In 2004, Disney Theatrical Group began licensing titles—distributing scripts, scores, tools for theatres around the country (and globe) to create their own productions of Disney titles—beginning with Beauty and the Beast as the first full-length title. Since then, Beauty and the Beast has played more performances than the four longest-running Broadway shows combined.
Thomas Schumacher Walt Disney Studios
Disney musicals are so pervasive, so woven into the fabric of Americana, that 38 percent of the U.S. population have engaged with a licensed Disney show either as part of the cast, crew, or audience. Just weeks ago it was announced that Beauty and the Beast was the most-produced musical in high schools across the country, The Little Mermaid the third most-produced; Peter and the Starcatcher was the third most-produced play, surpassing the classic Our Town.
“This is the new American songbook,” says Thomas Schumacher, producer and president of Disney Theatrical Productions. “We are this new era of Broadway.” It’s true. Disney animated musicals practically raised the next generation of ticket-buyers, be it for Broadway or regional productions or as parents at school productions. “When you see the affection that 30-year-olds and 35-year-olds have when they go to Broadway shows, it’s impossible to separate that from two things: MTV, when it actually showed music videos, and Disney-animated musicals.”
Disney licensing works in two ways: the licensing of shows created and mounted by Disney (typically on Broadway) that play professionally around the world and remain supervised by Disney (think of The Little Mermaid playing Japan or any of the six overseas productions of The Lion King) and the licensing where Disney creates a score, script, and production concept—worked out onstage in smaller markets—for others to mount however they will (think The Hunchback of Notre Dame).
Rooted in Disney or not, licensing is key to the longevity of all musical theatre. Those photos of now theatre stars and award winners in school productions of Pippin and Fiddler on the Roof shared on the 2018 Tony Awards broadcast are a result of those titles being licensed to schools and community theatres. Theatre happens everywhere.
“I grew up doing this stuff,” says Schumacher. Despite some reticence to license in the earlier days, with folks concerned about the quality of outside productions, Schumacher felt just the opposite: that licensing would preserve artistic integrity. “With licensing you have a standard,” he says. “My affection is so deep and I kept trying to say, within the company, ‘[Licensing] won’t degrade it. It’s actually going to build affection for it.’
“The care with which these materials are prepared and the assistance the teachers get—these remarkable men and women around the country who are running these theatre programs—it makes them love this stuff,” Schumacher continues. “They learn to literally walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. All the soft skills that you need, they’re learning.”
And, in a time where towns continue to slash or discontinue arts budgets entirely, Disney’s licensing model provides an invaluable resource to continue the legacy of theatre and build a sense of community around it. In addition to a title’s script and score, “we have choreography DVDs, there’s four different ideas of how to do a flying carpet in Aladdin, how you can do these scenes in Beauty and the Beast. We do karaoke disks, so we can have an orchestra if you don’t have all those resources.”
What’s more, Disney has invested in the creation of junior and kids versions of beloved works. Aladdin JR., 101 Dalmatians KIDS ,TheJungle Book KIDS, and Cinderella KIDS were all launched at the same time as Beauty and the Beast in 2004. “We can reduce shows down, make them singable, make them produceable, and make it possible,” says Schumacher. “The rules are different in Pop Warner football than they are in the NFL. We have touch football. We have flag football. We have tackle football. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t do the same theatrically.”
Heidi Blickenstaff and the cast Jim Saah
Disney’s catalog includes 35, the nost recent being two versions of Freaky Friday, the mother-daughter body swap story based on the books by Mary Rodgers. Having developed a Freaky Friday stage musical specifically for licensing purposes, the Disney Channel (looking for its next original movie) wound up using the stage show as a launchpad for its made-for-television musical adaptation, which also premieres August 10 on the Disney Channel starring Broadway’s Heidi Blickenstaff and Cozi Zuehlsdorff. The junior version will reflect the Disney Channel Original Movie and the full-length version, which enjoyed a five-city U.S. tour in 2017 and includes more scene work and about five more songs from award-winning Broadway songwriters Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey.
