Sunday evening, April 16, 2023, the curtain rose and fell on The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway for the final time. The show ran for 35 years and nearly 14,000 performances, making it the longest running show in Broadway history by about 3,000 performances. Its absence will leave a massive hole in the theater district, for both patrons and performers alike, particularly the large orchestra which accompanied the show every night.
I can't begin to pinpoint where my fascination with The Phantom of the Opera began. This wasn't a show where I heard the music and fell in love with it, nor was it one where I saw the show regionally or on television before being able to attend a performance. I think it largely came down to that iconic mask.
Regardless, when I finally got a trip to New York for my senior year gift, was at the top of my list of go see. And the Broadway performance was everything you could have wanted. A gorgeous theater designed to look like the Grand Guignols of old. A chandelier that really could hang over the audience. And an impeccable cast.
I was hooked.
I've seen the touring performance. Got absorbed into the music of the sequel Love Never Dies, and sat through the film version of that fiasco. I've got the signed poster, the sheet music, and the cds. I've got a phantom mask. One day, I'll get to sing Music of the Night in some capacity.
The show was ravishing in how it overwhelmed you and enveloped you, particularly when it was staged in the right environment. It's not my favorite musical, but it's close.
So, I'm a little sad to see those footlights dim. Hopefully a new version will tour and breathe a fresh life into the show once again.
"Sometimes people leave you halfway through the woods Do not let it grieve you, no one leaves for good."
They say that you are not just a Sondheim fan. You may generally like Sondheim, but it goes deeper than that. You are a Sunday in the Park fan, or a Company fan, or a Sweeney Todd fan. You are a fanatic about the show that really spoke to you.
I am an Into the Woods fan.
Generally, I'm not the biggest Sondheim fan. I know that is a heresy in the musical theater community, but I can often find myself more impressed with the technical proficiency of the show or the level of difficulty in the music than I am with the show as a whole.
Into the Woods is an exception. Professionally, I have seen two different versions. The first in 2002 on Broadway with a lavish star studded cast that included Vanessa Williams. The second, the Fiasco tour with 11 artists playing all roles and instruments and very minimalistic staging. It's this second version that truly touched me. Part of it can be attributed to how art speaks to us at different times in our lives. Into the Woods is a show about growing up and parenthood in particular. Having our second child only a couple of months before this production, the story of the Baker, his wife and the witch resonated in way this time that they could not before. But this production also revealed something about the magic of theater. At its core, it is just story telling. It does not require all the flourishes we add to it. All it needs, all it truly requires is talented storytellers fully committed to the message of their story. And with that, a group of 11 artists, seemingly pulling props out of their trunk to add to their story can be so much more impactful than an extravagant, expensive version. It can strike more to the core of the story and the audience to convey its heart.
Beyond that, it's hard to deny that Sondheim completely changed the future of musical theater. Sondheim took an art form based in romance and happy endings into unexpected areas. He wrote a musical about presidential assassins after all. More importantly, he grounded musical theater in the complexity of human emotion, and in the mundane of our ordinary lives. Company is about a single man and his feelings about all his friends getting married around him. Into the Woods, for all the fantasy, is about parents and children. Sunday in the Park about creative fulfillment.
One of the things I like the most about Sondheim is that while his songs are lyrically and melodically complex, and thus require very talented singers, the singers that truly bring them to life do not have the most beautiful voices, but rather can bring the most emotion and experience to them. I've heard a beautiful version of Send in the Clowns by an eight-piece men's choir that will bring you to tears. But it doesn't compare to Judy Dench's worn voice. That song needs that weariness.
Today marks the the 25th Anniversary of the opening performance of Rent Off-Broadway. A rock opera update of La Boheme, set in the late 1980s/early 1990s Village in New York City. Written by Jonathan Larson, the musical touched on the HIV/AIDS crisis, multiculturalism, addiction, homophobia, transphobia. It wrestled with the struggle between art and commerce. Essentially, it remains the quintessential Generation X musical.
And my college self was the perfect age to discover this show as it toured Austin just a few years later. This was a show for outcasts and we naturally were drawn to it.
The songs in Rent lift the show far beyond the every day musical. Songs like Seasons of Love and One Song Glory have become staples in musical theater circles. Even what would be considered smaller numbers like Life Support move the story forward and move the audience greater than many other classic show tunes. Larson's ability to heavy material lyrically is unmatched, as is his ability to use comedy in song.
Rent has received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical. Larson won the 1996 Best Book for a Musical and Best Score awards. The show has grossed $280 million through its various productions. With its twelve year run on Broadway it remains one of the longest running shows on Broadway.
Sadly, January 25, 1996 is remembered for another significant event in the production of Rent. Larson passed away that morning from an aortic dissection at the age of 35. He had been experiencing chest pains, dizziness, and shortness of breath for days before, but had been misdiagnosed as suffering from the flu or stress.
Larson's death left the cast and crew with an humbling query - how to proceed. It was decided that opening night would go forward, though with a staged reading. No costumes, no sets, just the actors performing their lines and singing the songs with the band. The staged reading lasted until the end of Act I, where the infectiousness of La Vie Boheme led cast members to jump on the tables, as the choreography would have normally required. The second act became much more of a performance.
After the performance finished and the actors returned backstage to take off their mics, they came back on stage to discover that the audience had not left. The 200 or so family and friends had remained in the theater in silence, waiting, wanting to continue the magic and the poignance of what they just witnessed.
Man, I miss live theater.
There does comes a point when you know you've reached an age where you can no longer identify with the characters in the show. The struggle against the hopelessness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic will always resonate, but, the fight to not pay rent, becomes a little grating.
I've crossed that line. Jamie and I saw another tour version of the show recently and while the music still connects, the storyline gets a bit aggravating.
I've still got most of the soundtrack memorized, though. That part will be forever etched in my brain and that music will continue to move me.
It will serve as a remind of how best to spend out time here on earth.
One year.
525,600 minutes.
How do you measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee, in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife?
Think about it. 2020 had more than its share of problems and there are a lot of ways we measure it.
"I just don't think anything is quite as magical as a Disney cartoon fairy tale."
"I am a musical theater person and I do see a very strong connection between these two mediums."
Howard Ashman, lyricist and songwriter, Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid
"As Broadway musicals go, Beauty and the Beast belongs right up there with the Empire State Building, F.A.O. Schwarz, and the Circle Line boat tours. It is hardly a triumph of art, but it'll probably be a whale of a tourist attraction."
David Richards, New York Times Theater critic, April 1994
"Clearly, because of the titles that they bring to Broadway, it's gotten audiences, press, people from around the world more focused on it and interested in Broadway. I think that Disney productions have provided a really important entry point for audiences into the theater, whether it's young audiences and new audiences going to see a show like Beauty and the Beast or Lion King or Little Mermaid because of the title."
Steven Chaikelson, Head of MFA Theater Management and Production program at Columbia University
Walt Disney Theatrical Production was formed on February 8, 1993 to produce Beauty and the Beast, the original Broadway opening. From that initial production, Disney has put forth 20 total theatrical productions across the nation and around the world, with two in development for production this season or next. It's had as many as four Disney shows on Broadway at a time. It's efforts have earned the productions 19 Tony awards and 59 nominations.
In fact, Disney has been so invested in live theater and Broadway, that it signed a 49 year revenue based lease for the New Amsterdam Theater in May 1995. Disney then went about painstakingly restoring the theater to its original use and grandeur. Since then, the theater has served as a home for theatrical productions of King David, The Lion King, Mary Poppins, and Aladdin. Disney's move into the theater began the revitalization of Times Square. "When The Walt Disney Company committed to restoring this theater, it gave everyone else the confidence that they could do it too." Disney Theatrical Group President Tom Schumacher.
Currently Disney Theatrical Group has three shows on Broadway (Aladdin, Frozen, and The Lion King), with four on tour if you count the 20th Century Fox based Anastasia. Additionally, Disney's partnership with Musical Theater International for theatrical licensing has proven very lucrative, with examples like the musical Newsies, which initially was intended to be primarily a licensing only show. It's surprise success at the Papermill Theater was the only reason it headed to Broadway.
With all that as background, I have a few thoughts regarding how to proceed with this division.
Primary Goals for the Division:
Focus on material that will be theatrical in presentation: The Lion King wowed audiences because a visionary director transformed the already popular songs and material into a visually stunning use of puppetry. Mary Poppins and Aladdin make use of a lot of stage magic to uplift those shows. Conversely, The Little Mermaid suffered because of the difficulty in translating underwater scenes without resorting to wheelies or people stuck on wires. Tarzan feel short when it moved from the intriguing theater-in-the-round concept, where the action would have taken place into the air, into a sight-line impaired traditional theater. While there are many great Disney classics that work well in film, not everything is going to translate into a good musical or play. Any production mounted must have a theatrical component to its story.
