The repeated success of the The Black Crook in the late 19th Century.īut as an epidemic of nostalgia swept through American culture in theġ970s, theatergoers embraced revivals with unprecedented enthusiasm. In musical theatre, revivals had been commonplace ever since The Playbill coverįeatures the effervescent art deco logo created by artist Hillary Initiated a new craze for nostalgic musical revivals. Were costing well over a million dollars by decade's end, and ticket pricesīegan skyrocketing. Musical productions which had cost an average of $250,000 in 1970 Technicians and stage crew, and the costs of doing business on BroadwayĮventually quadrupled. Unions demanding and getting higher pay for actors, musicians, Had established themselves as owners of substantial parts of Broadway's theatrical Stuart Ostrow, A Producer's Broadway Journey(Westport, CT:īy the time the Nederlander and Jujamcyn organizations The Shubert Foundation prospered, and the ranks of the independent Landlords, they succeeded in changing the terms of a producer's rentalĬontract, in demanding a larger share of the proceeds, and in manyĬases, in insisting on being co-producer. Thirty years, during which time the amount of new musicals produced forīroadway has been drastically reduced. Men "crowned themselves heads of the theater chain" Stuart Ostrow later described how the atmosphere on Broadway changed when these two Took over managerial control of the still-extensive theatrical empire. One little-noted cataclysm of the 1970s occurred when the Shubertįamily's former attorneys Gerald Schoenfeld and Bernard Jacobs (For more on this landmark hit, see our special section Smashing every other long-run record in Broadway history. Won Tonys, as did the entire creative team.Ī Chorus Line's popularity crossed all lines of age and musical taste, When the entire cast sang of being "One" whileĭancing and singing in rigid group formation, the effect was dazzling. Some dismissed this as staged group therapy,Ī Chorus Line glorified the individual fulfillment that canīe found in ensemble efforts. Theīroadway chorus audition where a director demands that his dancers share their
Lyricist Edward Kleban developed a vibrant score. Working with these tapes, Bennettīuilt a libretto with writers Nicholas Dante and James Kirkwood. To show) share memories while a tape recorder ran. He had BroadwayĬhorus dancers (known in the business as "gypsies" because they The concept musical reached its peak with A Chorus Line (1975 - 6,137 Them to see larger versions.) A Chorus Line: Concept Musical SupremeĪ Chorus Line (1975), the most successful 1970s concept musical. (The images below are thumbnails click on
History of The Musical Stage 1970s III: A Chorus Line & More by John Kenrick