Broken Record: The 21st Century Musical

Olivier Awards Best New Musical category proves a letdown for creativity

As we approach the much anticipated 2022 Olivier Awards ceremony on the 10th of April, a year defined by its stellar competition in categories such as Best Musical Revival and Best Actress in a Musical and including acting nominees such as Eddie Redmayne and Sutton Foster. However, it is a year in which the category for Best New Musical falls short. Upon looking at the nominations for this year, I among others were disheartened to see that the five musicals nominated lacked original source material, being either a jukebox musical or being based off a film. The five musicals being: Back to The Future, Moulin Rouge, Frozen, The Drifter’s Girl and Get Up Stand Up! While this is not a discredit to these shows, it does pose the question: has musical theatre lost its creativity?

In recent years, Jukebox musicals have divided many critics and musical theatre fans alike, citing their lack of musical originality and more less taking the copy and paste option. For many others, Jukebox musicals bring people, particularly older generations back to their youth hearing their favourite songs performed on stage, especially with musicals like Mamma Mia and Jersey Boys. Jukebox musicals are often a commercial success given they entice both fans of the music and theatre goers. Therefore, if these shows are generating money for an industry that was crippled by the pandemic, should we really complain?

I have seen many jukebox musicals in my time, some good and some mediocre. One thing I will say is that there is a buzz with these shows, we sit back and admittedly sing under our breath, waiting tirelessly for the show’s finale when we can get up and dance in a sudden rush of euphoria. This is, however, a blessing and a curse. Jukebox musicals fuel terrible theatre ettiquette. In February, The Edinburgh Playhouse faced the brunt of this with their run of Bat Out of Hell, featuring the music of late musician Meatloaf. Staff reportedly faced anti-social behaviour from drunk patrons after being reprimanded for singing too loud. Theatre is expensive most of the time, we pay to see performers on stage and not to hear an echo of I’d Do Anything For Love’. This is a key problem with jukebox musicals that hinders the performers onstage and can ruin a theatrical experience. It is almost frustrating to see these take up most of the Best New Musical category as witnessing a musical with original source material is a far different experience. With a new story and music unknown to you, you can allow yourself to be fully immersed without being sidetracked by your all-time favourite song.

With musicals based on movies, there can be a greater scope for creativity within the show’s music. Nominated musical Back To The Future based on the 1985 blockbuster film of the same name, features a mostly original score with songs like The Power of Love, taken from the film, being integrated within the show. While the show has received many positive reviews, many critics have reacted coldly to the new music, Arifa Akbar from The Guardian wrote of the songs: “they feel thin and slightly un- necessary at times”. It does seem that because fans of these films hold them close to their heart, they may be unwelcoming to certain elements such as new music, though this does not diminish the score’s creative material.

I want to make this clear—this is not an attack on these types of shows, but rather this year’s Olivier Awards put me into a mode of reflection. Ultimately, I value all the nominated shows and I believe the reviews speak for themselves. Although, it has struck me that ‘original’ musicals have been shoved out of the limelight in recent years. Even in the last Olivier Awards, Best New Musical winner Dear Evan Hansen was the only nominated musical with original source material.

Perhaps it is time that the industry stop being so concerned with the commercial quality of a musical rather than its creative material and then we may see more diverse and endearing musical theatre.