Musicals in the West End - Essay Example

Musicals in the West End Sub Are there many musicals in the West End? Introduction Is the boom in the West End that bad and are there too many musicals? Michael Billington believes strongly that they are, and he has written a series of articles emphasizing his concern on the dominance of musicals in the West End theatres [1]. I beg to differ with his opinion. The argument that musicals in the West End are gradually killing the legitimate theatre appears to suggest that musicals are indeed driving away real dramas and plays from theatres in the area, consequently killing the British theatre industry. Before presenting any logical argument, it is inherent to carry out a practical check on the shows currently running in the West End theatres and those lined up for production later in the year. According to the London Theatre Online by Darren Daglish, there are 23 musicals, 13 comedies, and 11 dramas (or straight plays if you like) currently running. Mathematically, this translates to 48% musicals, 28% comedies, and 24% drama. At this point, one might conclude that there many musicals shows than the other two classes. However, there is a list of shows lined up for production this year, including 9 musicals, 11 comedies, and 37 plays: or 16% musicals, 20% comedies, and 64% dramas [2]. Clearly, plays still dominate the theatre time if these statistics are anything to go by. While there may be repetition of some musicals such as Billy Eliot, Blood Brothers, and Jersey Boys, there is a relatively few number of repetition of plays. Actually, there are fifteen musicals repetitions with only six repeated plays. Thus, it would be inaccurate to say that the West End harbours more musicals than other subsidised theatres. However, one must bear in mind that musicals have relatively long runs than plays. Thus, there may not necessarily be a 64% increase in the number of plays. Dominance of musicals Another interesting statistic is that about two-thirds of the straight plays currently showing or planned for production show in subsidized theatres, with only seven and two musicals. Therefore, there will be around 30 musicals, 17 comedies, and 16 straight plays in the commercial theatres. Certainly, this is not a show of unhealthy competition and dominance by musicals! Essentially, the dominant nature of musicals in the West End theatres is a perception rather than a matter of fact. To prove this practically, try asking any average person about any showing musicals in the West End theatres and majority will mention Billy Elliot, Jersey Boys, and The Lion King [3]. The person may also mention Cats and Les Mis, and probably Beauty and the Beast. Similarly, ask the people to mention a few straight plays in the same theatres would probably respond by naming just a single play and add the typical “some Shakespeare.” This highlights the enormous interest that the public has for musicals as compared to straight plays at all levels, with the exception of real theatrical devotees. The article by Billington does not take into account the possibility of changes in the cut rate. Currently, the cut-rate stands at a high of 25%. As a result, this poses serious impacts to the subsidised theatres and possibly their performance in the industry [4]. This generally undermines the purpose of subsidies to theatres and art in general, which is welfare economics. Depending on the nature of shows in theatres, majority would experience market failure, as their trends do not correspond to consumer preference [5]. As earlier mentioned, the public has a strong interest in musicals rather than straight plays. Applying economic principles, commercial theatres will have to produce more musicals than straight plays to stay in the market. Consequently, there would be effective competition in the industry, though Billington refers to this as a possible indicator of a bust in the box-office industry. Snobbery Majority of theatrical circles and the so-called “real theatrical devotees” regard musicals as snobbery. According to them, musicals are a lower form of art – if at all they regard it as a form of theatrical art. Interestingly, the popular the musicals, the less they are regarded as a form of art. For instance, Cats is among the controversial show that anti-musicals refer: it is popular and it is a musical. The show opened its curtains for the first public show in May 11th, 1981. Moreover, there is a conventional perception that musicals do not offer the same enjoyment as straight dramas, thus overly unappreciated. As a result, theatrical circles deem musicals as fluffy and light. Moreover, if they happen to incorporate serious themes, they are pretentious, unless from acceptable musical faces and preferably not with British origins. On the other hand, straight plays are terribly serious and meaningful. This may sound sluggish towards the concept of straight plays, though with the least intention [6]. However, the purpose is to slag off the straight play snobbery, the defence that deliberately cultivates the mystique that makes the proponents feel superior, as they have not fallen for the superficial musical charm. Musicals are more profitable It is a generally accepted fact in theatrical settings that musicals generate much more revenues than comedies and dramas. Indeed, that is why majority of musicals find their way to the West End theatres. Economically, the West end is a commercial centre. Theatre producers such as Cameron Mackintosh are successful because of their ability to shows that will maximize revenues [7]. Therefore, despite the fact that some musicals are imported from America or the subsidised theatres, they are adopted to the West End purposely to generate profits. Moreover, Billington raises concern that there are no new British musicals in West End as frequently as they should be. However, all the economic odds are against them, including the costs of sound systems, musicians, and the likes. Funding a new musical costs double the amount for setting and reviving