It’s true that a picture says a thousand words and if you are a Billboard buyer in Times Square, you better hope that image also leads to a million dollars as well!
A quick peer around the posters for shows, both present and past, made me wonder whether musicals have been done a disservice by not creating more compelling and personally interesting promotional materials to have on display for millions of tourists to see. It seems so many shows currently on the Great White Way are represented by illustrations and artworks which fail to show off one of their greatest assets, the performers themselves. It’s obvious you can’t have the score blaring from the billboard but you could sure have a charismatic leading woman or man staring down at you to engage those standing in the TKTS lines. While productions with marquee names are happy to invest in promotional materials featuring their star, those who aren’t pulling from the celebrity quotient are often marketing their wares without showing off their personnel.
Could we make Broadway stars household names by featuring them on the collateral more? You can barely read two blogs without someone bemoaning the rise and rise of the celebrity infiltration of Broadway. This is a proven money-maker for producers so can’t be criticised but if more was done to visually grow the profiles of theatre’s “homegrown” stars, could they more quickly rise to being capable of attracting audience dollars?
There of course is the argument that the show is a bigger brand than the stars within it and invariably, actors will come and go but the visual branding can remain the same. A great example of this is the globally-used image for Wicked.
Despite having some of the musical theatre industry’s biggest names walk the boards in their leading roles, promotion for the show has traditionally featured this image rather than those who have appeared in the roles including Broadway luminaries Kristen Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Stephanie J. Block not to mention a host of sporting spunks in the Fiyero role.
It’s true that this musical will probably close its door when Connick leaves the fold but it got me to thinking about whether that personal face, that enticing expression could be an asset to all Broadway shows, even the ones who haven’t yet had a guest starring role on Glee or Gossip Girl to grow their profile. Surely the more recognisable their faces, the more everyone benefits from the buzz and excitement that comes with that familiarity.
Maybe it’s all part of the creative genius or maybe we could subscribe to the theory that people only know what you tell them. Tell them they are going to see some stars and maybe they’ll believe it.
TIDBITS:
Times Square image: Photographerglen
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