Broadway has turned into something commercialised and all about money, rather than stages for stories to be shared. people only care about how much money shows make, but people never give new shows a try so amazing new shows that tell important stories and production and soundtrack and actors close. if there's not a big tv (specifically tv, people don't care about actual BROADWAY legends anymore) name for the media or it's not a revival people don't care. new musicals that tell historical stories that shouldn't be forgotten close after a few months, no matter how amazing the story or score or set or actors are. Broadway isn't about the heart anymore, it's about money and big names. it's barely even for theatre people.
Lempicka is closing and i am devastated for so many reasons. Harmony already closed earlier this year.
Tamara de Lempicka was a famous painter. she was married to a rich man, and originally painted their daughter or landscapes and things like that, but she eventually painted Rafaela -- her girlfriend. she painted her mainly naked and they loved each other. she was a bisexual painter, and more than that a brilliant painter, and she is being forgotten. she was part Jewish, too. she fled to Paris with her husband, which is where she met Rafaela.
there's a musical about her. it's closing on May 19th. it opened officially on Broadway on April 14th. both this year.
The Comedian Harmonists were a band. they were an internationally popular German band between 1928 and 1934. 3 of the 6 of them were Jewish. Nazi Germany started in 1933. you can probably piece together what happened, but i'll tell you anyway. they were separated and erased. they were not forgotten, they were erased. Nazis destroyed almost all of their recordings. the Harmonists never saw each other again. their names were Ari Leschnikoff, Harry Frommermann, Robert Biberti, Roman Cycowski, Erwin "Chopin" Bootz and Erich A. Collin.
there was a musical about them. it closed on February 4th, and opened officially on Broadway on November 13th (2023).
do not let Tamara or the Harmonists go forgotten. listen to Lempicka and Harmony. research the people. find bootlegs of the musicals if you can. learn about them. teach about them. please, don't let people forget about them.
this isn't about the musicals closing, these are about important people being forgotten and erased from history. please, don't let this happen.
