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Soundcheck / March 03, 2008 / Breaking the Broadway Mould

Breaking the Broadway Mould

Monday, March 03, 2008

For years, Broadway producers have been chasing a younger, more diverse audience than the relatively homogeneous crowd that usually fills the orchestra seats. Two new shows take a stab at it: "In the Heights" uses hip-hop and salsa to animate its family-friendly tale about the residents of a Latino neighborhood; "Passing Strange" is the tale of a Los Angeles-based alt-rocker named Stew. Joining us are Jeremy McCarter, theater critic of New York magazine; and Richard Zoglin, senior editor and theater critic of Time magazine.


Comments

  • [1] al oof March 03, 2008 - 02:12PM

    this is ridiculous. those musicals -are- cheesy and are about as far from 'hard rocking' as anything can get without completely not being rock. and they are far cheesier than shows like hair or even little shop of horrors.

    man, there's just something so icky about those shows. and i love musicals. i also love actual rock music. therefore, i hate this crap.
  • [2] birder from brooklyn March 03, 2008 - 02:13PM

    seriously guys... you have to stop calling this things "hard rock". it's indie or emo at best. as soon as somebody makes a musical using AC/DC you can call it hard rock.
  • [3] Sarah March 03, 2008 - 02:15PM

    Passing Strange is really great and actually really good rock music. Not at all like Rent or Spring Awakening, fake rock music.

    Go see it!
  • [4] Chad Harris from Ridgewood March 03, 2008 - 02:18PM

    Uh, these are cheesey!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • [5] Galen H. Brown March 03, 2008 - 02:21PM

    If that song "Keys" qualifies as "less cheezy" then I've been wise to stay away from Broadway. . . Good musicals are wonderful, but so much of this stuff seems like it was written by the marketing department rather than by actual composers and songwriters.
  • [6] Sarah March 03, 2008 - 02:23PM

    Well "Keys" was my least favorite song in the whole show. I'm disappointed that that's the song the show is using as publicity.
  • [7] EH March 03, 2008 - 02:29PM

    I hope this trend develops in shows. Have you heard of the Blue Flower (at the Prospect Theater)? It had an eclectic mix styles ranging from rock, Kurt Weill to Hank Williams. Compelling existential story of WW I artists done in a dada style.

    Thanks


  • [8] Jud from NYC March 03, 2008 - 02:36PM

    The concept of "rock musical" is much cheesier than a traditional musical or a Sondheim show. They seem more about marketing to "youth culture" then continuing to explore an American art form. I know I'm more excited to see "South Pacific" than "In the Heights."
  • [9] gene from manhattan March 03, 2008 - 02:37PM

    i wouldn't call it "rock," but i would say that "in the heights" does a great job of bringing the uptown, latino neighborhood -- and it's music -- to the musical stage.

    i was fortunate enough to hear lin manuel miranda play a few of the songs from "in the heights" when it was still in development for it's off-broadway run. i was struck both by the melodies and the way his lyrics paint a detailed picture of the flavor of life "uptown."

    i find the musical form generally flat of late, filled with predictable parts of a whole i've seen already once too often. "in the heights" actually engaged me. that, alone, is a treat.

This thread is closed.


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