What Ever Happened to the Family Musical on Broadway?
We came across a New York Times article that nearly beckons the production of our musical, Another Place In Time. The writer, Robin Pogrebin, begs an interesting question:
Many shows seem to beckon families with children but on closer inspection come with caveats, be it crude language, racy behavior or complex plot turns. If you’re going to make the investment — which can run more than $400 for a family of four — what is worth the tab? What is appropriate?
And maybe this is a question producers need to hear so that they entertain musicals that aren’t edgy, but friendly, for families and anyone else who doesn’t feel the need to see or hear obscenity.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s cursing in some of my straight plays. In one of my plays, I have the lead actress masturbate on stage — but I never market that as “family friendly.”
My first show as a kid was A Chorus Line, and I remember being asked in the third grade what I wanted to be when I grew up, and drawing a picture of Cassie dancing in my notebook as part of a composition I wrote. (We left at intermission, so I never saw the whole thing as a kid. Luckily, my husband took me to see it last year. Helping me make good on that memory was one of the best presents Scott’s given me.)
The memory of Cassie and that drawing came flooding back to me when I was in grad school, depressed over my thesis and wondering if this was the right career for me to pursue. I had forgotten that picture, and how affected I was, even by half that show. That memory helped push me to the finish line to complete my thesis.
Our show is free from obscenity in terms of language and content. A sweet kiss is as sexually charged as it gets. The underlying themes are the importance of family, home, and doing what one believes is right — even if it means taking a risk or losing something dear. The most important themes in the show are about helping those less fortunate that you, and what one puts out in the world is what one gets back.
After reading this article, I know there’s an audience out there for our work. Now it’s simply a matter of convincing theatres, directors, and producers of that. Hopefully, this article is a push in the right direction.
–Sue
Add comment March 21st, 2008
