This is an interesting perspective on the fickle nature of writing new Musicals, penned by Mark Shenton in his blog in The Stage newspaper.
Overall, I agree with his summation of the realities of this business; his demographic analysis of Broadway audiences being particularly interesting. Oscar Hammerstein II’s oft misquoted syllogism, ‘The number of people who will not go to a show they do not want to see is unlimited” being a pertinent reminder of how difficult it is for new work to survive in today’s market.
Notwithstanding, Shenton’s analysis of the virtue; or lack thereof in his estimation, in respect to the legacy of Ivor Novello’s contribution to British theatre – and in particular, the Musical Play format that underpins most of his shows dating from The Dancing Years to Gay’s the Word – is not as informed as I would expect for this writer.
Anyway, click on the link above. It’s an interesting and insightful article from an unusual perspective.
Take care,
Kevin
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