At first glance, the Walton Arts Center's just announced 2017-18 Broadway season might seem very traditional -- mostly musicals that might fairly be called "chestnuts."
But Scott Galbraith, the new vice president for programming, would respectfully disagree with that assessment.
Galbraith, who comes to WAC from a career as an actor, singer, marketer, arts producer and arts executive, says it is "a beautifully put together season." And more than meets the eye.
The season opener, Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I," illustrates how to build an understanding between two very different cultures and how a strong woman is often behind a man's success. "Cabaret" is, of course, very timely, with fears of the loss of art and culture on the rise in the United States -- and it's a newcomer to the WAC stage, where it has never been presented. "Rent" comes with an "inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear" and a "celebration of friendship and creativity." And "The Sound of Music" is set during the rise of the Third Reich in Germany.
"These are not shows without social commentary," Galbraith says. "They've been homogenized over time, but when you go back to the core material, they're kind of challenging."
That doesn't mean the season is intended as a serious statement of anything, Galbraith hastens to add, although he hopes one day that themes might run through a year of WAC programming. But it does mean that national tastes are turning toward traditional shows -- among them "White Christmas" and the fresh-from-Broadway revival of "An American in Paris," which Galbraith calls "poetry on stage."
"It's just so beautifully done, it really elevates the artform in a way that allows people to approach modern ballet without even knowing it," he says.
Of course, every year, creating the season requires "balancing new titles with some chestnuts" to make for something "slightly more challenging." For 2017-18, the new titles include "Finding Neverland," the winner of Broadway.com's Audience Choice Award for Best Musical, and "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical," the true story of the singer's rise to stardom. It debuted on Broadway in 2014.
Bringing the shows together as a season -- "The King and I," "Finding Neverland," "An American in Paris," "Beautiful" and "The Sound of Music" are the core offering, with patrons able to choose among "White Christmas," "Cabaret" and "Rent" as their sixth selection -- appeals to the "curate your own experience" that suits today's ticket buyers, Galbraith says.
"The heart and soul demographic to Broadway across the country is usually in that 45-plus, female decision making, post-secondary education" slice of audience, he says. Bringing in more diverse patronage comes with single ticket sales that come with diverse programming. Shows like the new season's each appeal to a different segment of the community, so each of them "has its potential" to build audience, Galbraith adds.
"Variety is what I ultimately look for," he says. "I kind of believe that particularly when it comes to growing audiences, people have a natural tendency to flock toward things they self-identify with. So make sure you have artforms on your stage people can self-identify with. The shorthand version is to make sure not all the shows look like me."
NAN What's Up on 03/10/2017