And don’t tell the Theater crowd that, they will be appalled. And with that this is why Broadway struggles, as the prices limit attendance and the expected etiquette no longer applies. Do not complain is another, try that assholes. Just being polite and allowing people to get up and go to the bathroom and arrive late is now the norm. I have not been to a production yet that has not done as such. So there you go, first rule already eliminated. So New York shut your mouth, focus on you and ignore the rest. If you find it that untenable, leave, ask for your money back and go home. You are not really there to support the theater or you would go to the shows that are not always on the must see. And you would admit that shows that often are are not all that and a bag of chips, Caroline and Change comes to mind.