2022 - 2023 Season Wrap-up: Broadway Logos - The Best and the Worst and the Much Improved

2022 - 2023 Season Wrap-up: 

Broadway Logos - The Best and the Worst and the Much Improved

We make it no secret that we love Broadway show art and advertising campaigns here at JK's TheatreScene. And we are thrilled that a lot of you seem to agree. These logo-related posts are always among the top most read each month.

This season just ended has really been an embarrassment of riches in terms of shows and show art. We saw two plays and fifteen musicals (all of the new ones!) during the 22/23 season, and were pleased to bring you not only reviews of each, but also "closer looks" at each of those show's logos. 

Below is a recap of how we graded each, a look at how some of the low scorers have improved their campaigns, and our pick for the Best of the Best!

GRADE RECAP: Average: A

F: 

17. Bad Cinderella     16. Camelot

C: 

15. Some Like It Hot

C+: 

14. Kimberly Akimbo

B-: 

13. A Beautiful Noise     12. KPOP

A-: 

11. Life of Pi     10. Almost Famous

A: 

9. 1776     8. Into the Woods     7. Leopoldstadt

A+: 

6. Parade     5. Bob Fosse's Dancin'     4. & Juliet

3. Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street     2. New York, New York

THE BEST SHOW ART (and Advertising Campaign): 

1. Shucked

Simple, eye-catching and as fun as the show it represents, the show art, merch and the overall marketing for Shucked is inspired, interactive and has a broad appeal. While not forgetting more "traditional" means, those in charge have fully embraced the new generation of cyber loving influencers. It is, in fact, so ingenious that I suspect we've reached a turning point in the way Broadway shows will be advertised.

MOST IMPROVED:

Happily, all four of our lowest-rated logos have made some positive steps in the right direction. Adding interest and some much needed context, each has largely gotten rid of their original images, keeping only their titles, and adding photos of their stars in action, along with some tweaks to their taglines. (This is in addition to the usual pull quotes and awards numbers.)

  

  

I think the most improved of the lot are Bad Cinderella and Kimberly Akimbo. Sadly, it's too little, too late for the former, as it'll be closing in a matter of weeks. Hopefully, the latter will get a boost from the updated ads (and several awards).

With a new crop of shows already started for the 2023-2024 season, we are already at work on a closer look at Once Upon a One More Time. Look for that soon!

2022 - 2023 Season Trend: (Orchestra) Size Matters

This season, musical lovers had a lot to be grateful for. 15 musicals opened, featuring a variety of scores covering everything from historical classics and repurposed jukebox songs to traditional and country. There was even a new style for Broadway - the international techno-pop sound of K-Pop. But for this musical fanatic, there was an even nicer trend.

Trends of the 2022/2023 Broadway Season:

Orchestra Size Matters

With shows downsizing their orchestras and adding computerized tracks, it was indeed wonderful to hear (literally) that several shows this season were opening with more than the average number of players in the pit. In fact, nearly half of this year's new productions had 15 or more credited musicians playing! 

The average for all of them came out to just over 13. KPOP had a mere 3 players - amazing considering the huge sound they brought to that Tony-nominated score. On the other end of the spectrum, Lincoln Center really brought their A game with their superb 30 piece orchestra for Lerner and Loewe's Camelot. Such a deserving score to have that kind of size. To be fair, every time they produce a classic revival, the band is always huge. I can't be the only one who is still flabbergasted by that big reveal at South Pacific, can I?

The other big orchestral news came from the revival of Stephen Sondheim's masterwork, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Seven times a week, and for the first time on Broadway since its original production, the score is being played with an impressive 28 players. Perhaps even more importantly, the show boasts the original Jonathan Tunick orchestrations. It is a truly gorgeous thing to hear.

While it'll always be my hope that musicals will have a full complement of musicians, let's just keep away from making cuts for the sake of a buck. Thankfully, this season we were gifted with amazing music from amazing scores, each one played to perfection.

