A LESSON IN OFF-BROADWAY...
Published 2010-04-01
Everyone knows of the bright lights of Broadway. Whether it be your Average Joe from Brooklyn or your Midwest Housewife, Broadway is a word which needs no definition. Just the world alone brings its admirers back to the old show tunes of now Broadway revivals and fills their imaginations with picturesque scenes of talented actresses as they snake out of the stage door, dressed to the nines, as they slyly slip into their awaiting limos. It is understood what Broadway is and those who are either struggling artists or simply theatre lovers, understand its roots, where it came from. But what about the theatre not located in the ten block radius from 40th to 50th st. on the "Great White Way?" What of the theatre not presented in cathedral like buildings, surrounded by an orchestra and and seats which float above the audience? What about Off-Broadway?
It seems, when mentioned, most New Yorkers are very familiar with this scene. That is, the Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway scene. Theatres which now sometimes provide their Broadway counterpart today with some of the most dazzling musicals and riveting plays. An industry, in my opinion, which deserves more credit and attention. But, to understand this view, you have to look back and see what brought these theatres to life. What was breathed into them and what sweat was poured into their seats to perhaps bring some of not only the most heart felt and moving plays, but to birth some of the greatest actors and actresses along with talented directors through its womb.
"Off Broadway," as a concept, roughly began between the late 19th century and early 20th century, defined mostly by their Vaudeville and Burlesque acts. In addition to these experimental works of art, some Off-Broadway theatres also housed tours of Broadway shows, both not only to try out the new Broadway acts, but to bring to everyone not located on the "Great White Way" Broadway caliber shows. Many of these theatres housed only 99-500 people, which is relatively small compared to the capability of a 2,000 seat Broadway theatre. Also, many of these theatres did not have stages which rised above its audience and instead were what we now call a "black box" theatre. That is a theatre in which the audience is practically sitting on the stage with its performers and if one were to reach out, it is likely their arm would be a new addition to the play. That is, if the play were actually being preformed in a theatre. With most of the actors and directors struggling to make ends meet, especially during the Great Depression, many of these shows would actually be preformed in downtown store fronts or any open space, no matter the size, that could be found. Despite their poverty, with the need to be able to express themselves artistically, many performers focused on experimental pieces, rather than musicals. This being a dangerous feat, considering that those productions which were not only more popular with the people but were making money where those which were musicals. And perhaps it could be argued that it was because these Off-Broadway shows were just that, Off-Broadway, and the reason they were not popular were because they were not running on Broadway stages. That may be, but in my opinion, it is that during the time of War or a Great economical struggle, the last thing an audience wants to see is a show that reminds them of reality, but instead something like Sally, starring Marilyn Miller or No No Nanette, which houses a popular show tune by the name of "Two for Tea." But, like history has seen before, when convention becomes the norm, chaos must ensue. Surprisingly enough, with all of this experimentation and barrier breaking theatre surmounting on the outskirts off Broadway, in 1924 Off- Broadway finally made its mark on its big sister's stage. Shuffle Along, which starred Eubie Blake and was the first successful African American musical to hit the Broadway stage, was one of the few musicals being produced on the Off-Broadway stage and became a success at the 63rd st Musical Hall where it ran for 484 performances. Still, it would not be until the 1950's and there after that musicals would become common on the Off-Broadway stage.
Beginning in the 1940's, Off-Broadway, despite it's half-a-century stamp on American Theatre, started to really take off as a movement. Not that it wasn't before an institution dedicated to producing unconventional theatre, but in reaction to the now called "Golden Age of Broadway," many artists started to go against the commercialism of Broadway, where as before, Broadway and Off-Broadway were theatres which co-existed within the same realm. That being that these theatres were both budding and were gaining popularity, but when the 1930's and 1940's hit, and Hollywood started coming to Broadway for material, the financial state of Broadway boomed. Everyone wanted to go see the spectacular musicals on Broadway that they saw coming through their television screens and wanted to also see the Lunts, the Fontaines, and all of the famous actors and actresses perform on stage, live in front of their faces. It was like the 7th ave, Broadway split, two theatres going in completely different directions. While Off-Broadway was always for producing theatre that was exceptionally different that it's conservative sister, now, the force for which it's artists operated was at an exceptional rate. Their was a constant drive, nay a need, to introduce new plays, playwrights, and the desire to revive plays which were originally unsuccessful on Broadway, such as the Eugene O' Neill play The Icewoman Cometh. Off Broadway was becoming a mecca of underground entertainment. A place where someone could go to see a show which would challenge them, where they could see something that they had never seen before. That was the real driving force of this scene. The fact that no one was afraid to voice any opinion, to showcase their nightmares or their fantastical dreams, or to challenge the very essence of what a "play" should look, sound, or be written like. It would be the same theatre that would introduce to the world such actors as Jason Robards, an American actor famous for not only winning a Tony, and Academy award, but also an Emmy, Colleen Dewhurst, known as the "Queen of Off-Broadway," Dustin Hoffman, and Al Pacino.
As Off-Broadway neared the 1960's and 1970's, it became less experimental, an obvious side effect of its ever growing popularity within the theatre community and New York in general. As production costs rose to put on plays with the ability to compete with Broadway, more and more conventional plays arouse in Off-Broadway playhouses. The lines of Broadway and Off-Broadway begun to blur, as many Off-Broadway shows began to make their move onto Broadway. Some shows being Grease, Little Shop of Horrors, A Chorus Line, and Godspell. Later others would include Rent, Nunsence, Avenue Q, Urinetown, and within the past couple of years, Spring Awakening and soon to come Bare. With Off-Broadway teetering away from its roots, Off-Off Broadway swooped in to quickly replace it. Once again, it's main objective was to zero in on anything new and unusual, to once again strive to move away from commercialism and to create theatre which many producers would think twice to back on Broadway. Some of its performance spaces were odd and a bit unusual; churches, lofts, and even warehouses are used to set up shop for a performance. Absolute freedom from financial dependability from the masses became accustomed to the Off-Broadway way of life. Many of the actors, directors, and even spaces were voluntary and participatory. These were artists who were not concerned about becoming faces or filling their bank accounts, but those who simply wanted to be involved with theatre and surround themselves with individuals who wanted to do the same. And even though Off-Broadway had wandered a bit, there still were those theatres who, like their Off-Off Broadway family, that still stood for progressive theatre. Some groups that stood for this during the 1960's and 1970's and who were not afraid to showcase plays that were sometimes extreme, political plays which attacked traditional american views and involvements in Wars were The Living Theatre, created in 1946 by Julian Beck and Judith Malina, the Open Theatre, created in 1963 by Joseph Chaikin (1935-2003), and the Performance Group, formed in 1968 by Richard Schechner. All of which were/are dedicated to pushing the envelope and challenging the way in which we think as a society.
From the century that Off-Broadway and the 50+ years Off-Off Broadway has been around, it can be said that there contribution to the theatre community is so far beyond, that words could not express its importance. These theatres have given us actors, writers, directors which have dedicated their lives to making theatre what it is today and who have inspired us to never stop asking questions or trying new ways in which to get our message, whatever it may be, across. It is without these outlets that we would be doomed. As humans we need a place to be free, to not be concerned with bills or spouses, but to just be in the moment and to express ourselves as we see fit. Theatre, especially those Off of Broadway is what allows us to be who we really are. Innovators, explorers, and at our very core...Human.
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