The Soundtrack of Broadway: Jukebox Musicals and Their Impact on the American Theatre Landscape. 

Jacob Sinsky

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Comunicación

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From the opening of Mamma Mia! in London’s West End in 1999, the number of stage musicals using the soundtrack of another artist’s catalogue increased from less than ten in the entirety of the 1990s, to nearly 40 in the 2000s, and nearly 50 in 2010s. Mama Mia! Is often considered the inflection point for the jukebox musical. A jukebox musical is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “a play or film that includes many well-known songs by a particular singer, songwriter, or group.” Since the turn of the century, jukebox musicals have been produced in the United States professional theatre circuit using the music of artists from Michael Jackson to Alanis Morisette, from Gloria Estefan to Green Day, from Alicia Keys to Neil Diamond. What does this sudden uptick in the production of jukebox musicals say about the changing preferences and expectations of audiences, the role of the composer in the creation of new theatrical work, and the future of the staged musical in the United States? In the form of a PowerPoint presentation, I intend to present examples of musical theatre works before and after the turn of the century and analyze their critical reception and public success. I will talk about the importance of nostalgia in theatergoers when considering music preferences as well as the impacts on musical theatre performance education in conservatories and universities. Using this context, I will predict the effects on the future of this important artform and the changing role of the composer