40 Years of Broadway: The Contest Entry Form

40 Years of Broadway:

The Contest Entry Form

The contest is over and the prizes have been awarded. Thanks for playing!

Beginning today, and for the rest of the week, we will be collecting your answers, and we will draw three winners - 1 grand prize and 2 runner up prizes. All of the prize details and the full rules can be found HERE.

⭐🎭 The official entry form is HERE. 🎭⭐ 

(Make sure you tap/click "Finish" when you are done!)

• Fill it out completely by Monday, November 6th at 6PM Eastern.
• The entry form and the site where it is kept is secure, and NO data beyond what is asked for on the form is collected.
• Winners will be selected at random for all of those collected with the correct answers, and will be notified via email on Monday, November 6th.
• You must live in the United States in order to receive any of the prizes.

Do you need to catch up on the questions? Click HERE to find links to all of them.

Good luck, and thanks for being a part of this site. We have the BEST readers and followers!

40 Years of Broadway: The Worst Shows

40 Years of Broadway:

The Worst Shows

Well, at last, we have come to the end of our celebration of four wonderful decades of seeing Broadway shows. Today will be the final article in this series. I'm actually a bit loathe to write it. I don't want to be negative during a celebration. Why write it then? Because when I asked you what you wanted to read about during this series, the overwhelming response was: What are the worst shows you've seen on Broadway?

I am so lucky to have the means to attend the theater and have learned so much from the experience. One of the biggest lessons has been the ability to recognize what I think are great shows, good shows, and, well, bad shows. But it isn't entirely about personal taste. It's also being able to recognize that I may not love a certain show, but can respect it for its quality and artistic merit. Hamilton is one such production. I've said this many times over the years on this site and to friends who go with me, and then graciously listen while I pontificate about what we've just seen. I think there is something to learn from every play and musical presentation.

Sadly, the ten shows listed below (in NYT alphabetical order, not by amount of disdain) offered little to nothing in the way of learning or appreciating the work. They committed the one cardinal sin of theater (at least to me): I felt "meh" about them. To feel euphoria is always the goal, but if it makes me angry or disgusted or even good old hate, at least I'm feeling something. The only thing these shows make me feel - even today - is the aggravation that I'll never get those wasted hours back. They include the only show I voluntarily left at intermission, one show that I laughed so loud during a quiet moment that a future Tony-winner looked out directly at me, one where I was, unfortunately, in the front row, and didn't clap - the cast saw me, and one show I fell asleep at more than once, and snored! 

Amazing Grace (2015)

I still appreciate Christopher Gattelli (choreographer), Eugene Lee (set design), Ken Billington (lighting design), Harriet D. Foy, Erin Mackey, Chuck Cooper, Tom Hewitt (actors)

Baby It's You! (2011)

I still appreciate Anna Louizos (set design), Howell Binkley (lighting design), Beth Leavel, Christina Sajous, Brandon Uranowitz (Broadway debut!) (actors)

Bullets Over Broadway (2014)

I still appreciate Susan Stroman (director/choreographer), Santo Loquasto (set design), Peter Hylenski (sound design), Marin Mazzie, Nick Cordero, Brooks Ashmanskas, Zach Braff (Broadway debut!), Karen Ziemba, Casey Garvin, Paige Faure (actors & ensemblists)

Doctor Zhivago (2015)

I still appreciate Des McAnuff (director), Howell Binkley (lighting design), Paul Tazewell (costume design), Tom Hewitt, Paul Alexander Nolan, Tam Mutu (Broadway debut!), Bradley Dean, Robert Hager, Ericka Hunter (actors/ensemblists)

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1995 revival)

Seriously, I tried...

Jekyll and Hyde (2013 revival)

I still appreciate Frank Wildhorn (composer), Jeff Calhoun (director/choreographer), Teal Wicks, Ashley Loren, Emmy Raver-Lampman (actors/ensemblists)

Scandalous (2012)

I still appreciate Natasha Katz (lighting design), Carolee Carmello, George Hearn, Roz Ryan, Andrew Samonsky, Betsy Struxness (actors & ensemblists)

Soul Doctor (2013)

I still appreciate Eric Anderson, Amber Iman, Ian Paget, Heather Parcells (actors & ensemblists)

Swinging On a Star (1995)

I still appreciate Kathleen Marshall (choreographer), Kathy Fitzgerald (Broadway Debut!), Michael McGrath, Eugene Fleming (actors & ensemblists)

The Pirate Queen (2007)

I still appreciate Frank Galati (director), Eugene Lee (set design), Stephanie J. Block, Linda Balgord, Jeff McCarthy, Nick Adams (actors & ensemblists)

In looking over this list, I realized that nearly all of them have people attached to them that I have the utmost respect for, and I am a big fan of those people. Everyone has their bad moments, and they can use those to create something much better the next time. Ha! I guess I did actually get something out of each one on the list!

Contest Question #20:

How many of the 10 shows above are based on real-life people and events?

That's all the questions for this contest! Be sure to gather your answers and review the rules. We will post how to enter on Monday, October 30th. Tap HERE to see all the articles and questions.

40 Years of Broadway: The Culture Shifters

40 Years of Broadway:

The Culture Shifters

Over the past 40 Years, I've seen dozens of huge hits come and go. Really big hits. They run for what feels like forever. In fact, nine of the ten longest running Broadway shows either had the majority of their run or the entire run during the last four decades. These long runs are certainly testament to their popularity, but even with all that, most are not works that caused a cultural awareness beyond Times Square.

