I don't think this is going to raise the bar for musicals beyond belief, in that these things come in cycles - remember the mega musical growing and growing, and then RENT changed the playing field. Ultimately, since the gods came down in the first Greek Dramas, spectacle has been part of the theater, like it or not. But, the audience won't leave humming a flying effect, and although the wow of spectacle can carry a lot (I have seen a lot of Cirque shows), without a heart and soul, it often feels very empty.
BUT, there is a lot here that gets many, many people mad - angry, passionate. (It took about 10 minutes to calm down my cast yesterday when this topic came up.)
There are a lot of things to take into consideration, and I don't know anything about Spider Man, other then the press releases I read like you, and I don't put much stock in them. And I don't want to assume anything about the show.
Theater is a dangerous thing - next to Coal Minding and Professional sports, theatre can be the most dangerous occupation.
Actors are the low man on the totem pole - with an occupation reaching 95% unemployment for actors. These higher pays jobs (which are not really that high when you take NYC cost of living in to equation and the time worked versus time not worked, aren't really that high) are in great demand, and actors are fighting over these roles.
Yes, Safety is always given lip-service, but at the end of the day, there is pressure to get the show running. Very quickly, the most powerful person in the room quickly becomes the one writing the checks. Shows canceled on Broadway can be $100,000 to $350,000 in loss revenue in ticket sales alone. Do you not think that is taken into consideration about reworking the show?
Actors may quickly find them self in a position where they feel they can't speak up - either because of cast pressure, pressure form the director, lack of concern by those in the room.
The Actor is face with very costly solutions:
Quit. Not only does he have to give x-amount of notice, he would have to pay to buy out his contract.
Speak up - and run the risk of being labeled “difficult” by a hot director and large production staff and cast . . . ultimately hurting his chance to be cast in the future.
Speak up OUTSIDE of the rehearsal - Union, Labor Department, Police - also run the risk of be blacklisted, and even worse, causing the show to close and put people out of work. Also, may get blacklisted from future casting.
(And please don’t give me a lesson on why blacklisting is bad and illegal, a difficult actor gets label as such in this business, no matter how good they are?)
And if this applies to actors, I am pretty sure it applies to stage managers as well. We are looking to control our careers, feel safe, work for the next job just as much as actors.
Commercial Shows are about making money, at times treating actors as a design element, and a replaceable component to a very big machine. Some directors in the height of the mega-musical, talked about ways of making a show “Actor Proof” so any actor can slide in and out, and take away the reliance on stars. There are shows on Broadway that are infamous for eating up actors, due to the fact the show is difficult to perform, or has design elements that are tear the body apart in the long term. (Remember, no one does long R&D on some of these design elements and effects). Often Directors and Producers of these Commercial Shows get labeled with being heartless to the actor’s predicament. Want a job? Take a job in this show? Get hurt? We can find another actor quickly to replace you. We can find ten.
Many young actors who are pouring into this city, will take a job, and not have the discipline to to warm up properly and take care of themselves. They will rehearse a show, and not think “Can I do this 8 shows a week, 52 weeks a year?”, and are more concerned with pleasing the director, impressing their fellow actors, and keeping their career going - often short term goals, not taking in the fact their career should last 40 or 50 years.
Again, I am not saying there is ANY of this going on Spider Man. But this is all going on in theatre - maybe not all on the same show, but it is happening.
I firmly believe that every actor has the right to go into work and go home without getting hurt. Yes, mistakes are made - human error - but it has to be the the exception not the expected out come. But sadly, the world of theatre is not a perfect and often actors are put in harms way in the in the name of entertainment.
So, this show is causing a lot of conversations to be had, and a lot of emotions are coming out here - expect to see more conversations, more debate, more screaming, more tears happening about this topic.
What can, we a stage managers do? I don’t have a easy answer. I think creating a positive, upbeat and safe environment in rehearsal and tech where open and frank conversations is a good step. Creating a dialogue with the director, where they trust on opinion on safety and technology. Demand an atmosphere of safety being the ultimate goal of the show, with the goal that the show can be duplicated 8 times a week, 52 weeks a year, but multiple actors and crew members (Just because one actor feels it safe, you have to make sure other actors down the line will feel just as secure.)
And, I am sure all of this is being done on Spider Man, it’s just that the reality is the are not producing the most expensive musical, they are producing an underfunded cirque-like spectacle - they are some very specific limitations they are producing under. I wish they had more time, I wish they had more money, I wish they had more staff, and, to be honest, I wish they have continued success with their work - in safe and sane environment. Like it or hate it, this musical is keeping a lot of people employed.
