BLOG JACK: Marketing Broadway

Can you identify any of these four people?  You should be able to!

(See the answers below.)

Recently, one of my favorite bloggers, Ken Davenport posted a piece lamenting the fact that Broadway is not marketed like other forms of entertainment.   He remembers collecting baseball cards of his favorite athletes and movie and sports posters adorning his childhood bedroom walls.  And wonders why people today aren't more familiar with the Broadway actors, dancers, etc. like they are with athletes and movie stars.  Why, he asks, doesn't the public know Broadway people enough to follow them from show to show, like we follow baseball players from team to team or actors from film to film.
I agree with him that Broadway as a genre is as well-marketed as it can be, and certain shows have been marketed to the point where they are a brand unto themselves.  And certainly, as a trip to the merch kiosks of shows like Wicked will show you some shows have really taken the lead in marketing beyond Broadway.  I know at least three young ladies (daughters of co-workers) who regard their Wicked t-shirts as status symbols.  Clearly, something is working.

But I also understand what Davenport is saying.  Why aren't Broadway people household names?  He says he's not talking about "the Patti LuPones and Nathan Lanes."  But let's start there.  People in the general population know Ms. LuPone from her TV series, Life Goes On, and people know Nathan Lane as the voice of Timon the meerkat in The Lion King film.  Do they know they are both critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning actors?  How about Angela Lansbury, arguably one of the greatest Broadway stars to have ever graced the stage, who will forever be "the Murder, She Wrote lady."

As I sit here typing and watching Dancing with the Stars, everyone on it has a label - fashionista Carson Kressley, activist Chaz Bono, actor David Arquette.  As I recall past seasons, I can think of exactly ONE "star who danced" with the label "Broadway star," and that was Marissa Jaret Winokur.  Now, I realize that the "stars" are labeled according to what they are best known for, but Florence Henderson, Cloris Leechman and other contestants on that show have had Broadway experience, but you'd never know it.

By virtue of the fact that you are reading this, you are probably not the one who needs to read this and blogs like it.  You and I know things like RENT star Annaleigh Ashford has been in Legally Blonde and Wicked.  We know that John Selya and Cody Green are Twyla Tharp dancers, and that Joe Mantello not only directed Wicked, but also Take Me Out and Assassins and won Tonys for both.  We also know that he is an accomplished actor from Angels in America and The Normal Heart.  Granted, only those of us truly obsessed may know Danny Berstein's resume and are proud to have seen not only Gavin Creel, but Jay Armstrong Johnson as Claude in Hair.

From Glinda to Maureen: Annaleigh Ashford

But there is no reason in the world that TV viewers shouldn't know that Katie Finneran star of a new TV show is a Broadway star first.  Or that Glee employs A LOT of Broadway actors.  Couldn't it be "This week on Glee, Jane Lynch goes head to head with Broadway stars Idina Menzel and Cheyenne Jackson"? Just making that label more common, more regular, would go along way.  Why can't characters on TV shows go to the theatre sometimes?  You'd think Modern Family might have Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell take the kids to a show.  God knows they leapt on the let's make fun of Spider-Man bandwagon fast enough.  If Lucy and Ricky could take in a performance of The Most Happy Fella,  why didn't Ross and Rachel go see Miss Saigon? 

Of course, there is a logical reason that Broadway may not reach the masses across the country.  Music, movies and TV, and sports are "transportable entertainment."  There can be 2,000 performances of Star Wars at a time, and millions of homes can see one TV show at a time.  Yes, there are National Tours, but what does that mean?  Four performances of Jersey Boys at a time? 

But Broadway CAN be a national presence.  It used to be.  Late night talk shows, appearances on The View are great and a step in the right direction, and part of a long tradition of such appearances dating back to The Ed Sullivan Show.

A couple weeks ago, my friend Mike commented on my blog about how The Book of Mormon might just be the first American theatre phenomenon in years.  He said, and he's right, that shows might be struggling to be heard over the massive din created by social media, the Internet and the like.