During my time with Broadway shows there have been exactly three shows that entered the American theater zeitgeist: A Chorus Line, Rent and Hamilton. Don't misunderstand. Cats, Wicked, The Phantom of the Opera and the like were and are popular works with legions of fans, but the other three became part of the cultural fabric of the world that goes far beyond fandom and financial success.

They have several commonalities. They all started off-Broadway and transferred for commercial runs. Two started at the Public Theater, the third at New York Theatre Workshop. 

One can't help but notice even their physical similarities in their logos, advertising and even an element of their stagings. 

All three have had similar critical acclaim and awards:

• A Chorus Line: 12 Tony nominations, 9 wins, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book; Pulitzer Prize for Drama
• Rent: 10 Tony nominations, 4 wins, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book; Grammy Award; Pulitzer Prize for Drama
• Hamilton: 16 Tony nominations, 11 wins, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book; Grammy Award; Pulitzer Prize for Drama

But there are quite a few other important things about these shows that make them culturally significant:

• They are of their time and timeless. Their stories were contemporary, but their meaning will resonate long after we are gone. Think Shakespeare.
• They are about "everyday people." I know, you are thinking, "not every one is an aspiring dancer, Bohemian millennial or a Founding Father." But think about it, they are all common people of their time period. They all have goals and dreams; some achieve, some fail, but all are part of something bigger than themselves.
• They represent significant strides in non-traditional casting, breaking ground in terms of sexual identity, gender identity, and ethnicity. Each pushed the envelope.
• All three address their issues head-on, honestly and without shame. These characters have our problems and deal with them; we can identify with them on a human level. They were about representation
• They have had lives in other media, enabling them to reach beyond the Broadway audience. Talk shows, variety shows, film versions. They are so well known, that they are part of sitcom jokes, referenced in TV dramas, and part of shows like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. People who never go to the theater understand the jokes and references.

Like Oklahoma!, West Side Story and Hair before them, all three are genuine game-changers.

40 Years of Broadway: Big Trends: Does Size Matter?

40 Years of Broadway: Big Trends:

Does Size Matter?

It seems fitting that the two current longest-running shows on Broadway are Chicago and The Lion King, when considering the trends we are talking about today. When I came up on the Broadway theater scene in the mid-80s, mega-musicals were beginning their reign - big, splashy extravaganzas. Eventually, they began to lose favor, and more traditionally produced shows came back. Sure there were plenty of dance-y, costume and scenery musicals, but theaters weren't being overhauled and people talked more and sang occasionally. Then, all of a sudden the "less is more" trend took hold. These days, Broadway is a mix of all of it - minimalist shows are as likely to be found in the Theater District as the giant spectacle. And, as if it were the 80s all over again, shows are being installed in completely reconfigured spaces!

Minimalism: The Encores! Effect and John Doyle

Today, the Encores! series at City Center continues to thrive, though its shows are considerably more staged and fully realized than when it began. There is no doubt that this style of theater has certainly influenced the Main Stem. Chicago really got the ball rolling, and several other revivals have transferred to great acclaim and lots of awards. Director John Doyle brought his own style of minimalism to this trend by having his actors accompany themselves on instruments, often used to accentuate character and theme. His influence has been felt all over New York City - not just on Broadway, but off-Broadway, too, notably at Classic Stage Company.

• Encores!: Chicago, Finian's Rainbow, Into the Woods, Parade
• John Doyle Broadway: Company, Sweeney Todd, The Color Purple
• John Doyle Off-Broadway: Allegro, Passion, Pacific Overtures, Assassins

Bridging The Gap: More Traditional Stagings in Answer To Mega-Musicals

• The 80s: 42nd Street, Grind, La Cage aux Folles, My One and Only
• The 90s: The Will Rogers Follies, Crazy For You, Beauty and the Beast
• The 21st Century: Aladdin, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Moulin Rouge!, Some Like It Hot

Maximalism: Environmental Theater

"Slightly" more than traditional staging, but not quite a mega-musical, environmental theater has maintained a presence off and on for decades since the 90s. Though not exactly new, it really came into its own when Roundabout re-did the Henry Miller's Theatre and Studio 54 to create the Kit Kat Club of Cabaret. Today, we have the Millennium Disco of Here Lies Love at the Broadway, and soon, an all-new Kit Kat Club at the August Wilson. 

• Off-Broadway: Sweeney Todd at Barrow Street
• Broadway: Cabaret, Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet Cazino at the Imperial, Urinetown, Once On This Island (revival), Oklahoma! (revival)

Maximalism: Technical Marvels

Flying tires, crashing chandeliers, helicopters and barricades were just the tip of the iceberg. These days, video projections transport us in seconds, ships wreck and earthquakes can happen 8 times a week. Super heroes and battle villains over our heads, and time can warp with the flip of a switch.

• Larger Than Life Puppetry: King Kong, The Lion King
• Magic & Flying: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Wicked, Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark
• Video: West Side Story (2020 revival), On the Town
• Natural Disasters: Titanic, Tarzan, Shogun, An Inspector Calls
• Just Really Cool Staging: Rocky

Contest Question #19 (one more to go!):

Which 2 shows pictured above were directed by Julie Taymor?