That launch in 2004 was truly a gamechanger in the contents of the theatrical landscape. There have been over 90,000 licensed productions of Disney titles in the U.S. and Canada—over 250,000 performances in all. “These titles bring people to theatre.” As Schumacher points out, “They don’t know if it was on Broadway or not, they want to see a great show with a great title they know.”
Courtesy Disney Theatrical Group
As Broadway theatres continue to fill with successful productions that remain popular for years on end, Disney Theatrical Group wants to continue to feed the theatre with new work—even without Broadway aims. The list of titles in consideration for development for a licensing track is long. As the decision-maker, Schumacher says the choices are a combination of audience demand and artist ambition. “You don’t want to do something that nobody wants to see,” he says. “And then it’s when there are artists who align with [a project]. The fact that Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey wanted to do Freaky Friday [made it worth doing]. Artists want to write and create things that are interesting.” No matter the size of the spotlight on the stage in the end.
“Is it going to drive enthusiasm, connection, enlightenment, engagement, and commitment to our craft?” says Schumacher of questions guiding his team. “That’s what we can do.”
The New York premiere of Be More Chill celebrates its official opening in the Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center August 9. The coming-of-age musical, which features a score by Joe Iconis and a book by Joe Tracz, makes its Off-Broadway debut with an all-new production.
Will Roland Maria Baranova
Based on Ned Vizzini’s novel, Be More Chill tells the story of an average teenager, played by Dear Evan Hansen‘s Will Roland, who takes a pill purported to make people more easygoing. The musical, which began performances July 26, is directed by Stephen Brackett and choreographed by Chase Brock.
The cast of the Off-Broadway premiere is made up of Gerard Canonico (Spring Awakening, Groundhog Day) as Rich, Katlyn Carlson (Dirty Dancing, The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin) as Chloe, Stephanie Hsu (SpongeBob SquarePants) as Christine, Tiffany Mann (Waitress, Jerry Springer the Opera) as Jenna, Lauren Marcus (The Humans at St. Louis Rep, Company at Barrington Stage) as Brooke, George Salazar (tick tick BOOM!, Godspell, The Lightning Thief) as Michael, Britton Smith (Shuffle Along, After Midnight) as Jake, Jason Tam (Jesus Christ Superstar,KPOP) as The Squip, and Jason SweetTooth Williams (Freaky Friday, Benny and Joon, Bloodsong of Love) as Jeremy’s Dad/Mr. Reyes.
Be More Chill premiered in 2015 at New Jersey’s Two River Theater before gradually amassing a large fan following online due to the release of the cast album. Several members from the original company are reprising their performances Off-Broadway, including Salazar, Canonico, Carlson, Hsu, and Marcus.
Check out photos from the production, scheduled through September 23, below.
First Look at the Off-Broadway Premiere of Be More Chill
The production features scenic design by Tony Award winner Beowulf Boritt (Come From Away); costume design by Bobby Frederick Tilley II (Lizzie Borden, Top Girls); lighting design by Tony Award winner Tyler Micoleau (The Band’s Visit); sound design by Ryan Rumery (Fool For Love); projection design by Alex Basco Koch (Buyer & Cellar); musical direction by Emily Marshall; orchestrations by Charlie Rosen (Prince of Broadway, Honeymoon in Vegas); casting by Telsey + Company / Adam Caldwell, CSA & Rebecca Scholl, CSA; production stage management by Amanda Michaels (The Children, The Ballad of Little Jo); general management by Lisa Dozier King; and production management by SenovvA Production Core.
The Off-Broadway premiere of Be More Chill is presented by Gerald Goehring, Michael F. Mitri, Jennifer Ashley Tepper, Marc David Levine, Marlene and Gary Cohen, 42nd.club, The Baruch Frankel Viertel Group, Alisa and Charlie Thorne, Jenny Niederhoffer, Chris Blasting/Simpson & Longthorne, Brad Blume/Gemini Theatrical, Jonathan Demar/Kim Vasquez, Ben Holtzman and Sammy Lopez,Koenigsberg/Federman/Adler, Ashlee Latimer and Jenna Ushkowitz, Jenn Maley and Cori Stolbun, Robert and Joan Rechnitz, Fred and Randi Sternfeld, YesBroadway Productions, in association with Two River, which originally commissioned and produced the musical.
