are we done with JUKEBOX musicals? | thoughts on the current state of Broadway and the West End

[@lennies_mindful_life]

I feel that its often the book that let's jukebox musical down and feels like some producers just think that good songs will print them money and don't put any effort in writing a good story

[@sondersighs]

I agree, but also, the theatrical language difference between a book and a musical are vastly different in comparison to making an adaptation from a movie, as you may know. There are many more problems or things to consider which is why those stories tend to fall flat, because often creative teams could be conflicted on what points they choose to focus on, or leave out. So, could alot of these situations happen because of greed? yes, but there is also a further answer to be aware of that communicating and aggreeing on what to tell from material, can be not just differential on taste, but those tastes can actually be objective ways to tell a story that are better or worse

[@MsJayteeListens]

That’s my problem with We Will Rock You. It feels like old men writing youth rebellion

[@HardCandyChristmas]

Can I just say, I love your videos! I often have them on while I'm working from home and it's like I have a very educated theatre friend giving me the latest goss! I feel your videos would appeal to seasoned theatregoers and theatre newbies like me. Thanks for explaining everything in such a clear and non-judgemental way, so nice to watch videos from your channel!

[@RandomWalkDownBroadway]

In my opinion, we need to be. One of the best things about musicals is hearing something you've never heard before (Hamilton/Hadestown/Maybe Happy Ending). The music creates an entire identity for the show and brings you to the specific emotion each individual moment. Radio songs aren't built for this. Do some shows kill with impressive vocals on pop songs? Sure. But I'm certainly not being moved in any way. It might as well just be a concert, throw the story away entirely.

[@kristenhull2222]

I live in AZ and am a season ticket holder for the Broadway series. In 2023/24, our season included Tina, Ain't Too Proud, Jagged Little Pill, and MJ. I complained a lot during that season that it was too many jukebox musicals, and three of them had very similar plots. (And I also hated JLP's book...I complained a lot last year.) I love me some Jersey Boys, and am not against a jukebox musical, but ugh, give me some time to forget about the last one before the next. This season only has one (Girl from the North Country) (Dylan and that book are not for me either). Love to hear you breaking this down this much more thoughtfully than my complaints ever sound!

[@Erni3K]

I am up in Seattle and don't hold the entire touring Broadway series because same feelings as yours (I can split it with other events, thank heavens). These shows seem to do really well with audiences out in Tourland (at least my pals at the theater see bigger audiences) and they keep the doors open. Next season, all I am hoping for is Shucked.

[@tananario23]

⚪️

[@kristenhull2222]

Yes to Shucked! Hoping it comes to Phoenix next season, but can drive to Tucson in August if it doesn't. Crossing my fingers for you!

[@allyaloe777]

Hopefully this makes sense, but something I was thinking about after you mentioned it was the thought of how to make these new musicals appeal to a younger generation of audiences. Something I would like to ask is: isn't the whole point of theatre and art in general to expose us to different places, people and themes? I liked older vintage music as a teen and young adult and, while I know that's my POV, I wonder how many opportunities to discover something new are being missed out on due to producers and, at large corporations, trying to make everything as palatable as possible. I'd rather go to a theatre as a person in my late twenties and be surprised by what I discover than something predictable that already caters to me. For example, I'd love a Frank Sinatra musical and I think it would be great for younger people to find his music, same with the Bobby Darrin one. As a teen, I saw a Buddy Holly play (with music) and LOVED it despite not knowing who Buddy Holly was. It's a shame that ones like A Wonderful World aren't resonating. I really like Louis's music and would like to see it!

[@PS-DLMA]

I crewed an amateur production of BUDDY - i thought it was such a lovely show.

[@daaesviolin]

Totally agree with you!

[@Stars52505]

I love jukebox musicals lol! Really enjoy your channel! It is so fun and entertaining and informative! ❤

[@aschmarkl]

I’ve heard that Sinatra is aiming for early next season with Matt Doyle as Sinatra. I liked it when I saw it in Birmingham

[@mattm8895]

With audiances, I'm done with jukebox musicals. People feel that they paid money to sing along; I don't need that in my life. Althought I am going to see Mystic Pizza. But if people sit near me singing I will again say that I'm done with jukebox musicals ;)

[@matthewplampton955]

Controversially, I think Devil Wears Prada should have been a jukebox musical. They can work well if the book is strong. Patiently waiting for a decent Kylie jukebox musical...

