Home » Visual & Performing Arts » Playwrights » A Word On Behalf of Composers

A Word On Behalf of Composers

©

I'm not exactly an old man. I was born in 1977, which makes me just under a quarter of a century old as of this writing. In that time, I feel that - though a few "important" musicals have hit the stage (I think of Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Miss Saigon, A Chorus Line, etc.) - in that relatively long period of time (by theatrical standards), only two or three truly groundbreaking shows have appeared on Broadway.

With rising costs making Broadway more and more of an elitist venue, very few productions appear which truly pave new roads. There is no way for the Larry Harts, Fritz Loewes, and George Gershwins of the future to practice their craft and hone it with their intended audiences. I don't speak - at least not entirely - of the lack of a modern day Max Dreyfus, either. Very few songwriting teams (and librettists are not exempt either) have a "guaranteed" Broadway opening: Webber and his multitude of lyricists, Sondheim, Maltby/Shire perhaps, Stephen Schwartz when he chooses, Boublil/Schonberg, etc.

The one composer who is constantly pushing the envelope, of course, is Stephen Sondheim. But then what? Once he retires - forcibly or voluntarily - from the musical theatre, who is waiting in the wings? With few notable exceptions (Jason Robert Brown springs to mind), few young composers get significant enough New York exposure, without which true masterpieces cannot be written. By this, I mean that if one cannot practice the art and craft of cutting and rewriting, how can one expect to create a My Fair Lady, a Porgy and Bess, a Showboat, an Oklahoma!, or a Company? Certainly, little practice to this end can be achieved by opening in regional theatres and workshops, often without the benefit of a strong, world-wise director.

What, then, to do? Merely succumb to the tons of revivals and half-hearted attempts by relative neophytes and amateurs (in the editorial sense of the word)), who have little concept of craft and/or execution? Hope against all hope that the workshop methods vastly improve? Or - heaven forbid - give young composers (again, I of course mean librettists and lyricists as well) a break?

Most of Sondheim's shows, I am told, lose money (at least initially; they may return their investment years down the road), and yet producers generally see the need to put his shows on. This is, of course, a positive sign, for without a Sondheim to break down the walls, how can young composers build a new house on the old grounds? And so I applaud said producers, as well as Mr. Sondheim. But is it enough?

The copyright of the article A Word On Behalf of Composers in Playwrights is owned by . Permission to republish A Word On Behalf of Composers in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.