Ken Davenport - Opinions from a Broadway Producer

The Producer Of The Year Is . . .

The 2008 and first annual Producer's Perspective Producer of the Year Award is given to . . . Mr. Gerry Schoenfeld.

Why Gerry? 

Because he controlled the most theaters on Broadway? 

Because he controlled the largest ticketing service and biggest audience database on Broadway? 

Because he deserves a lifetime achievement award in addition to our "Best Of" award?

Yes. 

But what put Mr. S. over the top to get the props from The Producer's Perspective was his 2008 production of . . . Passing Strange.

I wasn't a huge fan of the show, but Gerry was. And he was certainly smart enough to know that getting Passing Strange to crossover to the mainstream was going to be one of the greatest producing challenges of the last 10 years. 

But that didn't stop him.

He found a show he was passionate about and put all the resources at his disposal behind it.

And that's what producing is all about. 

The only thing that did stop Gerry was his untimely passing.  He's probably sitting in a big theater somewhere right now (and he probably already got the Big Guy to name that theater after him).  But wherever he is, I hope they have an RSS feed so he can read this:  thank you, Gerry. 

Who will be The Producer of The Year in '09?  Bob Boyett?  Jeffrey Richards? John Gore at Broadway Across America?

They are all great guys and great producers.  But you know who I'm rooting for?

You.

The Producer's Perspective "Best of 2008" Awards: Who Is The Producer of the Year

"Best Of" lists at this time of year are like Liza during Act II of Liza At The Palace:  all over the place but definitely worth checking out. 

As I poured through this year's collection of the best/worst lists from every paper, mag and e-zine, I realized that there was a group of folks left out of the annual accolades . . . Producers!

Well, no longer, my TPP readers!

Introducing the 1st Annual Producer's Perspective "Best Of" Awards, including The Producer Of The Year Award.

Here's how it works:  there are no set categories except for the big one (next year, I'll let you propose categories).

Now, without further adieu, here are the winners!

BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN . . . DISNEY

Maybe it's unfair to put a company like Disney, which has more leverage and brand-awareness than many small countries, up against all the rest of us trying to launch new product.  But you have to give the mouse credit for its menage-a-trois-like DisneyOnBroadway campaign, which has made their three shows as much of an attraction as The Magic Kingdom in Orlando.  In '08, they also managed to turn the critically-ravaged Little Mermaid into a oft' member of the million-dollar club.

BEST VIRAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN . . . TIE:  TITLE OF SHOW and XANADU

TOS kept their ball in the air for many a month before they arrived on Broadway with their Title of Show Show (which is continuing on even now).  And the birth of Cubby Bernstein for Xanadu was a terrific Hail Mary toss at the Tony.  Both were great examples of viral campaigns:  funny, celebrity-filled, cheap to create . . . and difficult to convert, as Xanadu lost the Tony and TOS closed prematurely.  A for effort.

BEST PENETRATION INTO POP CULTURE . . . LEGALLY BLONDE

In '08, Blonde parlayed their '07 MTV appearance into a reality show, cleansing our reality-show casting palettes after the disappointing You're The One That I Want.  While Legally Blonde and Bailey Hanks were expelled from the boards a bit early, the tour is doing pretty well and I'd bet that the millions of eyeballs the reality show got helped build a brand-foundation in middle America.  And hey, no matter what you think about reality show casting, when young people are telling millions that their lifelong dream is to be on Broadway, it's good for all of us.

BEST NEW ECONOMIC MODEL . . . WHITE CHRISTMAS

The limited run play has been a successful model for years.  But the limited run musical?  It's a relatively new one, and with grosses of 1.4 and 1.5 million over the past couple weeks, White Xmas could have finally cracked the "nut".

BEST STAR CASTING COUP . . . WHOOPI GOLDBERG IN XANADU

This was a competitive category with celebs like a wand-waving Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Cruise debuting on The Great White Way.  But come on, how many people ever thought Whoopi Goldberg would replace in a musical that was struggling to stay afloat?  The Producers of one of the best reviewed shows up for a Tony in '08 did everything they could to keep their show open, and their work in getting Whoopi on board not only kept the show going, but it got the grosses up. 

BEST AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT AWARD . . . 13

Have to give it to my own show on this one, thanks to the ultra-active 7,000+ members of 13fans.com we captured in such a short run.  That's a lot of youngsters falling in love with a musical and wanting to chat about it.  And there's no doubt they'll be excited to see another one.  When I was a kid, my 5th grade class went to see Julius Caesar at a local Shakespeare company.  I fell asleep.  I'm surprised I ever wanted to see another piece of theater after that.  You want to develop audiences for the 22nd century?  Give 'em Mamma Mia before you give them Macbeth.  There's always time for the medicine after the spoonful of sugar has gone down (damn that Disney leverage).

