BS: How to write a Broadway smash

Subject: BS: How to write a Broadway smash
From: Donuel
Date: 30 Nov 05 - 10:47 AM

My old musician friend Muddy Lips Rivers taught me all I know.
I once asked him what makes a Broadway hit.

He said don't start with art, talent or greatness!
Start with a demographic age group that has money to see something.

With that median age count back to the years they would have been 15-25.

With these years in mind , find a rock group in toothless decline or TV series / comedy to base a show.

Make a slick TV ad far superior the the actual show and drag the act city to city.

Old Muddy lips sure knew his shit.

What we have mostly today are revivals on top of re-revivals.

As long as you give it a slightly new twist you have a fair chance of success.

I just happen to have a modest example here...

"Airplanes and buildings and girls with explosives
Bull dozers dozing old houses with roses
Bethlehem burning as fire rains down
Peace loving people now litter the ground

When the bus blows
when free speech goes
when the press is blind

these are a few of the hideous things
when hatred is seen as fine."

Subject: RE: BS: How to write a Broadway smash
From: Wesley S
Date: 30 Nov 05 - 11:06 AM

"Hey Hey We're the Monkees Musical"

"Kansas - A Musical in the Wind"

"Boston - On Broadway"

Coming to a theater near you ?

Subject: RE: BS: How to write a Broadway smash
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 30 Nov 05 - 11:07 AM

" taught me all I know"

And what did you do with the ramaining 23 hours and 58 minutes of that day?

oh... right... you're doing it

Subject: RE: BS: How to write a Broadway smash
From: M.Ted
Date: 30 Nov 05 - 12:15 PM

The formula these days is to take movies and music that were popular--well, look at the recent hits:

Spamalot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Movin' Out(an ode to Billy Joel), and the show about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons that I can't think of the name of--

MY BIG IDEA: "Animal House, the Musical"--

Subject: RE: BS: How to write a Broadway smash
From: Donuel
Date: 30 Nov 05 - 12:15 PM

Try wearing a wind breaker instead of being one.

Subject: RE: BS: How to write a Broadway smash
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 30 Nov 05 - 12:24 PM

Too close to the truth eh Donuel....   Shall we call whine-one-one and have them send a whhambulance for you?

Subject: RE: BS: How to write a Broadway smash
From: Donuel
Date: 30 Nov 05 - 02:30 PM

revival of Cats as RATS.

Subject: RE: BS: How to write a Broadway smash
From: Ebbie
Date: 30 Nov 05 - 04:51 PM

"Start with a demographic age group that has money to see something.
With that median age count back to the years they would have been 15-25.
With these years in mind , find a rock group in toothless decline or TV series / comedy to base a show.
Make a slick TV ad far superior the the actual show and drag the act city to city." Donuel

Many Amish, for instance, have plenty of money- that is your demographic group, and they range in age from 1 year to 95. Count back to when most of them were 15-25; that would mean hits from 1923 to 1933.

Now go to work and make your film. They aren't going to see it. They won't even see the slick TV ads. Sorry. *G*

Subject: RE: BS: How to write a Broadway smash
From: alanabit
Date: 01 Dec 05 - 08:06 AM

Mel Brooks "The Producers" showed the way. Write something in bad enough taste and success is unavoidable.