A Historical Analysis of the Megamusical Boom of the 1990'S
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Yauk 1 A Historical Analysis of the Megamusical Boom of the 1990’s Musical theatre is an immensely popular performing arts form. Stemming from Operettas of the early 20th- century, the American musical has gained momentum as a masterpiece of performing art. Combining music, dialogue, and dance into one titanic exposition, musicals have grown into prodigious pieces of spectacle. Commercialization of the art form has led to an escalation in public interest for many musical theatre works, and the emergence of the megamusical. Rising to prominence in the 1980’s in New York and London, megamusicals have made a global impact as ‘cultural events, marketed with unprecedented force’1. The term megamusical makes reference to a large commercial musicals’ massive, spectacle- driven stylings. Defining characteristics of a megamusical include large sets, plots, casts, music, and marketing2, often making them the most consumable, commercially- driven operations in the realm of musical theatre. In the 1980’s, a boom in the number of megamusical productions took place, with the most famous shows blowing through the city of Toronto in the 1990’s. I chose to investigate how the megamusical boom impacted Toronto’s musical theatre scene, and what marks it left on the city. Toronto, already being Canada’s centre for all forms of English- Canadian theatre3, has played host to a number of different Canadian, British, and American musical theatre works; most notably Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, and Schoberg and Boubil’s Les Miserables and Miss Saigon. According to Atkey, the city has laid claim to being third in the world, having sold over 7 million tickets annually in past years4. Outfitted with over 5 large-scale theatre houses, a number of repertory companies, and a diverse pool of performance talent from which to draw, the city of Toronto has become a thriving place for commercial musical theatre productions. In tracing the history of megamusical productions in the city Toronto, I discovered the immense impact that the megamusical carried with it, and how it left Toronto in a vibrant social, cultural, and economic state. 1 Sternfeld, Jessica. The megamusical. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006. Pg. 3 2 Ibid. 3 Atkey, Mel. Broadway north: the dream of a Canadian musical theatre. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 2008. Pg. 23 4 Sternfeld, J. Pg. 3 Yauk 2 Cats: Commencing of the ‘Megamusical Boom’ The first commercial megamusical production to be brought to Toronto was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats (first staged in 1980). Based on pieces of poetry from T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats (originally published in 1939), the show was developed and marketed as a concept work, rather than a traditional musical. The show explores the whimsical life of various cats, though an exhaustive and impressive amount of song and dance. A unique attribute of the show is its’ use of environmental staging, partly due to the work of set designer John Napier5. The entire show is set in the midst of a Junkyard. It takes place on the night of the Jellicle Ball, where one cat is chosen to ascend towards the Heavyside Layer. No other plot points are given away to viewers. The show ran for a record- breaking 18 years on Broadway at the re-designed Winter Garden Theatre6. Having done well in the U.K., the show entered the US with much momentum, breaking advance ticket- sale records at $6.2 Million before opening 7 (a common trend for megamusicals of the 1980’s and 90’s). Prior to opening, producer Cameron Mackintosh chose to advertise the show without any photos of the actors or staging, but rather with a single pair of cat- like eyes on a black backdrop. This was a bold and innovative marketing move that proved highly successful in luring audiences from 1982 to 1997, helping the production break Broadway records for the longest-running show8. Immediately after opening in New York in 1982, theatre critic Frank Rich theorized that the show would run for a long time on Broadway due to its ability to “transport audience members into a world of pure fantasy”9. The show would enter Toronto with the same momentum as it had on Broadway. In 1981, the Ontario Government purchased the Elgin Theatre in downtown Toronto10. The theatre was built as an opulent vaudeville house in the early 1900’s by architect Thomas Lamb. In 1983, the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture invested over $19 million into a renovation project, 5 Lundskaer-Nielsen, M. Directors and the new musical drama: british and american musical theatre in the 1980s and 90s. Place of publication not identified: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016. Pg. 50 6 Sternfeld, J. Pg. 113 7 Ibid. 8 Grimes, William. 