http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10235/1081725-325.stm?cmpid=entertainment.xml
The above takes you to an interview with Hal Prince, a 60 year veteran of producing and directing Broadway musicals. He has several worthwhile observations, but to me the most poignant is the comment that producers are providing artistic patronage (versus the corporate attitude for monetary results). Broadway has changed dramatically in the 20 years since I entered the business, and I do believe that the Hollywood corporate influx has done nothing of lasting value for the product. I am all for taking great ideas from all sectors (making musicals out of plays, for example), but you must do it right. The artistry is the only lasting legacy -- a star will sell a ticket in the short term, the artistry will make it last. Corporate short-term gains will obliterate the landscape -- as a pretty face has little transformational capacity. The 21st century, post-recession audience is no longer looking for a quick fix, but rather a long-lasting, communal, transformational, experience.
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