Broadway Champs Before and After "A Chorus Line"
The Broadway Maven (David Benkof) interprets Broadway
There is only ONE more FREE inaugural issue of The Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast, which after March 1 will be free only once a month. Inaugural subscribers by the March 8 debut of the weekly paid Blast will get 25 percent off FOREVER (that’s $27 instead of $36.) Press here:
Shalom!
This week, The Broadway Maven Looks at The Wizard of Oz, Schoolhouse Rock, and A Chorus Line:
• Tuesday’s class (open to ALL-ACCESS Passholders only) examines The Wizard of Oz and its offspring like The Wiz and Wicked.
• Thursday’s class will look back at Schoolhouse Rock and Lynn Ahrens, the Jewish creator behind many of the songs in that kids’ learning Saturday morning program.
• New Monday classes resume the week of March 1 with A Chorus Line. Of Monday’s 1,000 free tickets, all have been distributed. Students can still access the class by buying a $2 pass for five Thursday versions of the Monday classes (same content); or by purchasing an ALL-ACCESS Pass ($49 through Tuesday, then $59).
• This Weekly Blast looks at the series of longest-running Broadway shows; RAVES about a pocket-sized history of Broadway; RANTS about audience etiquette at West End shows; and links to a YouTube GEM about the impact of our next new show (A Chorus Line) on Broadway as an industry and an art form.
For 15 years, A Chorus Line (which The Broadway Maven is studying this week) held the record for longest-running show on Broadway. Today, that prize goes to The Phantom of the Opera. For another show to exceed that run, Phantom would have to close immediately and the other show would have to run will into the 2040s.
Here is A Chorus Line in the context of the other trophy-holders for longest-running musical:
Oklahoma! (closed in 1948 at 2,212 performances)
My Fair Lady (closed in 1962 at 2,717 performances)
Hello, Dolly! (closed in 1970 at 2,844 performances)
Fiddler on the Roof (closed in 1972 at 3,242 performances)
Grease (closed in 1980 at 3,388 performances)
A Chorus Line (closed in 1990 at 6,137 performances)
Cats (closed in 2000 at 7,485 performances)
The Phantom of the Opera (still running, with a COVID pause, at 13,370 performances)
How many of those eight shows have you seen? (I have yet to see Hello, Dolly! live.)
bitly.com/BenkofCartoons
bitly.com/BenkofAChorusLine
Tuesday’s Wizard of Oz class is available to All-Access Passholders only. Sign up for Thursday’s Schoolhouse Rock class here and the March 4 A Chorus Line class here.
Your homework for the A Chorus Line class is to watch the video below about the best High School Musicals. The last 10 minutes include a high school student’s portrayal of closeted gay teen dancer Paul. What is it about the scene - writing, directing, staging, acting - that makes the scene so effective? Put your answers in the comments below the video.
One of my favorite histories of Broadway is this unassuming, colorful, pocket-sized 175-page book that is nonetheless filled with a clear and comprehensive history of musical theater. Its content is far more exciting than its title: Musicals: An illustrated Historical Overview.
For example, a five-page mini-essay on Sondheim (“Penny Dreadfuls and Fairy Tales”) explores shows like Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods in the context of Sondheim’s overall body of work, and the art form itself.
Starting with 18th century operetta and ending with “Musicals for the World Market,” it’s a great first survey of Broadway history for novices; and veterans will enjoy it, too.
British audiences are very picky about standing ovations and even applause. Now, there certainly has been enough “grade inflation” on Broadway that a “Standing O” doesn’t mean what it once did.
Nor do I demand special celebrity adulation. In fact, in the production of Big Fish I saw in London, the first image had Kelsey Grammer standing alone on stage. Had that been anywhere in North America, the show would have started with a burst of applause. Hearing the British audience sit quietly was refreshing.
But at the end? Polite applause at best – for a great show! Actors and musicians work hard and deserve enthusiastic praise when they do good work. In England audience engagement is even more important because a distinct minority of theatergoers even get a program; unlike on Broadway, their version of a Playbill is not advertiser-driven, but for sale.
As a longtime Broadway devotee proud of America’s theater traditions, I understand there are cultural differences. Still, I’d like a chance to show my admiration with more gusto.
In preparation for our March 1st and March 4th class on A Chorus Line, enjoy this 4-minute video about the influence of that show on Broadway as a whole.
Want to simplify things and gain access to great extra content? A $59 First Semester 2021 All-Access Pass gets you admission to all classes free or paid, including those that are full, plus the Weekly Blast and admission to exclusive bonus monthly classes. Tentatively planned all-new bonus classes include The Wizard of Oz, Sondheim’s Early Lyrics, and Fiddler on the Roof. Passes only on sale through March 31. Register: bitly.com/BenkofFirst
Special Offer: If you buy your ALL-ACCESS pass before Tuesday’s Wizard of Oz class, you can take $10 off.
NOTE: As of this week, all course information is available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.
One-minute video introduction to the course (please share widely!)
David Benkof’s YouTube channel
Next Eight Classes:
I urge students who want FREE tickets to the five-part March Seminar to sign up NOW. Already, there are no March 1 tickets left for A Chorus Line, and there are 250 or fewer FREE tickets for each of the other four classes. Once they are gone, students will have to sign up for Thursday’s Greatest Hits class ($2 for all five classes) or an ALL-ACCESS Pass ($59), which gives automatic admission to everything through June.
Tuesday, February 23 The Wizard of Oz (Noon ET, ALL-ACCESS Passholders ONLY)
Thursday, February 25 Schoolhouse Rock (Noon ET)
Monday, March 1 A Chorus Line (Noon and 8 pm ET)
Thursday, March 4 Simon & Garfunkel 101 (Noon ET Greatest Hits)
Thursday, March 4 A Chorus Line (8 pm ET Greatest Hits)
Monday, March 8 Mary Poppins (with special guests) (Noon ET)
Thursday, March 11 Mary Poppins (8 pm ET Greatest Hits)
Monday, March 15 Contemporary Jewish Broadway (Noon and 8 pm ET)
Thursday, March 18 Contemporary Jewish Broadway (8 pm ET Greatest Hits)
Monday, March 22 Avenue Q (Noon and 8 pm ET)
Wednesday, March 24 Rodgers and Hammerstein 101 (8 pm ET Greatest Hits)
Thursday, March 25 Avenue Q (8 pm ET Greatest Hits)