BEST USE OF NON-PROFIT MONEY . . . SOUTH PACIFIC

Non-profits should deliver what can't be done commercially.  They should be homes for the artists whose vision and spirit can't fit in the small economic box of Broadway.  There was no greater example of that in '08 than the Atlantic Ocean-sized production of South Pacific. 

BEST WE'RE STILL KICKING AWARD . . . 39 STEPS

39 Steps is tenaciously stepping into their 3rd Broadway house.  It ain't easy or inexpensive to pick up a Broadway show and move it down the block, so they get kudos for grinding it out.

BEST USE OF AN AMERICAN IDOL . . . NO WINNER

Enough said.

And now the big one . . .

THE PRODUCER OF THE YEAR IS . .  . . .

Stay tuned for tomorrow's entry! 

In the meantime, I feel guilty that I didn't collect your nominations this year, so give me your comments on what you think is the "BEST OF 2008".  It can be anything:  Best Website, Best Logo for a Musical, Best BS Excuse By An Actor For Leaving A David Mamet Revival . . . you know, anything.

Why I love the Korean producer of My First Time.

Introducing the My First Time bus, now trolling the streets of Seoul looking for great first time stories!  That's right, in addition to being a moving billboard , this bus actually stops curious onlookers, asks them to board the bus, and takes their story . . . for possible future inclusion in a sequel to the show!

And when exploring the costs of renting the bus, the Producer decided to do what more of us should do . . . he bought it. 

In one swift marketing swoop, the Producer did three of my favorite things:

• Used highly visible outdoor advertising.
• Used a unique show-specific interactive experience that is newsworthy
• Used a different economic model that puts him more in control and gives him an asset.

I'm heading to Korea to see the show in 2 weeks. I'll twitter and blog from there with updates, and maybe a few photos from inside the bus!  (For the Korean website for My First Time, click here.)

(Oh, and see below to understand why the Producer and I have a lot in common.  Does anyone remember when we had the ol' Altar Boyz Vanagon cruising the streets of Times Square?)

 

Special Saturday Post: Breaking news from the President.

A Message from George W Bush by Will Ferrell

I went to see a show that has been running 18 years. Any idea what it was?

For this year's Davenport Theatrical holiday party, we went someplace I've always been curious about . . . because it's one of the longest running shows in the tri-state area.

Give up?

We went back-in-time to Medieval Times, the jousting and turkey-leg eating extravaganza in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.

Whatever you think about this semi-cheese-fest, one thing is for certain, it's a successful live entertainment experience, with 9 companies in the US that date back to 1983.

So what can we learn from this castle in New Jersey?  Here's a list of why I think it continues to be successful:

• It's not something you see everyday (horses, knights, etc.).
• You know right away who to root for (we all need a hero).
• There's a competition (games are good)
• The audience is involved (waving flags, catching roses, chanting, etc.).
• It has added value (dinner was included - and holy shield, was it good!)
• You can buy everything (who knew the middle ages had so much merch)
• The Producers own everything (from the building to the bar)

Should every Broadway show have all of these elements?  No way (although Phantom seems to have a lot in common with MT, doesn't it?).  But there is something to learn from common characteristics in all forms of successful live (or taped) entertainment, from concerts to operas to rodeos.

Find what pushes an audience's buttons, and apply them to your project in the appropriate manner (that means no flag waving at a Pinter play).

Oh, the other reason MT is successful?  Chicks dig knights.  (That sound you just heard was my web designer, Jamie Lynn, screaming at me for posting this photo of her and the Blue Knight.  Sorry, JLB, that's what you get for putting it up on Facebook.)

Happy Holidays from The Producer's Perspective.

You all know how I feel about Christmas Cards, so I hope you'll accept this blog as my best wishes for a wonderful holiday season.

I was going to make a donation to my favorite charity on behalf of all of you.  But then I thought . . . shouldn't the donation be to your favorite charity?

Tell me your favorite charity by commenting below and on Monday, I'll whack up the amount I was going to give on your behalf between all of them.

Happy Holidays! 

Broadway Tax Update: I'm not wrong . . . yet. (Gulp)

Last week I blogged about Gov. Patterson's new bucket of taxes and wondered whether or not he was coming after Broadway.

Lo and behold, the League finally got through the mountains of paper in the proposal and guess what was there, hidden among the iPod tax and the massage tax:  a 4% tax on theater tickets.

(Cue horror music music here)

But let's not count our heroine out just yet.  Even in Friday the 13th, there's always one young lady who survives after sending Jason to his death.

And in the movie version of our life, our young heroine is the Executive Director of the League, Charlotte St. Martin, who in her short reign has already faced more challenges than most (first a stagehands strike and now this).