2022 - 2023 Logos: KPOP and Some Like It Hot

In an increasingly visual media world, creating the right look - the right brand - can spell success or disaster for any product. Simply put, how something looks can translate to big business or epic failure. Theater has been in this game for decades, long before clicking, trending, etc. A great piece of show art can generate ticket sales, and, importantly, merchandise sales, where happy theatergoers become walking billboards for their new favorite show.

Today, we continue our look at the key art of the shows from the 2022-2023 Broadway season. Did these logos help get ticket buyers interested? Would either entice you to run around your home town in a t-shirt bearing their logo?

2022 - 2023 Broadway Season Logos:

KPOP and Some Like it Hot

KPOP

Well, unfortunately, we already know that the key art for this musical didn't help its box office numbers at all. And of course, its failure had to do with a lot more than any image on a magnet. But what did the logo offer on its own? 

I think that as purely a title logo, what they started with was the most visually appealing. There's something striking and sleek about a completely black background, and it suggests a sort of modern glamour. The high tech, industrial look of the font really mimics this tale of a 21st century music factory, and the blend of color from hot pink to purple to blue is vibrant. It also mimics the color pallet of the three central acts of the story: mWe (Pink), RTMIS (Purple) and F8 (Blue). True, I can tell all of this because I've seen the show. That said, I'd wear a t-shirt with this on it.

Then, for some reason, they changed the look, putting the blend, this time only pink to purple, to the background, with the logo in white. It's not nearly as striking as the first, though perhaps they thought this might appeal more to young girls who represent their largest target audience. Personally, I don't care that much for it.

Finally, we come to the last iteration, and the one that makes the most sense. Unfortunately, this came too little too late. Here we still have the title art, in clear white over what should have been the center of the ad campaign to begin with: the KPOP acts. Cute, innocent-but-subtly-sexy boys, a glamorous diva, and sassy, smart-looking girls. This, in my opinion, would appeal to the widest variety of potential audience members, from KPOP fans to musical theater fans looking for something new and fresh.

Grade (for the full campaign): B- (If only they'd started where the ended!) 

Some Like It Hot

Next up is the critically-acclaimed, though decidedly lukewarm at the box office, Some Like It Hot. 

I find the whole thing to be visually appealing. The bright blue background, and the summery reds, oranges and yellows evoke a warmth (ok, heat) based on the title alone. The three figures capture a jazzy, big band vibe. And that art-deco-yet-modern font lets us know that the show may be set in the 30's, but it is definitely relevant today.

That's what they want us to think. 

Sure, the figures show a racial profile that matches the casting. That's a good thing. And it erases the show's central conceit - men dressing as women to escape a mob hit. A good, if wholly dishonest thing - truth in advertising, blah blah blah. 

But they had a real chance to highlight the great part of the story - when Jerry discovers their true self in Daphne. I mean, it's not like the producers and creative team didn't address these issues in the book and score. What are they afraid of?

One of the key themes in this updated version of an old movie is self-acceptance and living in your truth. It's a real shame the company couldn't do just that in their advertising.

Grade: C

2022 in Review: Our Favorite Broadway Writing, Design and Direction

 2022 in Review:

Our Favorite Broadway Writing, Design & Direction

(11 Categories)

We were fortunate enough to see 13 different productions on Broadway in 2022; these are the shows we considered in all categories for our favorites this year: 1776, A Strange Loop, Almost Famous, Funny Girl, Girl From the North Country, Into the Woods. Kimberly Akimbo, KPOP, Paradise Square, Some Like It Hot, and The Music Man. We also saw these shows from previous years for a second time, and considered them only in categories where things have changed: Company and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. We made our lists separately - so below you'll see where we agreed, plus performances we each just had to include! How did we compare to your favorites? Leave a comment below, or catch up with us on Twitter or Instagram! (@jkstheatrescene for both)

FAVORITE NEW BROADWAY SONGS

Jeff & Mike:

"Let It Burn" from Paradise Square 

Music: Jason Howland; Lyrics: Nathan Tysen & Masi Asare

Mike:

"Great Adventure" from Kimberly Akimbo

Music: Jeanine Tesori; Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire

"Memory Song" from A Strange Loop

Music & Lyrics: Michael R. Jackson

"You Could Have Knocked Me Over with a Feather" from Some Like It Hot

Music: Marc Shaiman; Lyrics: Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman

Jeff:

"Better" from Kimberly Akimbo

Music: Jeanine Tesori; Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire

"A Darker Shade of Blue" from Some Like It Hot

Music: Marc Shaiman; Lyrics: Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman

"Everybody's Coming Together" from Almost Famous

Music: Tom Kitt; Lyrics: Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt

FAVORITE PRODUCTION NUMBERS

Jeff & Mike:

"How to Wash a Check" from Kimberly Akimbo

Music: Jeanine Tesori; Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire

Direction: Jessica Stone; Choreography: Danny Medford

"Molasses to Rum" from 1776

Music & Lyrics: Sherman Edwards

Direction: Jeffrey L. Page & Diane Paulus; Choreography: Jeffrey L. Page

"Some Like It Hot" from Some Like It Hot

Music: Marc Shaiman; Lyrics: Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman

Direction & Choreography: Casey Nicholaw

Jeff:

"Amerika (Checkmate)" from KPOP

Music & Lyrics: Helen Park & Max Vernon

Direction: Teddy Bergman; Choreography: Jennifer Weber

"Blast Off" from KPOP

Music & Lyrics: Helen Park & Max Vernon

Direction: Teddy Bergman; Choreography: Jennifer Weber

"Duquesne Whistle / Señor (Tales of Yankee Power) / Is Your Love In Vain? / License to Kill (Reprise)" from Girl From the North Country

Music & Lyrics: Bob Dylan

Direction: Conor McPherson; Movement: Lucy Hind

"Fever Dog Bows" from Almost Famous

Music: Tom Kitt; Lyrics: Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt

Direction: Jeremy Herrin; Choreography: Sarah O'Gleby

"Marian the Librarian" from The Music Man

Music & Lyrics: Meredith Willson

Direction: Jerry Zaks; Choreography: Warren Carlyle

FAVORITE SHOW LOGOS

Jeff & Mike:

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

A Strange Loop

Mike:

Girl From the North Country

Kimberly Akimbo

Jeff:

Almost Famous

Into the Woods

FAVORITE PROJECTION DESIGN

Jeff:

Peter Nigrini KPOP

Rae Smith Girl From the North Country

Mike:

David Bengali 1776

Lucy Mackinnon Kimberly Akimbo

FAVORITE LIGHTING DESIGN

Jeff & Mike:

Natsha Katz Almost Famous

Mike:

Jiyoun Chang KPOP

Jeff:

Mark Henderson Girl From the North Country

Jen Schriever A Strange Loop

FAVORITE COSTUME DESIGN

Jeff:

Gregg Barnes Some Like It Hot

Toni-Leslie James Paradise Square

Rae Smith Girl From the North Country

Mike:

Andrea Hood Into the Woods

Emilio Sosa 1776

FAVORITE SCENIC DESIGN

Jeff & Mike:

Santo Loquasto The Music Man

Scott Pask Some Like It Hot

Jeff:

Rae Smith Girl From the North Country

Mike:

David Zinn Kimberly Akimbo

FAVORITE BOOK OF A MUSICAL

Jeff & Mike:

Cameron Crowe Almost Famous

David Lindsay-Abaire Kimberly Akimbo

Conor McPherson Girl From the North Country

FAVORITE SCORE OF A MUSICAL

Jeff & Mike:

Almost Famous

Music: Tom Kitt; Lyrics: Cameron Crowe & Tom Kitt

Kimberly Akimbo

Music: Jeanine Tesori; Lyrics: David Lindsay-Abaire

FAVORITE CHOREOGRAPHY OF A MUSICAL

Jeff & Mike:

Warren Carlyle The Music Man

Casey Nicholaw Some Like It Hot

FAVORITE DIRECTION OF MUSICAL

Jeff & Mike:

Jeremy Herrin Almost Famous

Conor McPherson Girl From the North Country

Jessica Stone Kimberly Akimbo

COMING FRIDAY: Our Favorite Broadway Productions of 2022