In a recent article by the New York Times, Trevor Nunn, director of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Aspects of Love" at the Menier Chocolate Factory, spoke about making shows work despite small budgets and scaled-down productions.
Recently, Nunn had to ask the Chocolate Factory's artistic direct,
David Babani, for some extra shopping money in order to purchase a $130 dress for "Aspects of Love."
"I wasn't told how much the dress cost, and David was probably having conniptions somewhere over it," Mr. Nunn said later. "I've never had to swallow hard before to ask for a dress, but budget cutoffs are well worth working at the Chocolate Factory."
The Chocolate Factory, in the Southwark section of London, is "the rare commercial theater operation that pumps out critically acclaimed hit shows on shoestring budgets, including this year's Tony Award winner for best musical revival, ‘La Cage Aux Folles,'" writes the New York Times. Babani now envisions a branch of the Chocolate Factory in New York someday.
Founded in 2004, the theater has already earned 24 Tony nominations for three of its revivals: "Sunday in the Park With George" (2008), "A Little Night Music," which opened in 2009, and "La Cage." In London, 10 of their 30 shows have moved on to bigger venues including the current "Sweet Charity."
In order to make the Chocolate Factory work with their annual budget of £2 million ($3 million), they employ simple sets and basic costumes and lighting. Actors often play two or more roles. Plays cost about £80,000 ($120,000), and musicals between £300,000 and £500,000 (about $450,000 to $765,000). A typical Broadway musical costs $8 million to mount. All cast members at the Chocolate Factory, even the stars, are paid the same wage of £300 a week, or about $460. Also, the theater's staff includes only Mr. Babani and two other employees, much smaller than American theater companies.
"We start by focusing on the story and making it actor-led, rather than scenery-led or orchestra-led," said Mr. Babani. "And then we survive by getting our work out of this building and into larger theaters where we can start making money."
After Babani hired Mr. Nunn for "A Little Night Music," he asked if there was another musical it would like to "visit on a smaller scale." Nunn chose "Aspects of Love," which also happened to be Babani's favorite Lloyd Webber score. The "Aspects" production was given a budget of £400,000 ($612,000).
Mr. Nunn also directed the origin
Al West End production of "Aspects" in 1989 and the Broadway staging a year later.
"I can't really recall the precise moment when the original ‘Aspects' went from small scale to big scale," Mr. Nunn said. "But I felt the story got swallowed up with those 17 or so musicians and the massive design."
The newer, simplified revival features 8-musician, 12-instrument band, took a lot of time to focus on the lyrics.
Michael Arden, an American actor who plays Alex, said the Chocolate Factory forces actors "to be completely truthful with the material rather than try to emotionally project, because there's no balcony to play to. The people are the driving forces of the shows here, not a crashing chandelier, not a turntable, not characters flying in the air."
"Aspects" opened on July 15 to positive reviews from critics, some even suggesting that the revival could transfer to the West End of Broadway.
While Babani and Nunn would love if "Aspects" eventually made the move, "What I think is more worthy of attention," he said, "is the bravery by our directors and team in rethinking shows in a way that cuts against people's memories and expectations. ‘La Cage' was a grandly produced show before here. So was ‘Night Music.' So was ‘Aspects.' What I like to think we give people, instead of all that grandeur, are great stories."
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Photo Credit: BWW Staff