an old one. Thus, regional try-outs are most unlikely as the cost of musicians is the same in London and Leicester, and the changing the shows in the West End to straight plays is a disaster in the making as they require long development time. Summarily, it is more efficient to revive old musicals than develop new ones. According to the Financial Statement and Trustees’ Report for the year ending March 2011, the West End contributed VAT worth ?76,304,737 to the government while the box-office receipts were eat an all time high of ?512,331 [8]. The total revenues in 2010 for the West End theatres were for the first time way above the ?500m mark, breaking the box office records for the seventh consecutive time. This was partly because of the musical revivals that were doing rounds as well as a host of actors such as Judi Dench, Jude Law, Tom Hollander, and Sir Ian McKellen. Yes, celebrities do increase the sales [9]. Increased production and high ticket prices In the article, Billington argues that producers increase ticket prices as the costs of production increase, which suggests that producers do not apply business principles in the art industry. For instance, economic principles would suggest testing prices, and they would acknowledge the fact that lowering the prices could actually increase profits, rather than Billington’s suggestion that prices must rise in correspondence to costs. The increase in the prices of tickets may perhaps have nothing to do with costs, businesswise. Pricing decision largely depend on the competition, demand, and objectives of the theatre rather than the cost of production alone. Now, assuming that the main objective of theatres in West End is to maximise profits, then we would expect marginal pricing [10]. That is, marginal revenues would equal marginal costs. However, the problem is that it is difficult to obtain reliable information on future costs and revenues due to the nature of the industry and its dependence on individual preference. Moreover, the industry is constantly undergoing changing conditions. For sale maximisation strategies, the ticket prices relate directly to the costs. The plan is to cover all the costs and sell as many tickets as possible. Alternatively, the price of the tickets may only cover the normal level of output plus an added mark up. However, adjustment to the mark up may occur if the sales reach the maximum set limit. The other objective may be of an altruistic nature, seeking to bring theatre and education to the youth and the children, or to provide a community with focus through cultural and social cohesion. This is where government subsidies come in. Essentially, the motive here is to reduce tickets cost such that they only cover costs, or probably go below the costs because theatrical shows are a public good. Therefore, the pricing of tickets has nothing to do with costs in the West End: it is purely based on competition and strategic decisions. In his talk “Theatre: Business or Art?” Billington clearly highlights the interaction between art and business using Finborough and ATG as well as Hytner and Cameron. Here, he agrees that art cannot survive on its own; it has to seek funds from other sources [11]. The pricing strategies take into account the concept of price elasticity of demand, allowing the theatres to charge different prices to different groups and remain profitable. This is largely possible because the theatre market is separate: there are young people, old people, families, corporate, high-income groups, and fans. Moreover, an individual cannot hop from one group to another, such as move from the young to the old or vice versa. Ticket pricing in the West End is based on economic considerations and the concepts of the free market, with Cameron Macintosh and Andrew Lloyd Webber trying to out-do each other [12]. Ideally, the pricing mechanism incorporates consideration for the forces of demand and supply. Thus, Billington should stop complaining about the way in which theatre is thriving on itself and start advocating for new musicals. Conclusion Therefore, yes, musicals are thriving on the West End, but they are neither dominating nor killing the British theatres [13]. On the contrary, musicals are actually exciting and interesting to the young and the youth, and that gains them an enjoyment and appreciation in the totality of theatre. Moreover, they significantly reduce anti social behaviours. An appropriate question towards Billington would be his suggestion for covering the 15% (now 25%) shortfall. 1] Billington, M. (2011) "This West End theatre boom is not all good news", The Guardian, Jan 31, 2011. 2] Dalgish, D. London Theatre Guide-Online. Available at: http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/ (Accessed 7th March 2012) 3] Lathan, P. (2001). Too Many Musicals? Available at: http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/articles/190999.htm (Accessed 7th March 2012) 4] Kennedy, A. (2011). Art cuts Really Do Matter, Actually. The Guardian, March 3. 5] Vogel, H. (2007). Entertainment industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis. New York: Cambridge University Press. 6] The Telegraph (2010) "Sheila Hancock accuses acting world of snobbery towards musicals", The Telegram, March 16. 7] Boddy, D. (2008). Management: An Introduction. New Jersey: Pearson Education Limited. 8] Theatre Investment Fund Limited. (2011). Trustees’ Report and Financial Statements 2010-2011. Available at: www.stageone.uk.com/download/46(Accessed 7th March 2012) 9] National Theatre. National Theatre Annual Report 2010-2011. Available at: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/download.php?id=10196 (Accessed 7th March 2012) 10] Needle, D. (2010). Business in Context: An Introduction to Business and Its Environment. Andover : South-Western Cengage Learning 11] Billington, M. (2011). Theatre: Business or Art? Talk. 12] Piggott, J. (2012) Lecture week… Oxford Brookes University. 13] Billington, M. (2007). Theatre of the Absurd", The Guardian, February 21. Read More