Journey to the Past: Broadway Productions I'd Loved to Have Seen

A meme or photo (not sure the difference tbh) posted on this site made a joke about time traveling to see closed Broadway shows, which made me think about shows I'd see if time travel was possible. To keep this piece under 10,000 words, I limited myself to five shows. I further narrowed it to shows that are no longer running (i.e., not going back to the opening night of Hamilton) AND limiting the list to shows I never saw if they originally ran during my lifetime. Here are my time travel shows in no particular order.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonFebruary 15, 2019Liz Chirico

How Political Should Theatre Be?

I recently went to see a broadcast of David Hare’s new play, ‘I’m Not Running.’ A political comedy that is excellently staged, one exchange stood out to me. “I’m not political” claims Pauline when she first meets Sandy as his doctor, “why not?” is Sandy’s response.

This question is important because we should all be political, whether we want to be actively involved or not we should all be focused on politics as it affects every part of our lives. If you are lucky enough not to be political, it shows how you feel so secure and protected in your existence and have never had to worry about how someone’s opinions will affect your daily life. How far into politics and political agendas should theatre delve? Should theatre stay away from specific political events such as Brexit, and controversial political figures such as Donald Trump?

RENT Live Roundup : The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

“Rent: Live,” which aired January 27th on Fox, is the third time Jonathan Larson’s landmark pop-opera has been filmed. There’s the 2005 film adaptation (which recently got the Movie Musical Shakedown treatment) and the closing Broadway cast, which was filmed in 2008. The live broadcast stayed true to the roots of “Rent,” while tweaking elements to make it feel fresh and contemporary. Some changes worked, some were expected (you apparently can’t say dildos on primetime TV) and some were downright baffling. To pick apart the good, bad and ugly moments of the broadcast, we enlisted two of our critics Noah Golden, Brittany Strelluf and Erin Karll.

While Noah and Brittany are not super-fans of the show going in, Erin said she’s been a “Renthead for over a decade.” They all agreed that the three “enjoyed this production very much.” As Brittany put it: “‘Rent’ is about finding the joy in a world full of bad, light in a world of darkness, and love in a time of hatred. We need that message now, as much as we needed it when it was written, as much as we will need it in the future.”

Broadway, TVChristopher PetersonJanuary 28, 2019Noah Golden, Brittany Strelluf, RENT

My Five Favorite Show Tunes I Use as Lullabies

Since I last posted my life has turned upside down. In the best way- my daughter arrived 8 weeks ago. Now that I'm starting to understand this new normal I can finally write again. One of my previous articles discussed the songs and musical soundtracks I made baby girl listen to in utero. This first article back highlights my Broadway baby's lullabies!

BroadwayChristopher PetersonJanuary 18, 2019Liz Chirico

Please Appreciate Classic Theatre

Classical theatre, whether a musical or straight play, comedy or drama, is one of the most vital parts to today’s more contemporary theatre. Right now, many people gravitate more towards new things that are playing on and off Broadway because it’s new and exciting and something people probably haven’t seen yet, and I think that’s great. In fact, I think many of the productions on Broadway right now are completely brilliant and fun. Personally, I even have a list of the ones I want to see. I think it’s important to appreciate newer theatre and try to find something you can relate to within it because this is the direction theatre is now going in and there is nothing wrong with it.

However, it’s important not to let the new stuff overpower everything that came before it because without it, we wouldn’t have what we have now.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonJanuary 17, 2019Cristina D'Almeida

$carcity in the Arts

For a medium built on community, collaboration, and connection, I fear I am experiencing and witnessing a lot of scarcity minded behavior in the theatre. As I travel and direct around the country I am seeing more and more artists, myself included, being asked to work for less and less compensation. Worse so than that what often people report to me or I hear from potential employers is that as much as they would like to hire someone, they just don’t have the resources. “We accept volunteers!”

Community Theatre, Broadway, High School Theatre, CollegeChristopher PetersonJanuary 12, 2019Shea King

Dear Tony Voters, Please Don't Forget Bonnie Milligan

As with most shows that close early on, months before the award season starts, they are typically forgotten by award voters. I certainly hope that isn’t the case for Head Over Heels.