[@MsJayteeListens]

I didn’t realise I wanted a Kylie jukebox musical until now.

[@KaiOpaka]

Singin' in the Rain is a jukebox musical. They dumped songs on the writers and said 'figure it out.' I think that's one reason it didn't get Best Picture, etc the year after An American in Paris (and inferior musical in the pantheon). I bet voters at the time weren't impressed with the level of originality.

[@daaesviolin]

I’m not the biggest fan of jukebox musicals and felt they were saturating the theatre space, BUT there are some fantastic ones out there. I hope we continue to get a good mix of original music and jukebox in the future.

[@karensmith1290]

You didn’t mention Jagged Little Pill - that show blew me away. Wish it had gotten more traction, though it did go on a US tour.

[@extatis]

Standing at the sky’s edge was great too !

[@TimothyRifenburg]

I frequent many jukebox musicals partly because I am familiar with the artist or music. Casting and story matter in some cases as well as reviews and word of mouth. Since I can only see a few shows in a year having something familiar to latch on to helps when I choose what to see. There was a period though where I got tired of the Bio song approach because there just seemed to be so many of them that were stylistically the same. (Summer, On Your Feet, Tina, etc) I recently took a bus load of High Schoolers to see & Juliet in NYC and it was the perfect musical for them because it had music and characters that were familiar, coupled with a story that went in a unique direction. For many students this was their first Broadway show and it was the perfect entry play for them. I enjoyed your thoughts on the Jukebox musical. Broadway is a gamble for investors, creators and the audience.

[@beltingtokra]

Return to the Forbidden Planet is the best jukebox musical i can think of. It's just so original and fun and totally underrated. We will rock you i have seen twice, it's excellent 👌 I was also in Buddy: the Buddy Holly Story which is more of a play with music but still good fun. I don't feel much for biopic musicals tbh, i don't want to see real life onstage, i want fiction!

[@graceramsey1544]

As someone who saw both Hells Kitchen and It’s a Wonderful World for the first time earlier this month here’s my two cents. I think it really comes down to the book of the show first off. Hells Kitchen, and &Juliet for example, both have super engaging stories that matter to young audiences. Whereas I was immediately sucked into Hells Kitchen, I was bored throughout probably the first 20-30 minutes of Louis Armstrong, when the story started to be more entertaining. Both Hells Kitchen and &Juliet have songs that seem to fit into the show. Like they were written for it to enhance it and make it more powerful. The same cannot be said for Its a Wonderful World, a show I still enjoyed, but cannot honestly say I was surprised when it announced its closing. Despite their differences I felt a similar way about Moulin Rouge (though there I was also disturbed by the female empowerment anthems sung by men). Not necessarily a bad thing, but feels problematic in the context of that particular show.

[@trinaq]

I generally enjoy Jukebox Musicals, since we're usually familiar with the songs, as opposed to original music. My favourite jukebox musicals are "All Shook Up", Tonight's The Night", "Mamma Mia", "Bat Out of Hell", and "& Juliet", since they're not biopics, but tell more original stories.

[@MsJayteeListens]

My abiding memory of We Will Rock You is when Galileo shouts ‘Hello Wembley’ the audience booed. (I saw the show in Glasgow). But I’ve always felt it was a show that actually could be a good musical, all the parts are there, but are badly put together. It’s a story of youth rebellion written by old men who weren’t that rebellious in their youth. I would love to see how young writers/directors could rework it. The interesting thing with And Juliet particularly on KZbin is the musicals fans who usually hate jukebox musicals but love that. Musical Hell and Howard Ho have both done videos on the subject. I think the bio musical will be popular while you have people who remember the artist or they are in the public conscious, but the ones with an unrelated story or a story that stands on it own even if you’re not a fan of the artist are the ones that will last.

