To counter this challenge years ago, the industry came up with Broadway Week, a twice-annual half-price sale for tickets to nearly every Broadway production. Broadway is a very special place with the best musicians and performances in the world, and we are glad this agreement honors that tradition.” The group is made up of nine musicians and three musician actors, and all will be Local 802 members.January and February are always low tide for attendance at even the best Broadway shows, and in 2022 that's truer than ever. In 2017, David Byrne proudly wrote that “investment in the arts doesn’t cost us money – it makes us money.” Now, Byrne is deinvesting in the arts by using recorded music instead of professional live musicians. This ongoing issue may influence crowds for Here Lies Love with many angry at this decision, prominent musicians and theatergoers alike.Īn update as of June 9- a statement from Local 802 NYC Musicians Union President and Executive Director Tino Gagliardi on agreement with Here Lies Love says “After negotiation, we have reached an agreement that will bring live music to Here Lies Love with the inclusion of 12 musicians to the show. While Byrne says the show is special and there is a reasoning behind this, his decision violates union agreements, which have been in the news as of late with the Writers Guild striking for better and fairer wages and working conditions. There is no longer a proscenium stage.”ĭavid Byrne, March 2023 (Mike Coppola/Getty Images). Production has ripped out the seats in the theater and built a dance floor. The performance of the live vocals to pre-recorded, artificial tracks is paramount to its artistic concept. The music is drawn outside of the traditional musical genre. In a statement, Bryne and the show said “ Here Lies Love is not a traditional Broadway musical. “We’re not going to stand by and let this happen,” said Tino Gagliardi, the local’s president and executive director. The union says it is seeking to preserve jobs for musicians and quality for theater lovers. Local 802 went on to say that Here Lies Love violates union Broadway rules, which require the use of 19 musicians for musicals at the Broadway Theater. Our musicians are heartbroken that David Byrne – a legend – is attempting this and we strongly hope he reconsiders. For generations, audiences have experienced Broadway shows with live music performed by the best musicians in the world, and by using just pre-recorded tracks it not only cheapens the art it’s putting jobs and livelihoods at risk. In a statement, they said:Ī show with no live music and just pre-recorded tracks is absolutely an existential threat to Broadway- and is a cultural threat to musical theater worldwide. The American Federation of Musicians’ Local 802 claims the production violates the union’s contract with the Broadway League by using pre-recorded tracks instead of a live band. Thus, professional musicians are losing jobs due to this decision by Byrne. The decision to have Here Lies Love be a fully prerecorded musical has caused quite an uproar online as many people are outraged as it is single-handedly undermining the 157-year history of live music on Broadway. Audiences are paying full price for a show may feel ripped off, only to discover a live Broadway show is accompanied by a pre-recorded soundtrack. First conceived 17 years ago, every production has been performed to a prerecorded track but has only been performed at off-Broadway locations. Byrne co-wrote the music with Fatboy Slim. The musical - an immersive, dance-driven musical about Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines - is scheduled to start previews on June 17 and to open on July 20 at the Broadway Theater. Ricamora is returning to the Broadway production. Conrad Ricamora in the musical “Here Lies Love” during its run at the Public Theater in New York.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |