Ken Davenport - Opinions from a Broadway Producer

Starry, Starry Night!

Below is a list of the longest running shows in Broadway history:

1.  The Phantom of the Opera
2.  Cats
3.  Les Miserables
4.  A Chorus Line
5.  Oh!  Calcutta!
6.  Beauty and the Beast
7.  Rent
8.  Chicago
9.  Miss Saigon
10.  The Lion King

What do 9 of these 10 shows have in common?

Not one of them opened with a Star.

Make the show the Star.  That's the key to a long runner.  In a new show, stars are nothing but expensive insurance policies for those who lack the confidence in their own material.  Stars make us lazy.  And they ask for crazy things like special luxury wallpaper (true story).

And once you go Star, you can never go back.  Save the Stars for the revivals (like the 1 out of the 10 above) because they need them.

Now, look back at that list . . . how many musical theater Stars were born from the shows above?  I count at least as many as there are shows on that list.

Make Stars, don't count on them.

Is "Vanity" a sin?

I got into a discussion about "Vanity Projects" today.

I've thought about this term before, because I'm sure some people have called my shows VPs.  I do wear a lot of hats on my shows at times, depending on the scope and size of the project, and, to be honest, how much is in the budget (I work cheap when I'm negotiating with myself) and who else is available.

But what really is a Vanity Project?

A Vanity Project is a term used to describe shows that don't work, AFTER they don't work.  It's the entertainment industry's version of Monday morning quarterbacking.

Has anyone ever called Rocky a Vanity Project?  Sly wrote and starred in the first one (winning an Oscar), and wrote, starred and directed the rest of the series (except for Rocky V, where he let the original director get behind the camera again).

How about Star Wars?  Written and Directed by Mr. Lucas.

Hedwig?  No.

Rent?  Nope.

In The Heights?  Don't think so.

In My Life?  (alarm goes off)  Most people in Shubert Alley would say yes.

Collaboration is why I love the theatre.  But that doesn't mean that wearing a few hats is a bad thing, as long as you deliver.

So no, Vanity is not a sin.

But sucking definitely is.

What the #&$@ is my job, anyway?

I've been lucky enough to speak on a number of panels lately, and one of the most common questions I get is, "What does a producer actually do?"

It usually takes me about fifteen minutes to explain how a producer's job may vary from raising money to selling merchandise to giving notes to a director to explaining to a hair dresser that the star of the show doesn't want her in her dressing room because her feet smell. (True story)

And after that fifteen minute lecture, my other panelists are usually ready to gag me because I've taken so much of their time.

So, I decided I needed to distill my definition down to one succinct sentence.  So here goes:

A commercial producer's job is to get as many people to see his or her show as possible.

That task can be accomplished through raising money to get the show up, through giving notes to the authors in order to make it a better show that people want to see, through marketing and advertising, and yes through buying some odor eaters so that star's nasal passages don't swell and cause her to miss another show.

But everything you do is in order for it to be seen by as many people as possible.

Because if lots and lots and lots of people see it . . . the investors should be happy because they are hopefully making money, and the authors should be happy because their voice is being heard.

Future fellow panelists, you can leave the gags at home now.  Although, maybe that's not a smart idea.  I've got some other things to say.

Speaking of panels, I've been asked to be a part of a very exciting panel at the Word of Mouth Marketing Association conference in Las Vegas on 11/15.  It's the largest conference on word of mouth marketing, so it should be a lot of fun.  And right after my panel, there's a keynote address by Andy Sernovitz who wrote "Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking". I'm an Andy fan. He's smart. Oh, and he mentions Altar Boyz in his book.  :-) 

Be kind to the animals.

A friend of mine was telling a story today and he used Cats as a reference. And, on cue, most of the group snickered.

What's so funny about Cats? 

I'm going to spare you an essay on whether or not Cats is a good musical.  That's not my point.

My point is that whether you like it or not, Cats is a classic of American Musical Theater.

Here's why:

A classic is something that stands the test of time.

Cats ran for 7485 performances.  Almost 18 years. 

If modern musical theater began around the turn of the century (some say it started with The Black Crook, others say Show Boat, so I'm picking a mid point), that means that Cats had a run on Broadway equivalent to almost 20% of the medium's life. 

Imagine a book (other than the bible) staying on the NY Times Bestseller list for 18 years!

And just because it closed on Broadway doesn't mean that its life is over. 

On the contrary, 18 years is just the beginning.  Like Show Boat, Cats will continue to purr around the world in regional productions and high schools for many more than 9 lives. 

So instead of kicking the kitties, let's figure  out what makes people want to see them now . . . and forever.

 

I'm gonna say it . . .

. . . cuz I know you're all thinking it.

Sondheim is the Shakespeare of the American Musical Theater.

(Wait for it.  Wait for it.)

Like Bill's, Sondheim's material is so incredibly rich.  It demands attention.  It needs to be studied by anyone who wants to pursue a career in the theater.  It needs to be read, listened to, and dissected so we can debate and learn from every little detail.  It's that brilliant.

(Here it comes.)

But like Shakespeare's, it's not that exciting to watch.

Ok, ok, before you call me a heathen, I know that most of you think the same thing, so don't even start.

I've got the attendance and recoupment records for all of Sondheim's prior productions to back me up.

Brilliance doesn't always work on Broadway.

Television 2.0.

CBS canceled Hugh Jackman's musical television series, Viva Laughlin, today.  After only two outings.  Ouch.

But that's not what's interesting to me (I mean, did anyone think the show would work?  It reeked of mid-season cancellation).

What interested me was what was taking its time slot:  The Amazing Race.  

Hold on a second.  I'm not going where you think I'm going. 

Everyone knocks Reality Television.  But why?  Everyone loves Web 2.0., don't they?

