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Famous Broadway Shows
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Published: September 25, 2006
January 9, 2006, was a landmark date for famous Broadway shows.
At 7,486 performances, The Phantom of the Opera surpassed Cats to become the longest running Broadway show in history. To date, there have been more than 7,700 performances and ticket sales show no sign of slowing down!
How did composer Andrew Lloyd Webber produce the two longest running dramas on Broadway?
One secret seems to be adapting lyrics and books from older writers, lending his shows something of a timeless edge. Cats, for example, is taken from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, which was first published in 1939. The Phantom of the Opera is based on a 1909 novel by French writer Gaston Leroux.
Looking for Broadway-worthy stories has helped keep Webber's shows popular in the New York drama scene for decades. This aspect of his work, however, is an afterthought to a knack for melody writing which would make nearly any composer envious.
When one thinks of famous Broadway shows, the temptation is to reference repeat players such as Webber, Rogers & Hammerstein and Stephen Sondheim. Though these individuals' contributions cannot be ignored, many influential productions also were written by one-time successes, such as Jonathan Larson's Rent, first produced shortly after his untimely death in 1996, and 1967's Hair, with music by Galt McDermot and book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni.
Aside from book and music, one vital element of famous Broadway shows has been dance. The dynamic influence of ballet, jazz and modern dance on shows such as West Side Story (1957), with original production choreography by Jerome Robbins, and Chicago (1975), with choreography by Bob Fosse and lead actress Ann Reinking, made dance as much a part of musicals as drama or comedy.
Few famous Broadway shows fit a pure definition of tragedy or comedy. Rather, they challenge both categories with their diversity of production elements (dancing, acting and singing) and, at times, the complexity of their plots. Rent, which ends happily and fits the definition of a comedy, has many tragic or serious scenes. Oklahoma!, more widely recognized as a comedy, also features the death of a major character. With genres challenging traditional playacting limits as much as the Broadway musical, it is no wonder both dramatic and comic elements are pulled into its most famous shows.
Given the popularity and the controversial nature of many famous Broadway shows, performers and theater-goers alike can expect great things of musicals in the future. What will be the next show to surpass legends like The Phantom of the Opera and Cats as the longest running in New York? Only time will tell.
Sources:
A Bright Golden Haze: 1940-1950, Part III available at http://www.talkinbroadway.com/bway101/6c.html, last accessed September 24, 2006.
Andrew Lloyd Webber available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber, Last Accessed September 24, 2006.
Andrew Lloyd Webber: Official Biography available at http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/andrew/, last accessed September 24, 2006.
Cats (Musical) available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_musical, last accessed September 24, 2006.
Cats the Musical: A Synopsis of the Show available at http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/backgro und.htm, last accessed September 24, 2006.
Chicago (Musical) available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_%28musical%29 , last accessed September 24, 2006.
Hair (Musical) available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_%28musical%29, last accessed September 24, 2006.
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Possum%27s_Book_o f_Practical_Cats, last accessed September 24, 2006.
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 Musical) available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_of_the_Op era_(1986_musical), last accessed September 24, 2006.
Rent (musical) available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_%28musical%29, last accessed September 24, 2006.
Rent. Dir. Chris Columbus. Perfs. Adam Pascal, Rosario Dawson. Film. Sony Pictures, 2005.
The West Side Story Official Website available at http://www.westsidestory.com/, last accessed September 24, 2006.
At 7,486 performances, The Phantom of the Opera surpassed Cats to become the longest running Broadway show in history. To date, there have been more than 7,700 performances and ticket sales show no sign of slowing down!
How did composer Andrew Lloyd Webber produce the two longest running dramas on Broadway?
One secret seems to be adapting lyrics and books from older writers, lending his shows something of a timeless edge. Cats, for example, is taken from T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, which was first published in 1939. The Phantom of the Opera is based on a 1909 novel by French writer Gaston Leroux.
Looking for Broadway-worthy stories has helped keep Webber's shows popular in the New York drama scene for decades. This aspect of his work, however, is an afterthought to a knack for melody writing which would make nearly any composer envious.
When one thinks of famous Broadway shows, the temptation is to reference repeat players such as Webber, Rogers & Hammerstein and Stephen Sondheim. Though these individuals' contributions cannot be ignored, many influential productions also were written by one-time successes, such as Jonathan Larson's Rent, first produced shortly after his untimely death in 1996, and 1967's Hair, with music by Galt McDermot and book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni.
Aside from book and music, one vital element of famous Broadway shows has been dance. The dynamic influence of ballet, jazz and modern dance on shows such as West Side Story (1957), with original production choreography by Jerome Robbins, and Chicago (1975), with choreography by Bob Fosse and lead actress Ann Reinking, made dance as much a part of musicals as drama or comedy.
Few famous Broadway shows fit a pure definition of tragedy or comedy. Rather, they challenge both categories with their diversity of production elements (dancing, acting and singing) and, at times, the complexity of their plots. Rent, which ends happily and fits the definition of a comedy, has many tragic or serious scenes. Oklahoma!, more widely recognized as a comedy, also features the death of a major character. With genres challenging traditional playacting limits as much as the Broadway musical, it is no wonder both dramatic and comic elements are pulled into its most famous shows.
Given the popularity and the controversial nature of many famous Broadway shows, performers and theater-goers alike can expect great things of musicals in the future. What will be the next show to surpass legends like The Phantom of the Opera and Cats as the longest running in New York? Only time will tell.
Sources:
A Bright Golden Haze: 1940-1950, Part III available at http://www.talkinbroadway.com/bway101/6c.html, last accessed September 24, 2006.
Andrew Lloyd Webber available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lloyd_Webber, Last Accessed September 24, 2006.
Andrew Lloyd Webber: Official Biography available at http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/andrew/, last accessed September 24, 2006.
Cats (Musical) available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cats_musical, last accessed September 24, 2006.
Cats the Musical: A Synopsis of the Show available at http://www.reallyuseful.com/rug/shows/cats/backgro und.htm, last accessed September 24, 2006.
Chicago (Musical) available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_%28musical%29 , last accessed September 24, 2006.
Hair (Musical) available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_%28musical%29, last accessed September 24, 2006.
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Possum%27s_Book_o f_Practical_Cats, last accessed September 24, 2006.
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 Musical) available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_of_the_Op era_(1986_musical), last accessed September 24, 2006.
Rent (musical) available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_%28musical%29, last accessed September 24, 2006.
Rent. Dir. Chris Columbus. Perfs. Adam Pascal, Rosario Dawson. Film. Sony Pictures, 2005.
The West Side Story Official Website available at http://www.westsidestory.com/, last accessed September 24, 2006.
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