[@WannabeDancer72]

Literally just watched Play On! this evening which is an adaptation of Twelth Night set to Duke Ellington's music and it was lovely

[@JackieWarner13]

I like jukebox musicals but maybe only ones I know most of the music from. I just counted and I've seen 8 jukebox musicals & I've been to 87 musicals (some are repeats though like &Juliet) Tina Turner musical has been touring Australia for a bit. Tina herself was huge in Australia so a lot of fans of hers are probably going. My mum doesn't like musicals but she came with me & my sister because she loves Tina(pretty sure she saw carol king musical too bc she likes carol so there we go) & Juliet went well in Australia sadly only did a few cities bc it had toured a while in Melbourne & Sydney but also other cities venues were booked out. They went to Perth & Singapore after Melbourne but Sydney had to wait after Singapore as we didn't have enough venues during that time. Saw Titanique the other week in Sydney & omg so fun. It hasn't announced if they're going to other cities yet sadly. It's at a venue I've never heard of or been to but I hope they do other shows there. Hopefully it tours other cities/has venues for it. It's done a good run it's been running in Sydney since Sept & goes until March. I know I'm from Australia but I didn't really know Louis Armstrong musical was a thing until you talked about it on your channel so maybe wasn't promoted well?

[@Makeji]

I'm hoping "Just in Time" will be a hit if only for Bobby Darin to look down from heaven and smile.

[@thomasmneff]

I know you can’t list them all, but I really had a soft spot for Connor McPherson‘s Bob Dylan “non-bio” jukebox, Girl From the North Country, which premiered at the old Vic and then opened at the West End in 2018, then transferred to Broadway in 2020 through 2022 and got thoroughly murdered by the pandemic obviously, in fact it returned to the Belasco for another 50-odd performances a few months later as Broadway got its head back together. Dylan told McPherson he could use anything he wanted, and the result was very beautiful and interesting, with a prominent non-singing part performed in London by the one and only Ciarán Hinds, and on Broadway by Jay O. Sanders. Probably too soon to revive it, but I will go if and when they do.

[@Pianoslave1]

I can only hope the jukebox musical is dying. Most of them feel lazy and that I could have gotten the same or more enjoyment by just listening to the music at home as opposed to paying for a theater ticket and seeing another dime a dozen biography plot.

[@jklein0079]

I was thinking about that the other day that biopics are really in right now for movies and especially musicals with Jersey Boys to A Beautiful Noise, Bob Gaudio helped write both interestingly. It's easier I guess because you already have your music, then you just need a story. To be honest, & Juliet wasn't really for me, I felt it was like if Disney Channel tried to make its own version of Moulin Rouge. I did enjoy the "It's my life" song at the end of Act 1. Jukebox musicals are abundant: I really like American Idiot, Jagged Little Pill, and a Beautiful Noise, but they're probably on the downtrend, but then again, what's really "in" with theater? It's seems to be musicals adapted from known nonmusical books and movies (Outsiders, Great Gatsby, Death Becomes her) are "in"

[@DanteMustLearn]

Are we tired of them maybe but honestly the best shows I've seen recently are jukebox musicals. Here I come again (dolly Parton) hit me in away I didn't know it would . Here and now (STEPS) so fun !!

[@theswiftieteacher]

As someone who saw a flop jukebox musical, Heartbreak Hotel, in Chicago previews, they don’t feel developed enough plot wise sometimes.

[@metsogrand]

Soon I will be going to " Now that's What I call a Musical ' I do not expect much . I was telling a fellow walker about ' Oliver ' He said his wife was at ' Mary Poppins ' and really loved it .Not my bag really , HOW WRONG I WAS . I loved it and would recommend it to all .I have seen a fair amount of Jukebox musicals and liked them . None of them were A "West Side Story " but as they fill theatres . There is room for all sorts of music and song on stage .

[@PS-DLMA]

BRAVA on the flowchart!!!!

[@Erni3K]

They do well on tour. Very well. People recognize the tunes, that are usually not very challenging to listen to. A fun evening out.

[@dukeofrodtown1705]

Jukebox musicals need a renaissance! But yeah, many people are frustrated that less original productions are being made, and I agree with that point though revivals and jukebox musicals need the same love as newer shows. Producers need to combine the feel-good hits of yesteryear with a good book, and IMHO that's basically what only some of 'em, save the Jersey Boys original producers, Temptations, Carole King, MJ, Tina, etc. knew how to do.

[@lindsayriddle2167]

Wonderful World played in NOLA for a time I believe - I wonder if that audience was better than the one I witnessed in NYC? The show has its flaws, but not having the right audience was the worst part.