I say, then, that Broadway needs to start being a lot louder.  And let the noise begin TONIGHT on the Dancing with the Stars Results at 9PM, when Harry Connick, Jr. offers up the title song from his new Broadway show, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.


Above: Jeremy Jordan of West Side Story, Rock of Ages, Newsies and Bonnie and Clyde; Nikki M. James of  The Book of Mormon (she won a Tony for it, too!); Karen Olivo of In the Heights and West Side Story (she won a Tony for it, too!); Curtis Holbrook of Xanadu, West Side Story and All Shook Up

Rate this blog below and leave your comments here, by email at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, or Tweet me!
Jeff
3.022

POLL RESULTS: Merch Madness!

Show Matches and Marquee Cards...

just some of the Broadway merch I collect!

The Ides of March are behind us, and the second half of the Broadway season is in full swing, even though as I write this, it is winter-cold once again!  Anyway, last month, all of the polls were about merch - the fun stuff you just have to buy when you see a new, exciting show or return to an old favorite.  Just this past week or so, I dropped $70 for How to Succeed and Priscilla - bilia.  Had Catch Me If You Can had posters or programs, I'd have spent more.  We need BMA... Broadway Merch Anonymous.  I was not the only one dropping major coin at the Priscilla booth (cute sales boys always add to my total, and the Palace is overrun with Queens these days)!

March Poll #1: Which theatre-related memorabilia do you have collections of?
(You could select as many "collections" as applicable.  Had I voted, I'd have selected all of those below marked with "*".  See?  I need an intervention!)

0% - TIE - Jewelry/Watches and Toys/Cards/Plush
OK, I don't have COLLECTIONS of these, but I do have an Opening Night wrist watch from Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and I have a Ragtime teddy bear (charity item), Show Boat playing cards, and a Zazu plush from Disney's The Lion King (a gift from a friend who says I behave just like that blue bird)!

* 4% - Window Cards
My friend Mike will tell you that I have a ridiculous number of these things, and that I have a whole routine for packaging and carrying these things all around Manhattan.  Apparently, though the percentage is low, I'm not the only one of you... Carolyn from Trenton, NJ wrote, "Jeff, I have about 50 window cards, all autographed by the cast of the show, and all of them for charity!  A nice write-off and many fond memories..."

9% - Key Chains and Pins
My gal Sal collects so many of these things that she decorates a small Christmas tree with the key chains she has!  And she must have over a hundred lapel pins, all gathered in a collector's album.

* 14% - TIE - Magnets and Coffee Mugs/Water Bottles
Mike is the magnet man!  He has dozens, including an obscene one from Spring Awakening  that he proudly displays on his refrigerator!  I have the coffee mugs, including 3 different Sunset Boulevard cups.  My favorite is the tall Tarzan mug.  (Disney has the best merch...)  I have, however, stopped collecting them - they take up a lot of room in my tiny kitchen - in favor of those plastic sippy cups with show logos that they sell.  To date, I have never paid for one... I scavenge from the seats after people leave...

* 19% - Souvenir Programs
Again, I have too many, and the best are put out by Disney (though the Priscilla one is enormous and fun).  At least these I do actually pull out and look at.  Lots of great memories.  Writes Sherry from Petok, Maine, "I am always disappointed when I go to a show that hasn't been open long enough to have a souvenir program!  But then I have an excuse to drag my husband back to the same show again!"  I hear you, Sherry.  I've gone back to shows for far less!

* 23% - Clothing/Hats/Hoodies
I'm shocked that this number is so low considering how many people stand in line to buy t-shirts at merch booths!  I have lots of show shirts, but haven't bought a new one since Tarzan.  Not sure why... among my other clothing items: a Phantom ball cap, a Titanic scarf, and Xanadu winter hat.

* 33% - Books/Scripts
OK, so I studied theatre in college, and never really stopped buying scripts.  Most of the books I have now are gifts (thanks to Mike and Sal mostly.  They know me so well!).  And I have some collections - the Theatre World series from 1983-1994, and all 6 editions of the Playbill Yearbook.