The 2018 Broadway revival of Carousel will offer its final ride this fall. The production, directed by Jack O’Brien, will close at the Imperial Theatre September 16. Performances began in February prior to an official opening April 12.
Renée Fleming and Lindsay Mendez Joseph Marzullo/WENN
The production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical stars Tony winner Jessie Mueller as Julie Jordan, Joshua Henry as Billy Bigelow, Renée Fleming as Nettie Fowler, Lindsay Mendez as Carrie Pipperidge, Alexander Gemignani as Enoch Snow, Margaret Colin as Mrs. Mullin, John Douglas Thompson as the Starkeeper, Amar Ramasar as Jigger, and Brittany Pollack as Louise.
Mendez earned a Tony Award in June for her performance, as did choreographer Justin Peck. The revival received nine additional nominations.
Rounding out the ensemble are Colin Anderson, Yesenia Ayala, Nicholas Belton, Colin Bradbury, Andrei Chagas, Derrick Davis, Leigh-Ann Esty, Laura Feig, David Michael Garry, Rosena M. Hill Jackson, Amy Justman, Cory Lingner, Skye Mattox, Matt Meigs, Kelly McCormick, Anna Noble, Adriana Pierce, Rebecca Pitcher, David Prottas,Craig Salstein, Ahmad Simmons, Corey John Snide, Erica Spyres, Ryan Steele, Sam Strasfeld, Halli Toland, Ricky Ubeda, Scarlett Walker, Jacob Keith Watson, and William Youmans.
The creative team for the new production (the first Broadway mounting in over 20 years) includes set designer Santo Loquasto, costume designer Ann Roth, lighting designer Brian MacDevitt, sound designer Scott Lehrer, orchestrator Jonathan Tunick, and musical director Andy Einhorn.
The ZACH Theatre in Austin, Texas, will launch its 2018–2019 season with the Texas regional premiere of Once, the Tony-winning musical featuring a cast of actor-musicians. Performances run September 19–October 28.
Broadway actor Kevin Cahoon, who performed as John Cameron Mitchell’s alternate in the original Off-Broadway run of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and went on to headline the show’s sit-down Boston premiere, will direct the award-winning rock musical, which runs January 23–March 3, 2019.
Also on the season slate: Anna Deavere Smith’s Notes from the Field, the docu-drama about America’s school-to-prison pipeline (February 27–March 31); the Tim Minchin-scored stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda (April 3–May 12); the new musical The Ballad of Klook and Vinnette, by British soul singers Anoushka Lucas and Omar Lyefook and book writer Chet Walker (April 24–May 26); Terrence McNally’s recent Off-Broadway play Fire and Air, exploring the history of the Russian ballet company (June 12–July 14).
The season will close with Holland Taylor’s bio-play Ann, about the life of late Texas Governor and Democratic political pioneer Ann Richardson (July 31–September 8).
Holiday programming includes A Christmas Carol (November 21–December 30) and The Santaland Diaries (December 5–30).
Visit zachtheatre.org for tickets and subscription information.
The London revival of the Sheridan Smith-led Funny Girl—which toured following its runs at the West End’s Savoy Theatre and the Menier Chocolate Factory—will be broadcast in cinemas nationwide October 24.
Michael Mayer’s production was filmed during the final week of its run at the Manchester Palace Theatre by Digital Theatre, and will be released in cinemas by Trafalgar Releasing.
Darius Campbell played Nick Arnstein to Smith’s Fanny Brice. The two were joined by Nigel Barber as Florenz Ziegfeld, Zoë Ann Bown as Mrs. Meeker, Martin Callaghan as Mr. Keeney, Jennifer Harding as Emma, Rachel Izen as Mrs. Brice, Joshua Lay as Eddie, and Myra Sands as Mrs. Strakosh.
