There is a special challenge is marketing theater. Movies, books, music all allow for short snippets of the art to be a major part of the marketing effort. If you like that 10 second part of a song or a small preview of a movie, then please, pay for the rest. Easy.
And for some theater, it’s not all that hard. Everyone has heard of The Sound of Music. Or Oklahoma! Or the Phantom of the Opera. The names alone make one think about the first time they saw it, or the movie, or the hit song it showcases.
But what about a play that incorporates all of those well-known songs into one play? How does one market that? How does one even market it?
So there is sympathy to be had for the marketing team over at the Legacy Theater in Branford as it works to promote The Musical of Musicals, the Musical. And if you saw the posters all over the shoreline and wondered, as I did, what the hell it was, well, here’s what I found out.
The Musical of Musicals, the Musical was a little off-Broadway play from 2003. It’s essentially a parody, poking fun at classic songs you know, in a unique manner: through 5 smaller ‘plays,’ each focusing on a different Broadway composer. And every smaller play within a play is built around a simple theme: ‘I can’t pay the rent!”
Yes, I was still confused at this point too. At first, my thought went to that The Rent is Too Damn High political party from New York in 2005. But no relation.
But while truly understanding the concept may need to be reserved for actually being in the audience, what I did find is this: the reviews for the play were very, very good. And all claimed it was very funny. Campy, silly, and genuine moments of laugh out loud comedy.
So classical songs we all know well, even if we haven’t seen the shows, altered for comedy in a series of smaller plays all revolving around the theme of paying the rent. With historically great reviews. Four stars even.
The great appeal of theater isn’t in just following a story; its’ in seeing how the story is told. Its why seeing the same show with different actors and directors so appealing: the joy of seeing a story told different ways, and often with differing interpretations.
And here, we have a similar theme displayed 5 different ways, and as creative as it may be, it includes familiar songs to keep the audience grounded.
And in doing so, The Musical of Musicals, The Musical may be exactly what we need: just a fun night out at the theater.
See you there.
The Musical of Musicals, The Musical runs from July 13-30 at The Legacy Theater in Branford, CT. Tickets are available at The Legacy Theater website here.