* 47% - Ticket Stubs
This one I don't understand.  This number should be much higher, after all, it is a free souvenir.  But as Charlene from Brooklyn, NY wrote, "Doesn't everyone print out their own tickets at home now?"  No, Charlene, not everyone does!  I'll tell you why I don't (besides loving my little slices of cardboard):  I think it is OUTRAGEOUS that the CHARGE you to print your own ticket on your own paper with your own ink!  They charge you the handling fee anyway, whether you print the ticket or not!  So if I have to pay to have something handled, let them do it!

* 61% - Cast Recordings
The ultimate memorabilia!  How do you store yours?  Mine are alphabetical through 1999-2000, and alphabetical per season after that, in one several of those leather binders with a plastic slip for each disc.  I switched to this method when an entire 4 shelf book case wasn't enough to store them in the jewel cases.  I have a series of boxes that have the CD booklets similarly ordered.  And don't bother to write, iTunes people... I recycle my jewel cases for my picture CDs and I bring the rest to work.

* 85% - Playbills
OK, these are more FREE souvenirs from shows.  You can always go back and look at them for fun.  Did I mention they are FREE?  I have Playbill binders for really special ones - opening night, Spider-Man with Natalie Mendoza, Spider-Man without Natalie Mendoza, and I have a space set aside for Spider-Man version 2.0.  I then have each Playbill saved in those special plastic bags and cardboard that comics collectors keep their books in, and in turn those are saved in special cases designed just for that.  Those I have arranged in order of having seen the shows.  The other 15% of you, don't play the "environmental impact" card.  You know you are the people who leave them on the aisles for the rest of us to slip on as we leave the theatre looking for the merch booth!

(NOTE: My apologies for spilling my "merch guts"... I told you, I need an intervention!)

Poll #2: What format(s) are your Original Cast Recordings in?
(A logical follow up to question #1, I thought.)

0% - TIE - 8-Track Tapes and Reel-to-Reel
Tim J. of Potomac, MD wrote, "What is a reel-to-reel?"  Enough said.

33% - Cassettes
I gave most of mine away as my CD collection grew.  I still have The Tap Dance Kid, Starlight Express(the London Cast Recording AND the Concept Recording), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

34% - Records (Vinyl)
I still have every one of mine.  And you know, I still miss the sheer size of them.  When you bought one you knew you had something.  And I especially miss the big color pictures, the longer liner notes, and the excitement of pulling out the sleeve and finding the lyrics printed on it.  The two best vinyls I have are Evita and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.  Both are bi-fold (!) and both have all of the lyrics and plot synopsis - crucial to both shows.  Evita's is a booklet!!!

53% - MP3/iTunes
I suppose that when I final break and buy an iPod, I'll join the ranks.  And yes, it is cheaper, and yes, it is environmentally responsible, but damn it, I like to have something to hold when I buy it!

93% - CDs
Is almost 300 Broadway Cast Recordings a lot?  I have a lot of them.  When Anything Goes comes out, it will be the first one in my new CD book.  (The, A and An don't count as the first word of a title when alphabetizing - unless you are The New York Times)

Poll #3:  Where do you buy the majority of your theatre-related memorabilia?
(Thanks to all of you, and there were MANY, who complained that you couldn't pick more than one.  Yes, I know, Amazon can't be beat for cast recordings, while the theatre itself is cheapest for general merch.  And poor Lon, from Brighton, UK who lamented that, "I have to buy all of my Broadway items from online stores that charge far too much to send things across the pond!")  I let you all pick ONE so you'd have to tell where your MAJORITY comes from!

18.2% - TIE - Other Online Stores (Amazon.com, Overstock.com, etc.) and Online Broadway Stores (BroadwayNewYork.com, etc.)
I buy most of my OBCRs from Amazon myself.  And thanks to BackwoodsBarbie, from Springfield, MA, who reminded me that most show websites also have their own dedicated show "shops" online.

