#28: Broadway vs. Hollywood: A battle of EPIC proportions

Broadway and Hollywood. Two separate entities that have been at "war" for years. They first met in 1927 when Warner Bros. made the first "talkie" film The Jazz Singer, about a month before that Florenz Ziegfeld opened Show Boat, Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstien II's adaptation of the book. Two artistic phenomenons within two months of each other. It seemed as though from that moment on, Broadway and Hollywood would be in each others lives and at each others throats.

And this "war" has continued even today, much like political parties, you ask anyone what they prefer and they're very adamant about where they stand. Broadway or Hollywood. They prefer to sit in a theatre with a huge screen with the jumbo sized popcorn and soda, ignoring the sticky floors and the person who forgot to turn off their phone, to be swept away by the magic of movies. Or they prefer the velvet seats, the feel of Playbill pages between their fingers as they read about the actors, and the surge of excitement when they come out on stage for the first time; so close that you could almost reach out and shake their hand. Well, if you're in the orchestra section that is, but you know what I mean. Both bring enormous amounts of satisfaction to people, they provide an escape from their everyday lives and problems, and they give people a feeling that they aren't alone. They do have two major things in common though: They're both in a theatre and frickin' expensive.

Advocates of the theatre argue that without Broadway, Hollywood would have never been born. The stage is the oldest art form next to painting, people have been putting on live shows for thousands of years and from them actors and producers today have learned some valuable tricks of the trade to keep the theatre entertaining and alluring. However you can't argue with the fact that Hollywood gave society something that Broadway couldn't: easier access. There are millions of movie theatres all over the country, all one has to do is walk down the block and turn the corner. Broadway is a little harder to get to, especially if you don't live in New York; sure there are tours but even then you're met with getting to a theatre. Which isn't easy if you don't live in a city like myself. As much as I would love to go to Broadway every weekend, I just can't; it is not possible for me to do unless I marry a rich man. Which is something I'm working on. But until I find my rich husband I have to take what I can get, even if I'm sitting through the movie that had been a Broadway musical until someone sold the rights to Hollywood, and I'm silently judging and critiquing every actor in the movie...I'm there and I'm being entertained and swept away for a few hours.

Believe it or not there is a reason for this, as some of you theatre buffs may know Hunter Foster recently made headlines in the theatre world with his Facebook Group, which you can check out here, "Give the Tony's Back to Broadway!" At first I was like "HELL YES! GO HUNTER!" But I can be impulsive and not think things through, so now that I have...allow me to tell you how I see it:
There was a statement made in the article that really rang true to me, and it was a very well-written and educated response:

“Look, talent is talent, so whether Hollywood stars or Broadway unknowns are on the NYC stages, fine. But the Tony awards ceremony should honor Broadway and stay loyal to those that brought the spotlighted shows to life… not the names that are just that: names.”

I think that is my main issue with Hollywood actors coming to Broadway. Honestly it really has nothing to do with them, it has everything to do with the producers and everyone who handles marketing, ticket sales, etc. They know that people who aren't necessarily into live theatre will come if they hear that someone like Denzel Washington is going to be in it. I've been known for scoffing at Hollywood actors, thinking them impudent and brazen for thinking that they could compare themselves to a Broadway actor, someone whose craft far surpasses theirs because they have spent their life performing in front of a live audience; where there is no "cut" or editing a scene. However if you do a simple google or wikipedia search, you'll find that some Hollywood actors got their start in live theatre. I find those actors to be the ones I respect the most, and I do recognize that even the ones that didn't get their start in theatre aren't any less talented; they're just doing what they love to do in the environment they're comfortable in.
If you read my previous column, you know that I recently went to see two shows this past weekend: A Little Night Music and Everyday Rapture. Both had two amazing leading ladies: Hollywood icon Catherine Zeta-Jones and Broadway favorite Sherie Rene Scott. Both of their performances were out of this world, CZJ performed while she was sick and never missed a note or a line; Sherie's amazing voice and acting ability continues to amaze me every time I see her on stage. The only difference between the two is CZJ is best known for her movies (though if you do that google search, you'll find that 20 years prior to this stage debut, she was in a West End Production of 42nd Street AND she did all of her own singing and dancing in Chicago) and Sherie for her stage. Neither performance was better than the other, they both gave the audience their all and then some.

I understand where Hunter is coming from, and I don't think that he's saying that Hollywood actors are any less than Broadway actors. I also don't think that most Hollywood actors think they're better than Broadway actors. However I think that the Tony awards ceremony should honor Broadway, and the past few years that I've watched it I have seen that philosophy slipping more and more into the shadows. It has nothing to do with the actors themselves, whether they're Broadway or Hollywood, but with those damn money whoring producers and people like them. They figure if they have a few "famous" people, ratings will skyrocket and people will flock to the theatre. What's funny is the fact that those money whore's are forgetting this: Broadway has been around for a century or so, and sure shows have come and gone, theatres have been destroyed and rebuilt but it's still there. The heart and soul of Broadway is not something that's easily destroyed, it's survived this long without the help of ratings and big names and I think it has quite a few more years to go.

I recognize real talent, as I'm sure you dear reader do as well, so lets not be too quick to judge those who step off of Sunset Boulevard and on to the Great White Way. However I don't see Broadway actors as presenters on the Academy Awards, so I think that those organizations really need to think about who they're honoring.

At least, that's how I see it.