A Broadway hit doesn’t always necessarily translate to a universal hit. There have been many musicals that opened in New York City, but when they premiered in London’s West End, they failed to ignite with audiences. In some cases, it was the production that floundered and the show proved to be a hit at a later date. Here are some musicals that were hits in NYC, but initially failed in the West End.
What do you do when Charles Dickins begins writing a murder mystery story, but never finishes it? You turn it into a musical, of course, and let the audience vote at each performance to decide which character they want to be the culprit. That is exactly what Rupert Holmes did when wrote the musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The musical, sometimes abbreviated to simply “Drood,” is an interactive experience for audiences, making it Broadway’s most original whodunit.
This might seem like a ridiculous subject for a piece about Broadway showtunes, but the more I thought about it, the more fascinated I became by the subject. In songwriting, there is no copyright on titles, so titles can repeat. I can sit down and write a song about Broadway and remembering fondly, then title it “Give My Regards to Broadway.” As long as the music and lyrics are different, it is perfectly acceptable (and legal) to do so. This got me thinking: what showtunes are there that share the same title? It turns out, there are several. Here is a sampling of some that I found.
The other day, I wrote a Part One exploring musical with compelling structures. Today, I continue that list with five more shows that take an unconventional approach to musical theatre storytelling.
