On a recent trip to New York City, I experienced the full gamut of inspired and inventive theater happening across the island of Manhattan. From the highly immersive Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club redesigning the August Wilson Theatre and turning it into a dark and moody after hours space, to The Big Gay Jamboree’s fourth wall breaking, improvisational musical delight, to Sunset Boulevard taking the show into the literal streets of New York City, theater is alive and well with wondrous productions, Where does that leave Disney?
At the recent D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Disney Theatricals received a small slot within the larger Studio presentation. They discussed Hercules coming to London’s West End and shared news that they are actively working on a stage version of The Greatest Showman. Any news is good news, of course, but it feels very same old, same old for a production company going into its fourth decade.
Disney Theatricals doesn’t stray too far outside their own box, which is understandable. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Most recently, Frozen presented a very by-the-book interpretation of the film utilizing a proscenium style stage. The show ran for two years on Broadway. Meanwhile, Disney has The Lion King and Aladdin continuing to pull in audiences on stage in New York City. While Aladdin is quite an “expected” production, The Lion King’s inventiveness has continued to dazzle audiences for over 35 years.
It begs the question: why isn’t Disney trying to continue with creating works like The Lion King? It’s their most successful show in history, not only as a huge money maker, but also as the only Disney show to ever take home Best Musical at the Tony Awards. Julie Taymor’s remarkable direction and the African puppetry allowed the show to remain familiar, yet indelibly unique.
Tarzan, Disney’s 2006 stage adaptation, would be the last Disney produced endeavor to share DNA with The Lion King. Both tried something new when it comes to scenery, kineticism, and retelling a classic Disney animated film. Tarzan, however, barely ran for a year before closing. It’s as if Disney Theatricals took that closure as proof they shouldn’t try anything new. (Mind you, Tarzan has been a resounding success in Germany, but stateside, they don’t care to take another look at the show.)
This all brings us to The Greatest Showman. The circus-centric (and heavily fictionalized) story of P.T. Barnum was a smash hit in theaters, so the move to the stage makes sense. It’s rare for an original movie musical to connect with theatrical audiences nowadays (especially considering many are trying to hide the music in marketing), but for Showman, it has become a huge favorite.
With the circus in mind (and the other P.T. Barnum musical already existing), this seems like an obvious place for Disney to take a risk. There are numerous ways Disney could reinvent itself through immersive theater. While Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club is a massive undertaking, an in-the-round spectacle where the entire theater space transforms would make a lot of sense for the Showman story. The three-ring circus is an easy concept, as well, with an in-the-round space bringing all audience members into the middle of the action.
The Greatest Showman is an obvious start for Disney to get back to their theatrical innovations roots, but why stop there? Multiple of their Broadway/regional presentations haven’t received the run (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) or acclaim (the aforementioned Tarzan) that they necessarily hoped for, so why not look to the past? Both musicals could create incredible experiences, whether site specific (imagine Hunchback performed in a cathedral), intensely immersive, (Tarzan recreating an entire theater to be among the trees), or a new interpretation of a classic work (would Aida directed by Jamie Lloyd work?)
As the New York theater community continues to innovate, bringing new audiences into the magical world of live theater, Disney Theatricals could become a beacon of invention. With their abundance of known stories, there is already an ease in getting butts in seats. So, with their audiences at capacity, but not surprise them a bit?