1997. With 6,138 lives, 'cats' sets broadway mark. New York Times (1923-Current file), Jun 19, 1997. https://www.lib.uwo.ca/cgi- bin/ezpauthn.cgi?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/109784230?accountid=15115 (accessed August 24, 2017). 9 Rich, Frank. 1982. Theater: Lloyd webber's 'cats'. New York Times (1923-Current file), Oct 08, 1982. https://www.lib.uwo.ca/cgi-bin/ezpauthn.cgi?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/121933106?accountid=15115 (accessed August 24, 2017). 10 Atkey, Mel. Pg. 202 Yauk 3 hoping to restore the theatre, and enhance Toronto’s attractiveness to tourists as a major theatrical centre, in league with New York and London.11 In the early 1980’s, producers Marlene Smith and Tina Vanderheyden of MTE productions acquired the rights to Webber’s Cats in a breakthrough licensing deal for one of the most iconic megamusicals12. The team was able to secure a lease on the newly restored Elgin theatre, and open on March 14, 198513. The entire cast of this large production was Canadian, meaning that it would be the first time for large group of singers and dancers to contemplate home ownership of a megamusical work14. The production was a dazzling spectacle. It ended up running for two full years and surpassed $10 million in ticket sales in July of 1985, a record for Canadian musical theatre productions. The same creative team that had designed the original London and Broadway versions of the show staged this production, contributing to its perceived “authenticity.” While Cats was only the first of many megamusicals to be brought to the city, it marks the commencement of the Toronto’s own megamusical boom of the 1980’s and 1990’s15. The production ended up closing and touring Canada in 1987, leaving Toronto with a new arsenal of performance talent, a restored and usable theatre space, and a local thirst for musical theatre productions. Les Miserables: Mirvishs’ First Megamusical Sensation! The next megamusical to sweep through Toronto after Webbers’ Cats was Claude Michael Schonberg and Alain Boubil’s Les Miserables. The show originated from a French concept album that Schoberg and Boubil had created in the early 1980’s. It was inspired by Victor Hugo's original novel published in 1862. The heavy, sweeping plot would give this megamusical its’ ‘mega’ qualities. The plot shadows the life of male protagonist Jean Valjean through his pursuit of freedom and liberty amidst the French Revoluion. The stage musical was developed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, England. When it first opened at the Barbican theatre in 1985, the show clocked in at just under three and a half hours in length, far longer than any other 11 Fish, Susan.. Notes on the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre Project. December, 1983. Ministry of Citizenship and Culture of Ontario. Pg. 4 12 MTE Productions. “Cats” is Coming to Toronto. press release. August 8, 1984. 13 Atkey, Mel. Pg. 203 14 Ibid. 15 Ateky, Mel. Pg. 202 Yauk 4 contemporary musical16. It was later shortened to just under two and a half hours, but still stood as one of the longest- running megamusicals ever produced. It was received well by the public in London, and eventually opened at the Broadway theatre in New York in 1987. Critics raved about Schonberg’s score, calling it “A mix of madrigals, rock, Bizet, Weill, and the worlds of ‘harpsichord and synthesizer.’”17 In addition to its’ phenomenal score and sweeping plot, the musical acquired many more of its “mega” qualities from its fierce marketing campaign. Producer Cameron Mackintosh used the same marketing strategy as he had for used Webber’s Cats: oversaturating the market with hype for the show prior to its opening18. The show’s iconic logo of the young orphan Cosset would appear on marquis and billboards in New York and Toronto many months before opening. The show went on the be the third-longest running Broadway show, closing 16 years after opening in 1987. Producers Ed and David Mirvish, having had prior experience producing musicals in the city of Toronto, worked with Cameron Mackintosh to secure the rights to do a Canadian version of Les Miserables at the Royal Alexandra theatre. They were successful in obtaining the rights, and opened house on March 14, 1989. Like the previous megamusical production of Cats, the show’s cast was entirely Canadian. In my interviews with performers and others who were involved in this momentous production, I learned that the show’s smaller theatrical venue contributed to its success. At the time, performers and audience alike described the shows as being very unique. The sets, sounds, lighting, and staging remained exactly the same as the large Broadway production, though the smaller theatre gave the show a much more intimate feel for audience members. The production was received extremely well by critics, who commended performers such as Canadian tenor Michael Burgess, and French- Canadian actress Louise Pitre.