I literally don’t understand what broadway and Disney aren’t understanding when we say we DON’T WANT REMAKES. Like yes, the Disney ones are still making money but the train is very evidently slowing down. Everyone I’m talking to says they don’t want to see a remake anymore, and won’t bother seeing them because they’re tired and blatant cash grabs. They’re getting poor reviews too.
Anything with Disney’s name on it will make $$$. So why not just...make a new movie? It’s not like Moana or Zootopia were flops in any sense. Pixar is stopping the sequel train and people are EXCITED. People are GOING TO SEE IT. People are THANKING Pixar. LISTENING TO WHAT PEOPLE WANT REAPS BENEFITS.
But let’s talk Broadway. ____: The Musical has been happening for roughly a decade, but the last 2-3 years have been waaaay over saturated with them. Most of them get poor reviews. Almost all of them get snubbed at the Tonys (rightfully so or not is for you to decide). Broadway is a business, and they think they can rely on an easy, familiar property and make money off of it. But the thing is, they can’t.
Broadway consumers want originality. They want art. They want diversity. Yes, there are plenty of young fans, and the audience is evolving, but the reality is a lot of older people go to Broadway shows and they want something new and artistic, something that makes you think. And ____: The Musical never does that.
You could argue that these shows draw in younger crowds. It’s a good thing, right? Bringing young people to Broadway? Original shows already do that. The Hadestown/DEH/BMC/Great Comet fandoms speak for themselves. (Just a note: this epidemic is not about adaptations in general (books plays, mythology, etc.). Those have been around literally since the birth of theatre. I know GC and BMC were based off books. But they weren’t adapted to flash the name of its source like ____: The Musical does, to only bank on recognition. To be a two hour wink the audience with references like those shows do. I even give a pass to Waitress because most people don’t even know it’s a movie and mainly associate it with the show)
But what’s important to the machines at Broadway is money, right? Well, let’s take a look at that.
Shows that opened in the last few years that are still running without a set closing date:
-Dear Evan Hansen, an original musical with no real basis at all (super rare, even in the grand scheme of theatre).
-Hamilton, an original musical known for being a musical that took the world by storm.
-Come From Away, a true story, an original musical.
-Hadestown, with a myth for a source material but takes it to a completely new realm.
Shows that are closing or already closed?
-Pretty Woman: The Musical
-School of Rock: The Musical
And every show that’s older and still running? Book of Mormon, Phantom, Chicago. You guessed it- all original (look back at the note, all you pHANTom wAS A boOK people)
Yes, Mean Girls is successful and BMC and The Prom are closing, among others in either party. But there is a PATTERN. People want the magic of theatre. They don’t want soulless cash grabs. Don’t get me wrong, some of these shows can and do have artistic merit and can be fun to watch. But nothing beats theatre that transforms you, that moves you, taking something never-before-seen and bringing it to life. That’s what people buy tickets for- on stage, and in movie theaters.
So I implore you, big wigs and suits everywhere: listen to your audience. It’s our money you want, you have to give us what we want.
amandla
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izzy806
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