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The old-fashioned jukebox may be going the way of the telegram, but the newfangled jukebox musical doesn't seem likely to follow any time soon.
Since the Abba homage Mamma Mia! took Broadway by storm in 2001, New York and other cities have welcomed a stream of shows based on the catalogs of popular artists and bands. Some trace the real-life stories behind the music; others offer their own wacky plots or motifs.
The director/choreographer Twyla Tharp even developed a sub-genre, setting Billy Joel's music to dance in Movin' Out and using Bob Dylan's work in The Times They Are a-Changin', which just ended a twice-extended run at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre and is expected on Broadway in September or October. (Hot Feet, a dance musical featuring the music of Earth, Wind & Fire, directed and choreographed by Maurice Hines, is currently in Washington and begins Broadway performances April 18.)
Mamma remains the mother of all pop-inspired projects, having launched 11 productions worldwide, including one that just celebrated its third anniversary in Las Vegas. But the acclaimed Jersey Boys, which chronicles the rise and fall of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, has become a similarly hot ticket, filling 95% of seats since Thanksgiving.
The Johnny Cash tribute Ring of Fire has enjoyed more modest numbers, but attendance has increased steadily since its opening March 12, despite mixed reviews.
James Freydberg, co-producer of Ring, says sales have been more avid outside New York City. "I knew it would be interesting to do this show in Manhattan. But this is more than a country show. Every one of (Cash's) songs, whether he wrote them or not, had something theatrical. They're about heart and emotions."
Jersey might seem a more natural fit for local crowds, but director Des McAnuff notes that the show also "smashed all box-office records" in its initial run at the La Jolla Playhouse on the opposite coast.
"The music seduces people, and it's a phenomenal story: four guys dragging themselves out of the 'hood, having unprecedented success, then watching it all fall apart."
Michael David of Dodger Theatricals, which produces Jersey, believes jukebox musicals can indeed "begin with music and blossom with a story. Whether it's Gershwin or Fats Waller or Billy Joel or Peter Allen (whose music and life fueled the 2003-04 Hugh Jackman vehicle The Boy from Oz), the music motivates."
Contributing: Anthony DeBarros
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