[@PS-DLMA]

Moulin Rouge and Priscilla Queen Of The Desert are both in the realm of jukebox but as the 3rd branch of the style of show (you listed the.other 2 branches)

[@VeronikaHer]

The only jukebox musical I genuinely did not enjoy was Cruel Intentions at the other palace. I feel like generally, jukebox musicals are easy crowd pleasers and when they can put an interesting spin on it, like Just fir One day did, it's a winner 💪🏼

[@IV2000]

I felt the opposite. Loved Cruel Intentions, the songs were so well placed. On the other hand &Juliet is one of the worst things I've ever seen, was ridiculously cringey

[@theswiftieteacher]

The 9 to 5 commentary had me laughing 😂

[@comicbookwednesdays]

Even though I'm not a fan of jukebox musicals, I would love to see a Wizard of Oz musical to the songs from Dark Side of the Moon

[@sarathompson-hall]

Mirvish in Toronto just announced the next season, and 3/7 are jukebox musicals (MJ, &Juliet, A Beautiful Noise). I personally find this to be too many jukebox musicals in a single season. I find it interesting that on Broadway it's the biomusicals that have been succeeding, when the jukebox musicals I prefer, use the music to tell a fresh story. Hopefully the trend swings that way. On the plus side, one of the others is Shucked.

[@yankee04]

@sarathompson-hall @mickeyjotheatre & Juliet isn’t a typical jukebox musical. Check out Howard Ho’s breakdown about why & Juliet works. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nF7Pppygjp2cqbM

[@etherealtb6021]

I have been for a while. The songs always feel wedged into a "plot". Except for Jagged Little Pill. I had to keep reminding myself those songs were 30 years old, not written for the show!

[@eslermanu47]

I would not go to a jukebox Musical and that includes MAMA MIA I HATE THEM .

[@extatis]

Oh what a night got covered in French. Then they covered the cover in the 2000 😅

[@anthonywilliams5423]

Have the framed Playbills behind you always been unevenly situated on the background mat? Do I need to adjust my meds? The room is spinning, but it always does. I’ll check with the voices. Sorry to bother . . .

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

@@anthonywilliams5423 they haven't, but gravity is a cruel and fickle mistress - mostly I try not to notice 🙃

[@mts7130]

I wonder if Mystic Pizza should be a separate jukebox musical category, because it's based on a film. So, it has a known IP.

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

@@mts7130 same as Moulin Rouge.

[@Kristine_202]

TIL that "Hell's Kitchen" was a jukebox musical. LOL I thought that Alicia Keys wrote a musical just like Sara Bareilles wrote a musical. I didn't know it was Alicia's old music. I know they're popular, but I hate jukebox musicals. I can't think of a single one that I've ever liked. I did enjoy the film version of "Moulin Rouge," but my favorite song was still "Come What May." There are so many fantastic composers working right now. To me, a jukebox musical is kind of lazy. Hell, I wrote a few as a child. I would listen to an album and come up with a story that weaved all of the songs together into a story. (And they actually weren't that bad.) It's similar to how I feel about popular music. I prefer singer/songwriters. IMO, a good singer who doesn't write their own music isn't as impressive as someone who writes all of their own stuff. There's a reason that Taylor Swift is the biggest musician in the world. It all starts with good songwriting. And, don't get me wrong, I love Alicia Keys' music, I've just heard it all already. Give me something new. Like "Waitress." Such an amazing show and I can't wait to see what Sara does next.

[@chuckoneill2023]

I think it's about the story. Jersey Boys has run constantly, in different venues. It has a decent story. Mamma Mia has a decent (though silly) story. Some of the others, it's about just the music. I don't think Louis Armstrong is still recognizable to modern audiences. Maybe, if they could mount a production in New Orleans -- I just don't know if there's a suitable venue. In New Orleans, the live music venues are clubs, not theaters. So, a production of a Louis Armstrong musical, in the kind of venues he actually performed in?

