This was another exciting Monday on Broadway. We visited with General Managers and Producers, and learned all about the “business” side of show biz. We heard about the kinds of things general managers look for in shows that make them easy or hard to produce, such as: cast size, cast diversity, scenic requirements, lighting requirements, automation requirements, and so on and so forth. We heard from an actual Broadway producer about the process of deciding how and when to close a show, and the proper etiquette when it comes to informing a company of closure.
Later in the day, we visited with William Ivey Long, a tony award winning costume designer, from North Carolina, who has designed such shows as Hairspray, Chicago, Catch Me If You Can, Young Frankenstein, Dreamgirls, and The Producers. We even had the opportunity to hold one of the “pearl” dresses from The Producers. Seeing William’s process laid out in front of us was quite spectacular.
However, my favorite part of the day was our talk with the lead man on the advertising team for The Book of Mormon. He told us about their very unique strategy to keep people coming to see the show, which is to keep it a mystery. He explained that it is very hard to find images or video from the show, and that was on purpose. The entire “Mormon” campaign is simply a list of big, bold critic reviews, and perhaps a picture of a cast member wearing their costume. We even got to watch a TV spot for the show, and it got me thinking about something else. Wicked, which is one of the most successful shows of this decade, seems to take the opposite approach when it comes to advertising… They give away their best moment in almost every TV ad. There is Elphaba, belting “Defying Gravity”, and it doesn’t have anything close to the effect that it does when seen live. I have posted two ads below, one for Mormon, the other for Wicked. See if you can tell the difference. We clearly know what we are going to pay for with Wicked, but with Mormon, it is impossible to tell.
hjeffords 