27.3% - Broadway Gift Shops
I also buy a lot here, too.  Mostly posters and programs for shows I've seen but didn't have them when I saw them.  And they pack the posters so nicely for just $1.00!  Plus, these are the only places that sell those marquee cards I also collect (HELP ME PLEASE...).  And what trip to the theatre district would be complete without checking out all three of them?

36.3% - At the Theatre
I couldn't agree more with Trina from New York, NY (loved you in Falsettos, by the way) who wrote, "I don't know about you, but I think it feels more authentic when you buy it right at the theatre!"  And I agree, too, with Marla from Bayonne, NJ who wrote, "I especially love the shows that have small stores set up, like Spider-Man and Wicked.  It's like real shopping, and theatre and shopping are my two favorite things!"

And there you have it theatre fans!  Until next month...  um... hope to see you back here tomorrow!


Have an idea for a poll?  Email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com or Tweet me!
Jeff
2.12

Black Friday: My Broadway Gift List

Today is the heaviest shopping day of the year.  And if you can wait, Cyber Monday is full of great deals for online shoppers.  I think everything I list below is available online at Amazon, Playbill.com (The Store) and, broadwayposters.com, broadwaynewyork.com or tdf.org.  (Most of my recommendations have reviews to read... click on the list to your right or the "Reviews" tab above.

I've been a good boy this year, Santa.  Really I have... and so here are a few things I'd like to see under my tree.  And I also made a list of suggestions for your elves to makes for other theatre loving fans!

Cast Recordings/DVDs:  I am WAY behind on my collection...

Jeff's Wish List
CD:

• The New Broadway Cast Recording of La Cage aux Folles
• Sondheim on Sondheim
• Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson
• The Scottsboro Boys

DVD:

• Sondheim!  The Birthday Celebration

For Others' Enjoyment
CD:

• The New Broadway Cast Recording of Promises, Promises: Great orchestrations and awesome vocals from Kristin and Sean!
• The New Broadway Cast Recording of A Little Night Music:  Complete as can be for Sondheim fans, and nearly every word Angela Lansbury said or sang is included.
• Memphis: This year's Tony winner has a fun score that you can learn quickly and sing your heart out to...
• The Broadway Cast Recording of American Idiot: Not to be confused with the Green Day album (also good)...one of the best sounding OBCR's in years!

DVD:

• Were the World Mine: An AWESOME movie
• The Complete First Season of Glee: Do I really need to say why I recommend this?  OK...the extras are really great...almost as as great as the show!

Theatre Books:

Jeff's Wish List

• Finishing the Hat by Stephen Sondheim
• The 6th Annual Playbill Broadway Yearbook
• Broadway Musicals: The Biggest Hit and the Biggest Flop of the Season 1959 - 2009 by Peter Filichia
• A Memoir by Patti LuPone (I also wouldn't mind the book on cd version, read by Ms. LuPone hereself!)

For Others' Enjoyment

• The 1st - 5th Annual Playbill Broadway Yearbook: An absolute must for Broadway fans... great organization, details, pictures and fun behind the scenes stuff!  And they are all on clearance at the Playbill Store...all 5 together cost LESS than 1 full priced book!
• Spring Awakening: In the Flesh: a great read, plus the complete script!  Fans of the show NEED this book!

Show Merchandise:

Jeff's Wish List

• An archival quality Playbill binder for modern Playbills
• Window Cards: Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Scottsboro Boys (Broadway versions), Broadway Bares XX: Strip-opoply
• An Addams Family deck of cards and/or a Lurch water bottle
• A program from Million Dollar Quartet

For Others' Enjoyment

• An archival quality Playbill binder for modern Playbills
• Window Cards: Finian's Rainbow (Broadway revival) - so pretty!, A Playbill Poster for the 2009-2010 season (4th in the Series) (Shown: 3rd in the Series)
• The Pop-up Wicked book
• A program from American Idiot and/or La Cage aux Folles

And always good to give or get: TKTS gift certificates!  A great cause, and a great way to make shows even more affordable!

Have any gift ideas?  Books, cds or dvds to recommend?  PLEASE share!  Email me at jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com, leave a comment here or Tweet me!

Jeff

2.87