Broadway’s Pop Era – The New York Times

Tonight is the one night of the year when millions of Americans are focused on Broadway. That’s because it’s the annual Tony Awards, which, by virtue of being televised, are often the first way that many people learn about what’s new onstage.

I write full time about theater, so I’m always thinking about what’s changing in that world, and this year I’ve been struck by the notion that the source of Broadway’s sound is shifting. More and more musicals are being written by artists who built their careers in pop music, and fewer by people trained in theater.

I did the math, and here’s what I found: Just over half of the 15 new musicals that opened on Broadway during the 2023-24 season featured scores credited to artists whose primary credentials are in the music business. They include Alicia Keys, Barry Manilow and Britney Spears; Huey Lewis, Sufjan Stevens and David Byrne; Jamestown Revival and Ingrid Michaelson (whose song “My Days,” from “The Notebook,” is taking off on social media).

Pop musicians are even helping to make plays. The leading contender for best play tonight is “Stereophonic,” a behind-the-music drama with bespoke song fragments by Will Butler, a former member of Arcade Fire, and this fall a Broadway production of “Romeo and Juliet” will feature music by Jack Antonoff, a frequent collaborator of Taylor Swift.

“We haven’t had this since Tin Pan Alley — folks who are trained at creating an entire world in four minutes, now creating pieces that are two and a half hours long,” said Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton.” “I find it exciting,” he added. “I always think musical theater is more interesting when it’s in conversation with the world.”

Is this really new?

In some ways, this is an everything-old-is-new-again phenomenon. In the early 20th century, figures like Irving Berlin and Cole Porter found success both onstage and on the radio.

“Back in the day, musical theater created music for the masses, but something happened in the past 50 years where musical theater got stuck in a time warp,” said Amanda Ghost, a British singer and music executive who is producing a new musical, “Gatsby,” with a score co-written by Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine.

For years there have been jukebox musicals — shows with scores made up of previously released pop songs, like “Jersey Boys” and “Mamma Mia!” Several of those are now running on Broadway, including “MJ,” and more variations on this theme are in development: An Avett Brothers musical, “Swept Away,” arrives this fall, and Dolly Parton just announced that “Hello, I’m Dolly” will arrive in 2026.

Now a growing number of pop artists are also writing original scores, so that what was once a trickle (Cyndi Lauper, Duncan Sheik and Anaïs Mitchell have won Tonys writing scores) is becoming a flood. John Legend, Elvis Costello and Nas are all working on musicals, as are Neko Case and Mitski. Elton John, a Broadway veteran, has two more musicals just this year: “The Devil Wears Prada” in England and “Tammy Faye” on Broadway.

Why is this happening?

For the theater industry, which has seen audiences shrink and costs rise since the pandemic shutdown, the allure of pop stars is similar to the appeal of film and book adaptations: Familiarity sells tickets.

“Economically, the margins of success are so thin with musicals, inevitably it changes the way people approach developing musicals,” said Justin Levine, who won a Tony for orchestrating the pop songs used in the stage version of “Moulin Rouge!” and is now again a Tony nominee for his work with the country folk duo Jamestown Revival on the score of “The Outsiders.” “That’s why, often, you can identify at least one, if not two, things that form the basis for having a built-in audience.”

For pop musicians, there are both artistic and economic motivations.

“You can’t make a living from releasing records alone,” said Sara Bareilles, the singer-songwriter who wrote the score for “Waitress” and is now writing songs for her second musical, a stage adaptation of “The Interestings.” “Artists in general understand how diversification of creative output is not just helpful, but kind of essential.”

But is it good for theater?

That’s up for debate. Some theater fans worry that pop songs don’t advance storytelling; some pop musicians say an obsession with forward narrative motion can lead to weak tunes.

“A great musical can come from any kind of songwriter,” argues Shaina Taub, a singer-songwriter and the Tony-nominated creator of “Suffs.” And Tom Kitt, who won a Tony for his own score in “Next to Normal,” and is now nominated again for orchestrating Alicia Keys’s songs in “Hell’s Kitchen,” said, “All of it is for the better, because it enriches the art form.”

