It was already an emotional time. 

Our theater, the auditorium that had housed all of the theater our district had to offer for 55 years, was slated for demolition. Yes, it was just a building, but to those of us who found our home on the stage, it was a little bit more.

So we planned an event to pay homage to the facility. We dressed in formal attire and walked a pseudo-red carpet. We invited alumni and former teachers. We shared pictures, and songs, and memories.

Then, it happened. My students starting leaving in the middle of the show. First a few, then more, then most. 

What in the world was happening? On one hand I was thinking “This better be an emergency!’ and on the other praying it was not.

A good story has an introduction, a buildup of tension, an unforeseen climax, and a resolution. An impactful story includes a lesson to be learned so that the audience can take away more than just a satisfied hunger for some laughs and jaunty tunes. The fantastic stories—Tony-worthy shows—speak to the audience, so they not only walk away with a nice break from stress and responsibilities but are indoctrinated with a fresh perspective on life. 

If Dear Evan Hansen were written in the Murphys’ perspective, it would be next to normal. Having directed both musicals on Broadway, that feeling may have crossed Michael Greif’s mind countless times during his current position at the DEH stage. Both shows tackle the issues of mental illness and how it affects the environment surrounding the person suffering. If you take out the music and instruments for a moment and analyze what you’ve got left, they are words you hear every day; words which deal with severe depression, anxiety, manic bipolar, post-traumatic stress, and even schizophrenia. 

The Stage Door. To some, it means a chance to meet their favorite performers of theatre. To others, it means an opportunity to thank them for a beautiful show! And it’s a nice gesture to the public of having one’s playbill signed but the actors they saw. All in all, it’s a wonderful experience that one has of their Broadway experience.

It's 2019, and we have a lot of issues. Theatre and art are rightfully being accepted and respected as part of the conversation about our feelings and the problems themselves, as well as changing policy and, well, the way we live.

In reaction to the news and national events, we open up our computers, and we create; we gather our friends, and we create; we get on stage, expose our guts, and we create. We create plays and work that responds to this new world we're in, the very one we attempt to change through art and creation.

That's awesome. Really, it's awesome. But it also could potentially create some issues.

Selecting a “best” of creative work is about as futile as picking the “best” Beatle.

Yet we are here at awards season for Broadway and off-Broadway, and most lovers of this art form are paying close attention to who gets nominated and who wins.

A couple of years ago, I attended a production of RENT that was touring through my area. I was sitting towards the front of the mezzanine area and behind me were a group of younger men and women who were very excited to see the show. 

As the show began, and pretty much throughout the entire performance, they all proceeded to sing or speak dialogue from the show. Seldom is a minute go by where I didn't hear their rendition of various moments in the script. 

When the show ended and we got out to leave the theatre, I took a dollar out of my pocket and offered to the girl behind me. 

"What's this for?" she asked. 

"I wanted to make sure I paid you for the performance," I said with the most amount of snark I could muster. 

Having been performing for over 40 years, I have learned that the most important thing about doing a show is the appreciation shown by the audiences. Did they like the show? What was their take on the production? I also appreciate the constructive critiques they may offer. Then we have…the reviewer. The person who many people use as their go-to person for advice on should they or shouldn’t they see a show. The person who potentially has the power to make or break a show.

A local community opera company, Greater Worcester Opera (GWO) is performing, “The Mikado” in June. When I first saw the notice for auditions, I was perplexed. Admittedly, I don’t know much about opera, but I do know a few things about The Mikado. It’s a Gilbert and Sullivan piece, written in the latter half of the 19th century, and is fraught with controversy with yellow-face” performances (in the not-to-distant-past) and for its stereotyped portrayal of Asian people and cultures. In 2019, it seemed an odd choice to perform. I reached out to the Executive Director, Elaine Crane, to ask why. Why this opera and why now.

I’ve noticed something of a trend at the Winter Garden Theatre over the past few years. Three of the last four productions that have played there have been musicals based on movies with iconic central characters. The one production that did not was about icons, but of a very different sort. The historical figures depicted in “Wolf Hall” are iconic, but not from movies, not from being embodied by a singular actor. Rocky, from “Rocky,” Dewey, from “School of Rock,” and Beetlejuice, from “Beetlejuice,” are very closely tied to the actors who played them originally, actors who were a big part of why the movies were so popular that they were adapted into musicals. As each one of these musicals has come to Broadway, most recently “Beetlejuice,” taking up residence in the Winter Garden this spring, I’ve had the same apprehension: the material may be good for the musical theatre treatment, but who’s going to get stuck toeing the fine line between doing his own thing and imitating an icon?

It’s one of my favorite films. And now it’s going to be presented on stage in a musical format with music by Sir Elton John, lyrics by Shaina Taub, and book by Paul Rudnick.

And just announced, Steppenwolf Theatre Company Artistic Director Anna D. Shapiro, a 2008 Tony winner for her direction of August: Osage County, has been named as the director.

Now I am not one to judge before a product is released and reviewed but this just feels wrong.  I am personally not a big fan of Spears but there is just something about a musical with her music coming to Broadway. I will be the first to admit I was wrong if it turns out to be a hit.   It seems we are starting to see a trend of musicals coming out with the music of popular artist.