A Golden Age:
Some Broadway seasons are a complete flop, but some are jam-packed with amazing musicals. This is put on display each year when the Tony Awards come around. I took a look at all the "best musical" nominees dating back to 40 years ago until now. To test my theory I created a line graph, rating each years nominees on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best). I've never been great a math, so do not expect this to be perfect, and remember this is just based on my opinion alone!
Here is my somewhat legible graph: How Good Broadway Seasons Were Based on Jojo's Opinion of Best Musical Nominees by The Tony Awards from 1982-2022.
As you can see the graph starts off pretty low, simply because I don't know a lot about early 80s musicals. I tried to rank years with musicals I at least have heard of better than years with one's I have not.
The first giant spike in my chart is in 1996. And that is simply because of RENT. The other musicals that were nominated were Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, and Swinging on a Star. I have never even heard of these musicals. I think this year goes to show how much of an impact Larson made on the musical theatre industry. He changed the game with RENT, hence why I gave the year so many points, despite not knowing any of the other shows. It almost seems as if from the 80s-90s musicals were dying out, but RENT singlehandedly kept the industry alive for the next few years to come.
It wasn't until 2001 that musicals started getting better and more popular again. In 2001 The Producers won the award for "best musical". I wouldn't call it a great year with A Class Act, The Full Monty, and Jane Eyre, but most people (interested in musicals or not) have certainly heard of The Producers. This is why I rate the year slightly higher than those of the rest of the late 90s to 2000.
Unfortunately, as soon as 2003 things fell short again. I'm sure many would disagree with me as Hairspray is a big hit, but I can't justify it being a good year. I'm not a Hairspray fan because of it's racist storyline. The entire plot revolves around the white characters and glorifies the civil rights movement. On top of that this season had the jukebox musical, Movin' Out and an show I don't know anything about entitled, Amour.
It seems as though Broadway redeemed the following year, in 2004. This was the year Spamalot won. And although I'm not a Monty Python fan, this is a popular musical and one I would deem as okay. Arguably William Finn's, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is what really made 2004 a winner.
We're headed back down again until reaching 2007. I had to give props to Spring Awakening , despite it being amongst shows I'm not particularly interested in. Mary Poppins also joins us in this season, which is a classic.
There are some bumps, but things begin to look up in 2009, starting with Next To Normal and continuing on with Memphis, The Book of Mormon, Catch Me If You Can, Once, and Newsies.
On another note, I must separately mention the year 2013 because of how great it was. Kinky Boots, Bring It On: The Musical, A Christmas Story: The Musical, and Matilda: The Musical. Such iconic writers and composers shoved into one category: Cydni Lauper, Tom Kitt + Lin Manuel-Miranda, Tim Minchin, and Benj & Justin. Granted, all of these were movies that were adapted into musicals this year, yet all of these shows are original and interesting in their own ways. But maybe movie adaptations are the key to success?
In 2016, an all time high is achieved with Hamilton, Bright Star (yes I'm biased because I love Steve Martin), School of Rock, Shuffle Along, and Waitress. I had to boost this year a little bit, simply because of Hamilton. Similarly to Larson, Miranda's huge success with his musical is what got me and a million other people interested in theatre. Without that show, I would not be writing this blog right now.
You may wonder: How could things get better? But look at the lineup in 2017! Benj & Justin make a comeback with the new and heartfelt show, Dear Evan Hansen. Additionally there is, Come From Away, Natasha Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, and Groundhog Day. One can see why it is the highest point on my graph. Fans are still outraged over the fact that The Great Comet lost, but it just goes to show how amazing this season truly was. I absolutely adore every single one of these shows. This year was somehow even better than 2016. It makes me wonder if Dear Evan Hansen had made its Broadway debut a year before if it would have won against Hamilton. Probably not, but it's interesting to think about how things could have been different. Also I beg of you to please listen to Groundhog Day if you have not already. Minchin's lyrics and orchestrations are beyond masterful!
After two good years, Broadway is bound to hit another one, right? Absolutely not, what are you even thinking? 😀 Haven't you been paying attention to my super inconsistent chart?! Musicals start to to go down hill again and in 2021 there was no award ceremony at all due to the pandemic and the Broadway shutdown in 2020. Since 2021 was such a dark depressing year for musicals, 2022 was sure to be better.
In my opinion, 2022 was not half bad. It's also the first year I got the opportunity to see many musicals nominated. I saw three out of the six nominated, Six, Girl From The North Country, and A Strange Loop. The others that were nominated were: Mr. Saturday Night, MJ, and Paradise Square. Two out of three of these shows I can't get behind these shows because they lack originality and newness. On the other hand, Paradise Square severely underpaid their workers, something that is simply unethical. It was no surprise that A Strange Loop took home the trophy this year with its refreshing music, intriguing storyline, and important themes. Overall, the year was good compared to most.
So has Broadway hit its new golden age? I think so. The 21st century has brought us state-of-the-art writers and composers, it's no wonder why theatre is so popular in this day and age. However, if Jukebox musicals continue to be common in the annual lineup, I fear that musical theatre will lack originality and fail to advance. What we need is more musicals with fresh plots and music that tell the truths of the world. After all that is what art is. I hope that Broadway musicals continue down the "golden age" path. Be sure to let me know your thoughts in the comments.
How I Got Cheap Tickets To Broadway's Hottest Revival: 1776
A look at the non-male 1776 revival.
My dad is a huge fan of 1776 and saw it in previews in the 60s and introduced me to it around age 5. So, when I discovered the upcoming revival I knew we had to go see it with its entirely gender-swapped cast. Upon, looking at ticket prices I was upset because seats were nearly $200 a piece. Who can afford that AND a trip to NYC? Luckily I found a hack on social media! I realized that theatergoers ages 18-40 can get discounted tickets from: https://www.roundabouttheatre.org. All you have to do is sign up for "hiptix", which allows one access to $30 tickets for all Roundabout Theatre shows! It's completely free! (This is not a sponsorship). Check out my tutorial on how to do it and be sure to follow my Tiktok for more theatre related content.
Thanks for reading!
Signing off,
-Jo 🌈
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