BWW Blog: Why Broadway Needs More Original Ideas

Broadway is an ever-changing face, with new bodies on the stage and in the seats. What guests will pay to see and what producers are willing to take a risk on is fluid, but the thing that will always stay consistent is the professionalism and production value that all shows possess. Recently there has been a heavy trend of certain shows being reimagined or 'big screen' shows and movies being translated to the stage. While it can be exciting to see your favorite films or cult classics preformed on stage, nothing can replace to feeling one gets when walking into a theatre for the first time and seeing a show new to the world of Broadway.

Your Mean Girls and Beetlejuice are fun and can bring a huge amount of revenue for the theatre world, but the risk of producing them is just as high. Producers may look at the popularity these films have and the following, but will that follow during a live performance? Many times, it does, but does it follow a mission statement of education and exposure that Broadway has always for cared so deeply? Some may say yes, education can come in many forms, but for others it may not. Original shows like Hamilton and The Phantom of the Opera will never be compared to the film classics mentioned before, it's like two worlds coming as one- both have strong suits that the other may not possess.

Broadway, as popular and talked about as it can be, is a very niche form of art. When creating something new for the stage, those who are truly committed to theatre, will be ready. However, once you walk out of those theater doors and ask anyone who the first Phantom was, they will most likely laugh in your face. So, to broaden the average person's perspective, having well known films, actors, or musicians come to Broadway is a good way to get them there, but it makes the stage a vulnerable place. Broadway was once the place where rule was set. The world was guided by what was done on the stage. Recently the world has been telling what it should be doing- and frankly, I don't like it. Oscar Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Richard Rogers, today's Stephen Sondheim, these men have created a new world with every show they've written. Due to their creative braveness, unheard voice, unseen bodies, unwritten stories were finally heard. The men and women of the beginning set the standard for what performing arts is known, being accepting and welcoming.

Broadway needs to continue to create original stories and push the envelope farther! There are more stories to be told and bodies that have not seen the stage enough; film and music are not doing enough either, so it is up to the stage to be the one to let them speak. Theatre needs to continue to talk about difficult subjects, make people uncomfortable, and be honest. Broadway has changed the world a hundred times, let's not stop here.