[@copticstu]

I saw Wonderful World and knew it wouldn’t last. It made the central character very unsympathetic-it’s the first biomusical where at the interval I decided I didn’t like the shallow cheating self obsessed central character. Also Louis Armstrong is not that well known nowadays-certainly not enough to draw in people who are not already fans. Key life plot points were not explained just mentioned and then swiftly moved past. One key decision for a biomusical is how much of the character’s life do you focus on. Two hours is not that long to tell anything other than a very simple story, especially factoring in the time needed for the songs. The alternative is to focus on an aspect of the character’s personality/story and not trying to rush through a whole life in two hours. Or of course just pack a show with good songs that people want to hear, forget about the theatrical aspect, and just essentially put on a tribute concert evening (which brings with it the drunken karaoke audience). My fav bio is Jersey Boys. It really focuses on the bands interpersonal issues, the fall into debt and the climb out. Heavy stuff wrapped up in great songs. I loved the recent Dolly Parton based Here You Come Again. A book musical with Dolly singing Dolly songs, not to tell her life, not to advance a plot, but to add emotional depth to key points in the plot. Genuinely moving.

[@Roadtripper5432]

I'm not a fan of Jukebox musicals. If I want to hear the artist's songs, I will listen that person, not a cover. My only exceptions are Mamma Mia and Boy From Oz, as I heard that music before the original.

[@RaymondNYC1]

Before watching past the intro, I'll weigh in w. my two cents before watching the rest: Most people who are familiar w. Louis Armstrong are dead; whereas Alicia Keys is a currently popular artist. That's why shows like Hell's Kitchen, & Juliet and MJ The Musical are doing well (not to mention they're good shows), whereas A Wonderful World closed. For the same reason, I have a feeling that the upcoming Bobby Darin musical won't do well either - the average person doesn't know who Darin was. So the Jonathan Groff fans will go see it, but my guess is outside of them, it'll struggle to find an audience. OK, now I'll watch the rest of the video to see if our opinions align! lol

[@jamesrooney4839]

Sabrina Carpenter would be good for Dolly musical

[@PS-DLMA]

Mickey - luv ya BUT it is my opinion Jersey Boys would not have succeeded had Hugh Jackman not won they tony the year prior for THE BOY FROM OZ, the bio Peter Allen

[@keaganterry6916]

Great Gatsby, yet again, getting snubbed for awards

[@MickeyJoTheatre]

@@keaganterry6916 ...for the Grammy?

[@SergieRachmaninoff]

Yeah I just can't do jukebox musicals any more. I honestly haven't been impressed by a single one.

[@patiencekillz]

i’m just annoyed that a jukebox musical won the grammy

[@extatis]

Moulin rouge is so bad. The new medleys are terrible.

[@mattdaaamon]

So I have been to many of these shows on Broadway and wanted to make a few points. And a few of these points you alluded to but I would be a bit more direct. 1. I don't think the decision to make a jukebox musical has anything due to success lor lack of success. I think it is related to the show being actually good and the current popularity of said music. 2. Jazz is dead. The Louie Armstrong musical although above average was DOA unless it had rave reviews. 3. A beautiful noise did prove that you can at least survive for a while with minimal good critical reviews if you do target an extremely limited market of a (literally) dying fanbase. I do not believe this a format future producers will want to take a risk on. 4. Hell's kitchen and MJ have a Crosspoint where the shows are well rated enough to increase sales yet still be critically underrated as majorly reviewed by mostly non black critics. Also both shows I thought blew the doors off of other shows in regards to total vocal talent. This is probably some combination of pride for talented people wanting to work on black ensemble shows and actual more limited options for talented black performers. In the case of MJ in particular the concert experience of the show is an opportunity for a generation of black people to experience what seeing him would be like live who will never otherwise have the opportunity to do so. 5. The success of &Juliet has much less to do with the jukebox format and mostly to do with it being a prime show for the lgbtq+ community and generally women audience willing to spend big bucks on a night out and the fact that it was comedically strong (again enhancing the night out vibes). The importance of the songwriter in this case is that they have enough hits that are popular to fit things in that they work well enough to keep the wo high energy.

[@wonderfaller]

Let's hope NOT!

[@pseudonymous9153]

Let's hope SO!

[@yankee04]

Very interesting. Much appreciated. I think & Juliet did better than most is because it’s not a bio musical. That formula is getting old. Not sure how well On Your Feet did on Broadway, but it did tour at least briefly in the US. Will be interesting to see if Buena Vista Social Club does well or not, but given that it is a transfer from off Broadway, they must think it is worth it. The album was hugely successful and won at least 1 Latin Grammy. Good observation about Just in Time.