Theatre - The Unsinkable

Ian Ridgway* and Jennifer Harker, Reed College of Media, West Virginia University, Morgantown, Wv 26506

Field (Broad Category): Film/Photography Studies (Human Engagement) 

Student’s Major: Advertising 

T heatre has been the anchor that will not sink. Sure, theatre districts have struggled from time-to-time, however, every so often there is that one show that comes along and enlivens not only Broadway but even the silver screen. Recently, Hamilton was the boost Broadway was looking for but the lingering question it raises is: “Why was Hamilton so popular with audiences?” A show that was representative of a high-class status symbol now can become affordable to the masses, but how will this show compare to other “Broadway-to-silver-screen” adaptations? This research compares Hamilton to other popular Broadway shows, like Wicked which also is in talks to hit the silver screen in 2021, and explores both in relation to those Broadway hits that have already hit the big screen: Les Misérables and Cats. This research content analyzes critics’ reviews in the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times regarding all four Broadway productions, as well as the Les Misérables and Cats movies. Since critics’ reviews can be important to a film’s longevity in theatres (Souza et al., 2019). Given that Les Mis was a success and Cats a catastrophic failure that had the same director for both, the data collected will analyze how critics and audiences reacted to these shows in a positive and negative light. Due to the subject matter of both Hamilton and Wicked, it allows for two big box office successes within Broadway’s transfer to Hollywood. 

Funding: 

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: My efforts were mainly voluntary.