18 - Revisiting classic musicals: revivals, films, television and recordings

Summary

Broadway musicals can continue to live long after their initial productions close. They can tour, play at local community theatres, become staples of high school repertoire, and even open abroad (as discussed in chapter 15). Years later they sometimes return to Broadway, occasionally finding even greater success than when they first appeared. They can become films or television specials, and in these incarnations play to exponentially larger audiences than is possible in live performance. And thanks to recordings, these shows can be accessed wherever and whenever the necessary technology is available.

Revivals

Most successful Broadway revivals are ones that do something to the original material that is powerful, unexpected, or so deft that audiences are interested in returning to it. These shows are sometimes beloved classics filled with popular tunes and presented with a fresh interpretation and a strong cast. They can also be underappreciated, complex scores that deserve a second chance to find an audience. Yet the longest-running revival in Broadway history is a series of silly skits that generated no hit songs or complicated messages. Oh! Calcutta! holds a record that few revivals are ever likely to surpass: it ran for 5,959 performances between 1976 and 1989. A comedy revue featuring sketches by many writers, songs by multiple composers, and an often-nude cast, the show continued to draw audiences thanks to its novelty and air of ridiculous fun. But past this novelty of a revival, most producers, directors and performers have the same impulses when it comes to remounting a Broadway show: they wish to explore its inherent artistic possibilities and find new audiences.