Monday, September 29, 2014

LOGOS: The Last Ship

The next musical of the season, The Last Ship, begins previews tonight at the Neil Simon Theatre.  Will the marquee entice passersby to stop, take a look, and purchase tickets?  That remains to be seen, of course.  I think the logo, like the show - at least based on the out of town tryout gossip and critical response - will be polarizing.  Some will love it, others not so much.  Well, readers, if you know me at all by now, you can probably guess where I stand.

From a musical theater enthusiast's point of view, I am intrigued by the artistry of the design; as a lover of the more challenging works, I am hopeful that the darker, more serious tone of the logo will parallel the actual performance.  I am either going to be fully satisfied, or at least challenged, or sorely disappointed.  But I could say that about any show, right?


The white background will certainly catch the eye, and the stark circular logo should also draw some attention.  The lone bright color, a dash of red, might just make you stop for a second or two, and the simple title design, a stark, simple font will make reading it easy, even from some distance.

When a potential ticket buyer pauses to read it, the title is certainly thought-provoking, though it doesn't necessarily scream, "musical!" does it?  But the icon could.  An artistic swirl of dark grey topped with what, at closer look, is a rendering of a big ship's bow.  But wait! That ship - the last ship - is headed down that ominous whirlpool!  Very dramatic!  And not completely musical, either.

I like the logo, probably the most artful Broadway logo in several seasons.  I love the design and the implications of a more serious dramatic piece.  And I love the multiple meanings of "last" in this context.  Something this artistic is right up my Sondheim-Guettel-LaChuisa loving alley!

But the fun-loving-musical crowd will probably find this not so appealing.  And the occasional theatre-goer may not want to plunk down big bucks to see a serious show with no movie stars to justify their purchase.  This will be a show that they will wait for the reviews to see, I think.  And they better be great.

What I just don't get is why the marquee downplays the most obvious pre-opening draw, composer Sting, who is well-known and even beloved by people old enough to know who he is and have the dough to spend on it.  Maybe they are afraid people will think he's in it, and leave when they find out he isn't.  And why are they using the Chicago tryout money quote - which includes his name - where most people won't even see it?  You'd have to be looking out the window of a car (and NOT looking at the more famous Jersey Boys) or standing on the other side of the street to even see it.  Who's going to stop the car or dart across 52nd Street to get to the box office after reading it?

Grade: If the logo were just part of the art form that musicals are, I'd give it an A+.  But as advertising, I'll have to give it a C+ - artistic, yes, big Broadway musical draw, no.  Maybe they are hoping it'll become as recognizable as those icons for Cats or Phantom.  And those, and Miss Saigon and Les Miserables, too, are very serious musicals, so maybe I'm wrong, and years from now, the masses will be wearing Last Ship t-shirts.  But those four shows all came to Broadway as established events, not a Chicago birth and PBS special.

I really hope I am wrong.  I don't want the show to sink. (Sorry, I had to...)

Jeff
6.013

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