Here's a statement from Charlotte that went to League members yesterday meant to ease your (and my) mind . . . at least for the moment.

The Broadway League learned of the potential new tax on theatre tickets late last week and we have been working with our lobbyists in Albany to learn more about the "who/what/where and when" of how we can respond.  

What we know is that the budget isn't due til April 1, 2009 and if passed, any tax changes would go into effect in June, 2009.  There will be a period of time for hearings on the budget when we can meet in Albany and present our case for why theatre shouldn't be taxed.

So fear not, young campers.  We're fighting back against the tax monster and we've got a few more months to sharpen our pitchforks.  They've got a great committee put together, including League Chair, Nina Lannan (I'd put her up against any creature even if she only had a plastic fork).

I'm standing firm with my belief that we'll get out of this one alive.

But even if we do escape this time, the real problem is . . . Jason always comes back for a sequel.

Advice from an expert: Vol. VI. New technology is like new toys

Last week I had lunch with an exec. at PRG (the go-to shop for all lighting rentals for Broadway, car shows and the rest of the free world).  PRG was the original supplier of the lights in Phantom, the longest running show in Broadway history, which means it first installed the rental package 21 years ago.

As you can imagine, technology has changed a "watt" (sorry) over the last couple of decades.  So, Phantom had to change out all of their instruments, right?

Wrong.

Despite all of the advancements the lighting industry has made, the bulk of the Phantom package has stayed the same. They've swapped out the board, made some tweaks, changed some instruments and cabling (some changes were made for safety's sake), but basically the same technology that thrilled audiences 21 years ago is still thrilling them today.

So what was the advice this expert imparted to me over burgers at Joe Allen's? 

Be careful of the new lighting technology companies that come out with new toys every year, making designers drool like 12 year old boys over the latest video game system.

It's a Producer's (and a parent's) job to tell your designers (and your kids) that when times are tough, you have to play with the toys you have.  Because if toys from twenty years ago can still be effective, then last year's toys can still be a lot of fun, and they are a lot less expensive.  

Some designers/kids may cry if they don't get the newest thing.  But the good ones will get creative.

I'd add that if your story is a good one, the audience won't care what you're playing with.

Who is the opposite of Will Ferrell?

Just as Will Ferrell went on sale to the public yesterday (and it's selling like you would expect it to, so get your tickets now), I signed on to produce another Broadway show:  Blithe Spirit, starring Angela Lansbury (not to mention Rupert Everett, Christine Ebersole, Simon Jones, and Jayne Atkinson) and directed by Michael Blakemore.

If you think I'm nuts to do another show in this market, you're not alone.  My mom, a proud but still smarting investor in 13, said.  "Why now?"

Simple, Momma. 

There are always winning stocks in every market.  And there are always winning shows in any season.  Do you think all the people in the financial industry just stopped going to work when the market plummeted?  No.  The lifers looking for a career and not quick money, reassessed what was working, what was failing, and got back in the game, smarter than before. 

It's my job as a Producer to do the same thing as a mutual fund manager - to try and determine what shows are working now, and what will work in the future, both for myself and for my investors, and make recommendations accordingly.

And I believe that classics, comedies and stars with a dash of a "once-in-a-lifetime", must-see event is what will stand out to the ticket-buying public.

To be honest, if you had asked me ten years ago if I ever would produce a revival of a 1941 Noel Coward comedy, I would have told you that I wouldn't even go SEE a Coward comedy.

But times change. Tastes change.  Markets change.  Those same financial analysts weren't buying alternative energy stocks 10 years ago, but I bet they are looking at that sector now.

The other reason I signed on to this show? 

Because Angela Lansbury and Will Ferell are as opposite as Jeremy Piven and George Washington.

As I looked over my show portfolio, there was one audience that I didn't have covered.  And just like you wouldn't develop a stock portfolio without some exposure to the international markets, I wanted a show that gave me exposure to the "traditional theatergoer" market.  And one of the most successful comedies in theatrical history and this star-studded cast including a Broadway legend certainly qualifies.  (I used this theory as a reason to pick up Speed The Plow last fall to balance my exposure to the musical market in 13, and that worked well).

It all makes sense, right?  Will it work?

Stay tuned to find out.  And feel free to tell me if you think I'm crazy or not. 

And Mom?  What do you say?  Are you investing in both Will and Blithe?

Favorite Quotes: Volume XV/My response re: Jeremy Piven's departure

"I'm a stage actor. That is what I do."
                    - Jeremy Piven

Sorry, Mr. Piven.  You're as much of a stage actor as I'm a guy with a "high mercury count." 

If you'd like to meet a couple of real stage actors, might I introduce these fine gentlemen.