As some of you know, in addition to blogging about musical theater and teaching it at the Boston Conservatory, I'm also a freelance writer and editor. Recently, I received my first assignment from The Advocate, the national news magazine for the LGBT community. The assignment was to find and profile gays and lesbians who had been significantly affected by the recent economic downturn.
As I was thinking about whom I could profile, I had a sudden inspiration. What about the [title of show] guys? Although there are various opinions on why the show [sniff sniff] closed, there seems little question that the struggling economy had something to do with it. So I gave Hunter Bell a shout, and he graciously agreed to participate in the article.
Alas, as I know all too well from my many years of journalism, all the stuff you hope to include in an article doesn't always make it into print. Although I was assigned to write three profiles, I actually wrote five, and The Advocate wound up using four of them. (The article posted to The Advocate's Web site today, and and hits the newsstands November 18th.) Hunter unfortunately got cut, not because the story wasn't compelling, but rather because we were going for a diverse mix of people, and we already had a story from someone in New York.
So, the folks at The Advocate have graciously allowed me to run Hunter's profile here on my blog. And here it is:
Recessionary Tremors: Hunter Bell
Hunter Bell is convinced that, were it not for the economic downturn, his show would still be on Broadway. And he means to bring it back
On October 12th, 2008, Hunter Bell was starring in his own
Broadway musical. On October 17th, he filed for unemployment.
Before it opened on Broadway in August, the musical [title of show] was a bit of an Off-Broadway
phenomenon. The show’s plot relates how Bell and
his writing partner Jeff Bowen, two self-proclaimed “nobodies in New York,” put together
the plucky little musical. The pair helped fan the flames of fandom by
producing a series of online video episodes, which helped the show develop a
vociferous cult following, and eventually led to the Broadway run.
Unfortunately, the show only ran about three months, limping
along at about 30% capacity at Broadway’s historic Lyceum Theater. Catty
insiders blamed the show’s demise on its insular focus: much of the show’s
considerable humor derives from its barrage of obscure theater-related
references. But [title of show]
librettist Hunter Bell thinks the show could have crossed over to attract a
more mainstream audience, had it not been for the current economic uncertainty.
“We knew it was going to be a struggle,” says Bell. “We had an original
story at a time when most Broadway musicals are based on established brands,
like Shrek or 9 to 5. And when you introduce something new, it takes time for it
to catch on.”
Bell says the show’s success was hampered by an economic double whammy. First, audiences currently have less expendable
income, and are thus less likely to take a chance on an unknown show. “And I
understand that totally,” he says “People are being a lot more careful with
their money, and maybe see theater as a luxury.”
Second, investors have less available capital to keep the show
open long enough to build awareness as well as a healthy advance ticket sale. “We
had some really smart, awesome producers,” says Bell. “But it takes a lot of money to keep a
show running.” And the folks who have that kind of money tend to be disproportionately
sensitive to Wall Street fluctuations. “It’s not that people don’t believe in
you,” says Bell.
“It’s just that these are tricky times.”
For Bell personally, the show’s fortunes, or lack thereof, have presented an economic
challenge. “I tried to put a little away from the run,” he says. “But a lot of
that money we used to pay off the debts that we had created over the past four
years trying to put the show together.” So for Bell and Bowen, it’s back to temping and the
occasional catering job. “We’ll have to take odd jobs here and there,” says Bell, “But we’re really
hoping that doing the show will open doors for us creatively. The hope is that
we can eventually make a living as working artists.”
As for future earnings prospects, Bell says he and Bowen are working with the
Rodgers and Hammerstein organization on licensing the show for regional and
amateur productions. “And that will be a great for generating income in the future,”
he says. Bell
and Bowen are working on different versions of the show, depending on whether
theater groups want to personalize the show. “The idea is to have the original
version if you want to play Hunter and Jeff, but we’re also working on a sort
of Mad Lib version, kind of a [title of show] template where you can fill in
the blanks and make it your own,” he says. “I think we can find a way to do
that and not compromise the show, to keep its integrity but still let people
make it their own.”
But the show’s licensing future depends on what’s next for [title of show] in what Bell calls the “first-class arena.” Bell says that he and his
show partners are actually planning to bring [title of show] back to Broadway once the economic turmoil abates.
“Our true goal is to be back in the spring around awards season,” he says. “People are more focused on the theater then, and we want to be a part of that
conversation.”
There’s not a question in Bell’s mind that he and his beloved show are
the victims of circumstances beyond their control. “Had there not been an
economic scare,” he says, “I believe that [title
of show] would still be around, able to weather the storm.” – Christopher Caggiano
I'm just now catching up on my blogging. I've been busy this week getting ready for the annual Pride concert with the Boston Gay Men's Chorus. This year, the theme is "Divas"; those fabulous ladies of the stage, screen, concert hall, and recording studio. We had our first concert last night, and it was a rousing success. But we have two more concerts this weekend, on Friday at 8 PM, and Sunday at 7 PM. If you're in the area, you might want to stop by and check out the proceedings. 
OK, so you've finally broken down and gotten yourself one of those iPhone things, and you're wondering what all the fuss has been about. Sure, it's cool to look at. But what does the iPhone offer for the Broadway aficionado? 
Remember in the old Steve Martin movie "
So, back to the phone call. Tommy said that the person who was supposed to write an essay to accompany the upcoming 
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