The ensemble featured Rhianne Alleyne, Kit Benjamin, Lloyd Davies, Flora Dawson, Joseph Dockree, Abigayle Honeywill, Brontë Lavine, David Mcintosh, Peter Nash, Gillian Parkhouse, Tom Partridge, Nova Skipp, Alexandra Waite-Roberts, Sam Wingfield, and Alexandra Wright.
“Fanny Brice was an extraordinary woman who broke the mold for female entertainment, not only that, she was a brilliant comic! Her lack of vanity and her goofiness made her unique and very special, and the role was an utter joy to play. I’m beyond excited to be able to share our production of FunnyGirl with audiences across the U.K.,” said Smith.
With music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Bob Merrill, and book by Isobel Lennart, the musical features such tunes as “People,” “You Are Woman, I Am Man,” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade.” The revival featured a revised book by Tony winner Harvey Fierstein.
Tickets go on sale August 1. For more information visit funnygirlincinemas.
Fanny’s Back! See Sheridan Smith and Company Rehearse the Sold-Out London Production of Funny Girl
Fanny’s Back! See Sheridan Smith and Company Rehearse the Sold-Out London Production of Funny Girl
The upcoming London production of Funny Girl has yet to begin previews but has already which sold out its entire run at the Menier Chocolate Factory within 90 minutes of going on sale, and announced a West End transfer. Here is a fist look at the cast in rehearsal.
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Rebecca Fennelly, Sheridan Smith and Kelly Homewood Marc Brenner
Emma Caffrey, Leah Harris, Sheridan Smith, Matthew Croke, Kelly Homewood, Rebecca Fennelly, Sammy Kelly and Joelle Dyson Marc Brenner
Kelly Homewood, Emma Caffrey, Sammy Kelly, Leah Harris, Joelle Dyson and Rebecca Fennelly Marc Brenner
“Queer is here, honey!” declared Tony winner Billy Porter as he helped kick off Playbill’s Live From the Red Carpet on the opening night of Broadway’s new musical Head Over Heels July 26. The star of FX’s Pose and Tony winner for Kinky Boots, Porter was able to enjoy the new work featuring songs by The Go-Go’s from the audience. “It’s so fabulous. It’s just a fun night of love and joy and happiness and peace and coming together and all of that sh*t.”
Indeed, the musical is a celebration of diversity on the spectra of gender, race, sexual orientation, and more.
Set in the 1580s, the musical blends old-school prose with contemporary images and sounds—like with Spencer Liff’s choreography. “The very first picture you see in the show is ‘The Last Supper.’ That sparked the idea that he opening number was at this festival and we decided that it would be the Summer Solstice but I had this idea of these long oak tables that everyone was around and I would take that ‘Last Supper’ and flip it on its head and make it this big queer extravaganza,” says Liff.
“It’s all about assembling your bag of tricks. Thinking about choreographing an entire two-and-a-half hour show is really daunting,” Liff continued. “I love to sketch first and see it as a whole and I go back in and I detail. I took a month off studying the videos from [the out-of-town tryout in] San Francisco.”
Director Michael Mayer took over the show for its San Francisco tryout (after a debut at Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015) and told us about creating the jukebox musical. “The very cool thing is these songs fit better than they should,” he said. “The Go-Go’s catalog is not as many big hits so there are songs that people haven’t necessarily heard before and the first time that they’re really encountering them is in the context of this narrative, so I think we get away with a lot more that way.”
Playbill also spoke to stars Tom Alan Robbins, Andrew Durand, Jeremy Kushnier, Bonnie Milligan, Rachel York, and Peppermint, making her Broadway debut.
“The only way this could get any better is if instead of walking in I get lowered from the ceiling,” Peppermint gushed. The former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant makes her Broadway debut as the first out trans woman to originate a principal role on Broadway.
“It’s refreshing to me to be a part of a story that is so fresh,” she told Playbill live. “It’s not lost on me that there are people who stand by the stage door that tell me they identify as non-binary and they rarely ever if they have ever seen themselves reflected in any way in any type of medium of entertainment. I hope that I do it justice because I bring some of myself to it. I want it to be authentic … and treat it with such fun but also the seriousness of the times.” Watch Peppermint and more stars of Head Over Heels finish out the red carpet livestream in the video below.
