Stop trying to get rid of pit orchestras!
This post is very late, but I wanted to make a post about the disappearance and shrinking of pit orchestras, specifically in musical theatre.
The Disappearance of pits:
About 2 months ago, a musical opening on Broadway called Here Lies Love announced there would be no live pit orchestra. Instead, it would all be pre-recorded tracks. While the producers said it was "ArTiStIc ReAsOns" (The show is supposed to feel like a dance club), it was clearly done as a way to save money. There are ways you can creatively incorporate live musicians into a show. Plus, a pit orchestra doesn't always mean classical orchestra. A pit can be made up of drummers, keyboards, guitarists, etc.
Luckily, The Broadway Musicians union was able to get the show to hire 12 musicians (Even though there is a 19 musician minimum in the theatre the show is in). However, this situation has set a bad example, and other producers may try to repeat this whole situation.
Phantom of the Opera notably has a rather large pit. On Broadway, the show has 27 pit members (Fun Fact: 11 of them were in the show for the whole 35 years!!). This year, I had the privilege of being in a pit for a local production of the show (Yes, it was a legal production). The production I was in had about 36 people in the pit. However, the west end production of Phantom only has 14 musicians in the pit since it reopened. Compare this to the fact the west end version had a pit of 29 before Covid.
Now, it is understandable that they may have wanted to shorten the pit due to Covid-19. However, the show has shown no signs of bringing back the 15 musicians. What once was a safety precaution is now clearly being done to save money. Not only has the pit been shrunk, but the production itself uses set pieces that are cheaper to operate (For example, They got rid of the iconic angel at the end of Act 1). Phantom has very rich music, and as someone who has played it before, there are many small details that just add to the experience, and a full pit just makes it feel grander.
Your favorite musicals would not exist if there were no pit orchestras. The synthesizers producers have been putting in in place of pits do not give the same effect as a live pit. Audiences deserve to get the full experience of the music. Actors should get to perform with real people! Not recordings! And Instrumental Musicians should be able to get jobs.
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