Go purpose built when playing Broadway - There's something special about seeing a show on Broadway. There are effects that generally you cannot see on the tour because the longer run period affords purpose built effects on that stage. For example, in the tour version of The Lion King, Pride Rock comes in from the wings. On Broadway, the same effect builds up from the floor of the stage. It's a bit more visually impressive. I mention this because for Disney's newest musical, Frozen, they forwent the spectacular Broadway purpose built effects and only installed ones that could be used on tour. It's a cost saving measure I understand, but it represents a loss of Disney magic. The Broadway production should always have that little bit more, that little bit extra, to be a destination.
Buy the New Amsterdam outright - Disney's history on Broadway will be forever linked to this theater and its time to not have to worry about a lease. Further, with three productions on Broadway, it might be time for Disney to consider purchasing another location to be a permanent home for its shows.
Consider more plays - Disney is known for lavish musicals, but has found success with two plays with music: Peter and the Starcatcher and Shakespeare in Love. With the Fox library at its disposal, are there pieces that could be developed into gripping plays? I'm fascinated by the Gore Vidal-William Buckley debates. Those aired on ABC and would make an excellent play in the vein of Frost-Nixon. Is there a story like War Horse or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, either of which would seem to align with Disney Theatrical sensibilities? Again, plays provide a source of revenue through licensing beyond their time on stage. There is a lot of opportunity here, if investigated.
Build performance spaces at Disney Resorts for touring productions - Shanghai Disneyland is the first Disney Resort to have a theater for a Disney Theatrical production, showing initially The Lion King before changing to Beauty and the Beast. This would seem to be something that could benefit other Disney Resorts. In Florida, one could be added to Disney Springs, providing a justification for the separate cost. California could potentially use the Hyperion, but would run into logistical complications. Another one could be added in Downtown Disney or potentially the Eastern Gateway space. Paris and Hong Kong could likewise easily house the space. These are all markets that get touring productions. The spaces could either simply house tours like Broadway Across America or could just cycle through long runs of Disney Theatrical shows.
Pay attention to the Broadway Princess Parties - 54 Below, a newer cabaret space in New York, has hosted a few Broadway Princess Parties, where actresses who play princesses and similar characters in Broadway productions come and sing their favorite songs from musicals, animated features, etc. These are great talent pools both for Broadway productions and for Disney animated features. Laura Osnes needs to be a Disney Princess.
Leverage existing talent connections - Disney has a great affection for Broadway talent. It's television programs are filled with Broadway voices. Most of the cast of the Tangled television series is straight from the Great White Way. Likewise, Disney has strong partnerships with Broadway creators like Lin Manuel Miranda. What would a Disney Theatrical presentation with Lin look like? Could Hamilton have been Disney Theatrical? I don't know but I would love to find out.
Explore variety - Disney is partnering with Cirque du Soleil for its show at Disney Springs. Could Disney partner again for a touring production? Could Cirque performs transform the troubled Tarzan into something truly spectacular in the round? Likewise is there an opportunity for Fantasia to be a ballet? Or to bring forth King David as an opera? The sky is the limit.
Suggested new productions:
Aida (Revival) - this is a very impressive musical and its time for a revival. Elton John music. Tragic love story. Perhaps for the 25th anniversary in 2023.
Vidal-Buckley - A play about the Vidal-Buckley debates and how they saved ABC and forever changed political discourse, as mentioned above.
Enchanted - the Disney live action-animated hybrid would now provide an opportunity to show the progression of musicals. Starting as a comic operetta in the fairy tale portion and moving to modern musical as the show closes. This could be very impressive and very theatrical.
On the Record- a revamped musical revue of Disney songs, stripping away the conceit of a story and just presenting the songs and dance in inventive ways. The album is a delight to hear and I think something could really be worked from those bones.
Jungle Book (revival) - I would love to see the Jungle Book from the Goodman finally get a shot at Broadway.
Pocahontas - Of all the Disney Renaissance films that have not yet been adapted to stage, Pocahontas has a lot of pluses for it and a strong message to share.
Tangled - Of the current slate of Disney films, Tangled is the best suited to stage adaptation. If you remove Maximus or change him into a guard, it's nearly a straightforward adaptation. Plus the tricks with the hair would be a lot of fun.
American Graffiti - American Graffiti would provide an excellent backdrop for a jukebox musical. Would cost a fortune in licensing but would be a lot of fun.
That's just a few initial thoughts on new shows. There's a world of possibilities now.
Next up in the series - Disney Music and Disneyland Records