While I don’t expect it to break into the Top 4 for a Best Musical nod, I do think it will get some love in the design categories. But most of all, I’m hoping Tony voters don’t forget about Bonnie Milligan’s incredible performance as Princess Pamela. Because it was one of the best performances I’ve seen in recent years.

Broadway, Tony AwardsChristopher PetersonJanuary 8, 2019Chris Peterson

Is Frozen's "Monster" Too Dark for Kids?

The title of the song, Monster, is the word that Elsa uses to describe herself over and over again. In the first chorus, she sings, “Is the thing they see, the thing I have to be? A monster, were they right? Has the dark in me finally come to light? Am I a monster, full of rage? Nowhere to go but on a rampage. Or am I just a monster in a cage?” It is a song that resonates with a lot of people. Everyone, at some point in their life, can relate to Elsa’s questions of “am I a burden to people?” or “How badly am I hurting this person?” Everyone has moments where they don’t know who they are. But is this song a good song for a musical whose main demographic is young children?

Broadway, ObservationsChristopher PetersonJanuary 6, 2019Selah Poore

Political Literacy in the Theatre

So frequently in my rehearsal rooms, or in my classrooms, I hear theatre artists decry politics. There seems to be an idea that one must learn their craft in a hermetically sealed bubble, lest the influences of the banal and mundane workings of the outside world impose themselves upon the art. In the theatre, though, nothing could be farther from the truth.

The fact is that ALL theatre is political. The Public Theatre’s Oskar Eustis has said that it can be no coincidence that theatre and democracy were invented in at the same time. He says “I think that theater is the democratic art—it's no mistake that they were invented in the same city in the same decade. It's the proper place to exercise democratic virtue, for the contesting of different points of view, identifying with other people, what citizens need”.

My 10 Favorite Broadway Shows of 2018

I think 2018 will go down as a “mixed bag” type of year for Broadway. We saw some extreme lows and not very many highs. We saw panic in the streets of the old guard who were worried that 42nd St was becoming to commercial. At the same time, we saw shows that attracted new audiences to their theatres and others that told stories that deserved much needed attention.

So rather than try to rank what I feel were the “best” shows of 2018, I want to tell you what were my favorites. These were shows that might not have been critic/award darlings, yet made me laugh, cry, ponder and inspired. These are in no particular order and I’m breaking into plays and musicals. Furthermore, these are shows that opened in 2018.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonDecember 29, 2018Chris Peterson

Bring Back the Beloved Broadway Holiday Musical

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro’ Broadway, not a holiday musical was playing, save Ruben & Clay. The tickets were bought at box offices galore, in hopes that audiences would soon beg for more. At least, this has been the case in more recent seasons concerning Broadway musicals focused on the holidays. Think about the catalog of Christmas shows alone that have graced Broadway stages in seasons past: A Christmas Story, Holiday Inn, Elf, How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Now don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against American Idol magnates Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken coming together peacefully over the 2018 holiday season for a little AI reunion, but where are the tried and true Christmas Broadway musicals that we have held so dear in past seasons? The choice to bring back such musicals (all of which were also hit box office smashes in their own right) seems to be almost a no-brainer. So why the lack this year? In fairness, there are possibly two exceptions, neither of which is technically in a Broadway house however: Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas (starring Tony Award-nominee Gavin Lee in the title role) at the HULU

Broadway, ObservationsChristopher PetersonDecember 21, 2018William Stratham

10 Reasons Why Film Adaptations of Musicals Tend to Fail

Movie musicals: They have been around for nearly as long as sound has been a part of film. Naturally, many of the most notable of them have been adapted from Broadway musicals, and a good portion of them tend to be commercially successful. However, those of us who are used to seeing the real thing – and even some who aren’t – tend to be disappointed once we see these musicals come to the silver screen.

Why is this?

BroadwayChristopher PetersonDecember 18, 2018Anthony Piccione

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