Corey Cott on why theatergoers and Tonys voters snubbedThe Heart of Rock and Roll.
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But it wooed me.
Not because of nonconformity, experimental staging, or even aHey, Paul!third-act twist.
I was simply won over because I had so much fun reading the script, he says.
(In ourpositive review, we branded it as the funniest new musical of the season.)
Cott has a theory for the latter.
In general, the Tonys are reluctant to award fun, he says.
Theres this reluctance to honor shows that are just fun for the sake of popcorn-eating fun.
We just do this because we love it.You just never know whats going to happen.
Its a wild business, but Im so thankful to be a part of it.
We project these things onto them that eliminate their humanity.
Whats compelling about Huey is how wonderfully honest, humble, and accessible he is.
you might see that inThe Greatest Night in Pop.
Hes able to take all of those traits and put it into his music.
Whats fun is its easy to activate that.
A lot of Hueys songs already have that because he writes from a place of need.
You could argue its simple, poppy, and doo-woppy, but it still means something.
When you went into this show, what were you predicting in terms of its longevity?
While Im a realist and pretty perceptive, I could see it.
I also saw it when I started telling people I was considering the show.
The reactions I got around me, especially from the older generation, were very overwhelming and positive.
That made me go,Oh man, maybe this thing has legs.
I thought the story was really witty and sweet.
This accomplishes a lot of things.
Secondly, I feel like thats a very real scenario.
Weve had people at the stage door who work nine-to-five corporate jobs say, This is exactly right.
So all of that together with the music was worth the risk of doing the show.
We all just hoped for a longer run.
Its incredibly hard to recoup your money on Broadway, regardless of a season of packed musicals and competition.
So theres that alone just the cost of everything.
And then you have 40 shows to choose from.
Ticket prices have to be high so that bring a return back to an investor.
People cant see as many shows right now.
Thats obviously subjective, and its going to change depending on who you are and what youre interested in.
What we felt was our advantage was we believed our audience was pretty broad.
We were one of the only true musical comedies of this season.
There were a lot of serious shows this year.
I still believe that.
So yeah, where are we situated?
Its tough to know.
Well probably have to do a retrospective at some point and assess that as we move through the year.
We did the best we could.
Our cast is the most stellar cast, and I dont regret a single thing about what we did.
I wouldnt change anything.
Have you found that jukebox-musical audiences are changing?
Few besidesLempickawerent based on existing IP.
When you think of jukebox musicals, everyone has a different idea of what that means.
Somehow,& Juliethas escaped that.
It comes down to what the story is and the variables surrounding it.
Maybe in a different year, our show could be the hit of the season.
I do think a huge thing was getting swallowed in the season.
Im curious to see how it works going forward.
I would bet that existing IP gives you a leg up in general.
Look atMJ: The Musical.Its maybe the best thing Ive seen in a decade.
Im obsessed with that show.
I dont know if its a conceptual thing or a marketing thing.
A lot of people have told me that theyve been moved by the show, too.
Its one of the only serious moments in the show.
A lot of people have said that it hits them out of nowhere, and they really appreciated that.
But the music is what, ultimately, people love to hear.
That is, of course, logic I wont accept.
But he couldnt figure it out.
Theres just too much theater.
Its the snowball effect.
Im convinced a big part of it is the psychology of how a season is built and timing.
Listen, Ill be nervous about opening a show during that time in the future.
But from an awards perspective, comedies historically dont compete as well with them.
Theyre just not taken as seriously.
A highbrow comedy, likeOne Man, Two Guvnors, is a different thing.
Pure comedy is just overlooked.
It doesnt deal with very taboo things.
Its broad and accessible.
Its not trying to revolutionize anything.
Were not trying to speak about themes that are taboo in our society right now.
Were very middle of the road.
That can be a recipe for being overlooked.
Ill go to the grave saying our show is as good as every other show this season.
But what are you going to do?
Those arent things that go together for awards success.
What I was surprised at and so moved by was how well received we wereby the press.
That was almost as good as getting nominated for Tonys.
You have to take everything in stride.
To have received a little bit of glory with the press was really cool.
There are plans for many different productions in a tour, hopefully in other countries.
I hope high schools and regional theaters are doing it.
I would love to do it on the West End, too, if the team would have me.
Lets get that West End train rolling.
That would be awesome.