Reality television is the ultimate form of User Generated Content . . . just on television instead of the web.  It's TV 2.0.

One could argue that the birth of Reality TV in the US (with Survivor in 2000) is what spawned the User Generated Content movement which began in 2005.

American Idol is Users singing and Users voting.  Like EBay, the show just provides the opportunity and the platform for the two sets of Users to meet each other and interact.  And then it gets out of the way.  It’s television social networking.

So don't knock Reality TV.  There's a connection between these two forms of media and entertainment.   If you love one, you gotta love the other. 

Now how does theatre, the eternal late-adopter, fit into this UGC movement?  

We have a lot to learn from the audience that would rather watch The Amazing Race over a multi-million dollar slickly-produced show like Viva.

Be stupid, Stupid.

Last May, I bought the domain name BestMusical.com and put together a website that I hoped would spread like my favorite "Laughing Baby" video on YouTube.

At the height of the campaign, Best Musical got a whopping 182 unique visitors in one day, and now it struggles to break double digits, averaging about 6 visitors a day.  2 of those are me, checking to make sure the site still works.

BestMusical.com is arguably the biggest failure of my publicity-stunting life.

So, of course, I had to obsess about its failure so that I didn't repeat it in the future (see Mr. Trocchio's lesson from yesterday). 

At first I didn't understand why it wasn't working.  I thought it was so clever and so cool.  It cracked up everyone in my office. 

And then, "The Laughing Baby" gave me the answer.

Let's look at all of the 'Top Favorites' of all time on YouTube:  the aforementioned "Laughing Baby", a one man "Evolution of Dance", four guys doing Talking Heads-style choreography on treadmills,  and something called "The Potter Puppet Pals".

All of these videos have something in common. They are just plain stupid. 

And yet the "Evolution of Dance" has been seen almost 62 MILLION times. 

All of a sudden, they are not so stupid.  62 million is more than 20% of the entire population of the US.  They are appealing to the majority, and what's wrong with that?

Simple and stupid funny is what people want.  People falling down, anchorwomen making mistakes, etc.  If you're too hip and too clever, you alienate most everyone, which is the antithesis of the viral campaign. 

Virals are about as many impressions as possible, so you better be a lot more like the Laughing Baby than BestMusical.com.

Think for a moment about the types of emails you send to your friends.

Anyone want to buy a domain name? 

We're one pitch away from a Strikeout.

A lot of people have been asking me whether or not I think the Local 1/Broadway League contract negotiation will result in a strike.

My answer is simply . . . no.  There will be no Local 1 strike.

In fact, I'll bet $100 on it.  Any takers?  I'll pay 10:1.

Why am I so confident?  Because of a man named Mr. Trocchio, my high school history teacher who taught me that to determine the course of the future, you must look at the events of the past (ok, every history teacher teaches that . . . but Mr. Trocchio sticks out in my mind because he used to grade our papers while eating pasta and once I had spaghetti sauce on my ten-pager about the Treaty of Versailles).

Anyway . . . when you look at the history of modern labor negotiations in the theater, you will see that there have been only two strikes on Broadway since 1975. 

That data alone would be enough to give even odds that there will be no strike.

Here's why I'm giving 10:1:

BOTH of those strikes in the last 32 years have been by the SAME union . . . Local 802.  The musicians.

And, in fact, Local 1 has never struck Broadway.

The League and all of the other unions it negotiates with, from the Actors to the Ushers, have always been able to resolve their issues without a walkout.  Always.  No matter how contentious those negotiations can get.

A major contract negotiation is like the Fourth of July.  Both are on the calendar.  And both have lots and lots of fireworks.

But that doesn't mean Broadway is going to blow its hand off.

(Although, I have to be honest.  As the producer of three Off-Broadway shows that would have a lot less competition if there was a Broadway strike, there's a part of me that's secretly hoping for one.)

What Mr. Trocchio would really be interested in, besides a plate of ravioli, is why the musicians walk out more than anyone else?  What is it about those negotiations that don't go as well?

This is something we should all start looking at now, or I may be betting the other way when their negotiations come up next.

Until then, watch my Red Sox win the series if you're looking for strikes.

Oh, and if there are any Federal Agents reading this blog, please know that the above referenced bet was made in jest.  This is not an online gambling site and we have no way of taking money, even though if  someone was interested in taking that bet, they could email me using the address to the left of this blog.  Happy Strike Watch!

Speak up, Louise!

I was honored to be asked to speak on a panel on 'Guerrilla Tactics in Theater Publicity' at The Center of Communication this coming Thursday, October 25th at 6:30 PM.

Click here for all of the details.

Should be a fun panel . . . not that I am a guerrilla publicity guy or anything. 

Although, I do wonder what the Back Street Boys did with that rubber chicken I FedExed them when they didn't show up for the Altar Boyz Boy Band Battle.  And that 'Virgins Get In Free' promotion for the opening night of My First Time truly was a service for the chaste. 

The most fun part of the panel is that it's going to be moderated by Michael Reidel, the infamous Perez Hilton of Broadway. 

Michael and I go way back.  He hammered Bernadette Peters in Gypsy when I was the Associate General Manager.  It eventually closed, and I'm sure his pen had something to do with it. 

You'd think I'd be mad, but I've forgiven him.  After all, if Gypsy had never closed, I'd probably still be managing shows instead of producing them.

See you at The Center! 

Cooler than the other side of the pillow.

BroadwaySpace got mentioned on the Ning Blog today. 

Theatre is such an insulated and archaic industry with its own set of economics and politics that it's a real honor when companies outside of it take notice.  Thanks, Ning!

Oh, and I just love the fact that the CEO joined BroadwaySpace.  She has 110,000 networks on Ning.  And she took 

time to join up, fill out a profile, and message me back and forth.  Cool.