Other Big Stories

THE SUNDAY DEBATE

Were Justice Samuel Alito’s religious remarks inappropriate?

Yes. While being secretly recorded, Alito agreed that the U.S. should return “to a place of godliness.” But none of it is new: “The justice shows bad judgment and has a right-wing, theocratic bias that should be disqualifying,” The Los Angeles Times’s Jackie Calmes writes.

No. Alito made no mention of any pending case, party or specific political matter. “I would suggest that they are not so extreme as to merit denunciation. On the contrary, they are reasonable, even commonplace,” Marc DeGirolami writes for Times Opinion.

FROM OPINION

Fatherhood changes men’s brains. By how much depends on the bond they have with their child, Darby Saxbe writes.

“Dementia is nothing if not a test of endurance”: Cornelia Channing looks back on her years growing up with her father’s illness.

The F.B.I. tried to use Samuel Freedman’s father’s communist background against him. Despite the consequences, his father held true to his beliefs, he writes.

After multiple relapses, David Sheff’s son is 13 years sober. He relates as a father to President Biden and his son Hunter Biden, he writes.

Here is a column by Jamelle Bouie on Justice Alito.

MORNING READS

This week’s subject for The Interview is Serena Williams. We talked about her adjustment to post-tennis life, how she looks back on her career and whether she’ll push her kids as her dad pushed her.

Your dad famously saw something in you and your sister Venus when you guys were little and then worked so hard to help you achieve it. Do you see something in your daughters in the way that your dad saw something in you?

That’s a really good question. I don’t know. I always look at my dad, and I think, How were you able to do that? Because I’m like, Oh, they’re so cute. I just want them to relax and I don’t want to over-push them. But I would be devastated if I wasn’t pushed, because we wouldn’t be having this interview and there would never have been a Serena Williams.

It worked out pretty well for you!

It worked out well. [Laughs] But what do I see? The 8-month-old is so tiny, but Olympia is such a bright light, and she’s so athletic, to the point where it’s just not even humanly possible. Even Venus, she was like, “That kid has more talent than you and I combined,” and she’s not lying. So I can see how my dad may have seen some potential in us. I’m just trying to figure out a way to harness all that. I already told my dad, “Maybe you have to coach her, because I’m too nice.”

You’re too soft.

I’m too soft, yeah.

Read more of the interview here.

THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE

Click the cover image above to read this week’s magazine.

BOOKS

A.I. chatbots: Writers including Roxane Gay and John Banville sold their voices to help bring classic texts to life.

Looking for a summer read? See a list of 33 novels coming this season.

Our editors’ picks: “This Strange Eventful History,” a novel inspired by the author Claire Messud’s family history that unfolds over seven decades, and eight other books.

Times best sellers: James Patterson completed Michael Crichton’s novel “Eruption” at the behest of his widow. It debuts at No. 1 on the hardcover fiction list this week.

THE MORNING RECOMMENDS …

Try buttermilk tres leches, a twist on a classic Latin American dessert.

Churn ice cream with a kid-friendly maker.

Ditch your sun hat for a packable visor.

Avoid sweat stains on your white tees.

Save money on summer essentials with these sales.

Play this year’s biggest new video games.

THE WEEK AHEAD

What to Watch For

• Today is Father’s Day.

• Eid al-Adha, a major Muslim holiday, begins today.

• The Tony Awards are today.

• Wednesday is Juneteenth.

• In Paris, men’s fashion week begins Wednesday.

• The summer solstice — the longest day of the year — begins in the northern hemisphere on Thursday.

Meal Plan

Emily Weinstein said she was never excited to have a green salad for dinner — until she discovered really good croutons. Good croutons are salty and craggy, and they crunch assertively and even push back a little when you bite into them. They are typically handmade, unlike those small, sad salad-bar croutons. She recommends a chopped salad with chickpeas, feta and avocado and four other recipes this week.

NOW TIME TO PLAY