“No One Person is Bigger Than The Whole, It Takes a Village” – And Other Words of Wisdom From This Year’s Tony Nominees

The 2019 Broadway season has been filled with theatre that speaks directly to the culturally relevant shifts shaping our world. From diversity and inclusion to feminism and politics, this season’s shows have tackled some tough subjects telling the stories that need to be told. I had the pleasure of speaking with a few of the Tony award nominees on June 3rd at the 2019 Honors for Excellence in the Theater and 2019 Special Awards recipients about the power of theatre to affect change, both personally and culturally.

Broadway, Tony AwardsChristopher PetersonJune 5, 2019Andrea Koehler

Knowing Ned Vizzini's Story Changed the Way I Watched "Be More Chill"

May is #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, and Broadway is no stranger to mental health issues. Anxiety and depression have been tackled head on in recent hits like Dear Evan Hansen, and Be More Chill. These shows have brought the issues out of the shadows and into the spotlight by weaving relatable stories of characters who suffer into heartbreaking raw and honest songs.

Broadway, ObservationsChristopher PetersonMay 25, 2019Kristen Pizzo, Be More Chill

Making Golden Age Shows for a Modern Audience

When the average person thinks about musicals, they often think about musicals from the golden age, like Guys and Dolls, Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, or South Pacific to name a few. These musicals have maintained their popularity among musical theatre lovers and occasional theatre goers alike: they’re nostalgic, safe, and predictable. However, in today’s world, safe and predictable can also be exclusive and out of touch.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonMay 23, 2019Nikki Scamuffo

Is ‘Sexy Sandy’ a Problem Today? – My Opinions on the Ending of Grease

Young people today are bombarded by images of what they ‘should’ look like, due to social media exposure. The ‘perfect’ body is just a societal construct and this unhealthy ideal needs to be eradicated. Young people should be encouraged to accept themselves no matter their shape and size, and to be confident in themselves as people. No one likes horrible people, even if they are a size petite. The popular movie musical Grease is still hugely popular today, and while the songs are undeniably catchy, I don’t think the message portrayed by Sandy’s drastic change at the end of the movie is entirely the right one to be sending out to today’s impressionable teens and young adults.

Observations, BroadwayChristopher PetersonMay 20, 2019Abbie Harris, Grease

Is Broadway Ready for Heavy Metal?

It’s true that musical theatre has never been afraid of trying new things, and this seems to be especially true today. Whether it’s the diverse hip-hop influences in Hamilton, or the electro-pop opera that was Great Comet, or the musical melting pot of Hadestown, new musical landscapes are constantly being explored. That said, there remains one genre largely untouched by Broadway: heavy metal.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonMay 18, 2019Chance Morgan

What To Listen to Next If You’re Obsessed with "Be More Chill"

Be More Chill has everything you could want in a musical- teen angst, a party scene (everyone loves a good party scene), catchy songs, and lovable characters. But at some point, everyone around you is going to get tired of you playing it every time they give you the aux cord. So- here’s a list of musicals you’ll fall in love with if you like Be More Chill.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonMay 17, 2019Meghan Settle

The Brilliance and Importance of "Hadestown"

This past weekend, I had the immense pleasure of visiting the Walter Kerr Theatre with a high school theatre company to see “Hadestown.” Going in, I had seen bits of the promo video, I had heard a few of the songs, and I knew the premise of the plot- Orpheus, and Eurydice set in a bluesy coal mining town kind of style. I knew, basically, what the production looked like, and I knew what it sounded like.

What I did not know, is what it would feel like.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonMay 17, 2019Rose Riley, Hadestown

The Dave Malloy Effect

Playwright, Musician, Actor.

Dave Malloy’s effect on the musical theatre scene has already rooted itself in a place of absurdity and incredible thought. Through his ability to tell a story in both text and score, the audience can see a compliment and counter of the characters' emotions on stage. The subtext is brilliantly woven into the smallest of decisions, and each character seems to have reflective timbre, tone, and even instrumentation that supports what each person truly needs. Each one of his works finds a new way to enthrall the entire theatre, and call attention to the smallest of storylines, secrets, and tales.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonMay 14, 2019Austin Russell, Dave Malloy

Fans with ‘No Chill’ Save Be More Chill: The Power of Fan Empowerment

In a world seeking connection, fans of Broadway seem to be able to find it even when they will never be able to be in the room where the magic happens. It is fascinating in a time when media’s success is measured by how many people it can reach, that the Broadway industry still thrives even as it’s isolated from so many of its fans, geographically speaking. A pinnacle example of this is the hit almost-Broadway show Be More Chill, whose unexpected success lies solely on the backs of the fans that revived it after a swift death off-off-Broadway.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonMay 14, 2019Be More Chill, Eli Azizollahoff

Thank You to One of the Best Elphaba's We've Seen

Today, Jessica Vosk will take her final bow as Elphaba in Broadway’s Wicked. Ending one of the great runs this character has seen since its opening in 2003.

BroadwayChristopher PetersonMay 12, 2019Chris Peterson

We’re Not So Different: Sports and the Arts

I want you to imagine something. Imagine huge crowds of people filing into a special venue to witness a display by professionals working at the highest tiers of their field. The tickets were expensive, the seats aren’t quite comfortable, the drink prices are outrageous. Specialized, high-powered lights illuminate the playing area and loud music fills the air. The professionals emerge, dressed in specialized clothing and equipment, and begin their hours-long display. The action is intense, sometimes exciting, sometimes heartbreaking, and about halfway through, there is a break for everyone to recover and chat. When it’s all over, the crowd will cheer for a job well done and grumble if their expectations weren’t met, but they’ll probably go to a similar event in the future. Those same fans will gather around their televisions once a year in a celebration of the best of the best, usually with friends, food and drinks at the ready.

Now, here’s my question: did you picture a Broadway show, or a sporting event?

'Dear Evan Hansen' and 'next to normal' are Basically the Same Show, But in the Best Way

A good story has an introduction, a buildup of tension, an unforeseen climax, and a resolution. An impactful story includes a lesson to be learned so that the audience can take away more than just a satisfied hunger for some laughs and jaunty tunes. The fantastic stories—Tony-worthy shows—speak to the audience, so they not only walk away with a nice break from stress and responsibilities but are indoctrinated with a fresh perspective on life.

If Dear Evan Hansen were written in the Murphys’ perspective, it would be next to normal. Having directed both musicals on Broadway, that feeling may have crossed Michael Greif’s mind countless times during his current position at the DEH stage. Both shows tackle the issues of mental illness and how it affects the environment surrounding the person suffering. If you take out the music and instruments for a moment and analyze what you’ve got left, they are words you hear every day; words which deal with severe depression, anxiety, manic bipolar, post-traumatic stress, and even schizophrenia.

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