The resurgence of musical theatre is a shocking one, an astounding example of rebranding on a massive scale. For so long, the entertainment industry’s list of universally known individuals was entirely limited to a shortlist of film and television actors and actresses, leaving Broadway actors and creators like Lin Manuel Miranda in relative anonymity to all those, not in the live theatre space. He would never have been considered an addition to the list, much less the household name as he is today.
This disconnect between the average person and musical theatre came in large part from inaccessibility; productions such as The Phantom of the Opera have been performed for decades on the Broadway stage, with price tags in the triple digits, available to only the elite few. Broadway as a concept was interlaced with ideas of prestige and pretension, with a highly negative connotation.
However, with rising accessibility to these performances, in the form of digital access and videos on YouTube and other streaming platforms, a wider audience than ever before are being exposed to these musical experiences.
My love for musical theatre began with Hamilton in the 9th grade – an ingenious presentation of American history, pieces of the United States’ past filling each line of dialogue. Not a word of the musical was spoken, every line presented through song, creating a soundtrack that was practically a recording of the play itself. The album, available on most music streaming platforms, was like a playlist of music created by my favourite artists, all telling the same story from countless different perspectives. It was marvellous.
Since then, I have expanded to so many other musicals; admiring the dramatization of high school life in “Heathers” and “Dear Evan Hanson,” and laughing with the remake of the classic film “Mean Girls” on stage, I have watched Broadway loosen its figurative tie over the past few years. With the creation of relatable and humorous material, that the layman can connect with, Broadway has begun to distance itself from the stuffy, pretentious ideas that The Phantom of the Opera left behind.
Shakespeare and Sophocles have left the stage for the classroom, effectively making way for Regina George and members of a new generation to lead on stage. Musical theatre is back and bigger than ever, specially curated for its new audience. With easier, more affordable access to the layman and material created with the viewer in mind, musical theatre has already begun to win back the audiences it lost.
Make way, Hollywood, Broadway is back.
