Broadway musical ‘Hamilton’ has made history, not only as the sold-out smash hip-hop musical hit of America’s first Treasury secretary, but it’s also received a record-breaking 16 Tony Award nominations and its creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, has even won a Pulitzer Prize for the show. Broadway is having its most diverse season to date, reflected in part by the Tony nominations where, of the 40 acting nominations, 14 went to black, Hispanic and Asian-American actors.Whereas Hollywood has once again been chided for its lack of diversity in its award ceremonies.
So what keeps the $1.3 billion dollar Broadway industry thriving? And what is the award-winning concoction that creates a Broadway hit to begin with? On Broadway SiriusXM host, Julie James, and ‘Hamilton’ producer, Jill Furman, revealed the secrets of smash Broadway hits on today’s ‘Dot Complicated with Randi Zuckerberg.’
“You can’t make a living but you can make a killing in Broadway.”
“I knew I needed to be in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s life the first time I saw him perform.”
“My first Broadway show was ‘A Chorus Line.’ It was my favorite until ‘Hamilton.’”
“I sell my passion for the project. I start out going to friends and family. People know they can make money but often they want to support the arts.”
“I’ve had a very good track record.”
“Nobody knows anything in the movie business or Broadway. You don’t know what is going to work.”
“I’ve never been scared of asking anyone for money.”
“I really liked the product and the person selling the product. I believed in Lin’s talent from a very early age.”
“You have to see every show on Broadway as a TONY voter. You’re left at the end of the season trying to cram them all in.”
“You don’t want to force tech into shows. It’s not going to work with every show.”
“In the case of ‘Hamilton’ watching the social media that Lin posts, Lin is a master at it. His energy is infectious.”
“Social media can have a huge impact on a show’s success.”
“The theater producer’s concern is about cannibalizing the audience.”
“If there’s interest in shooting the film live, there’s a hold back. You want to make sure you have enough time.”
“I see a lot of Off-Broadway shows. ‘In the Heights’ started as Off-Broadway.”
“The economic model for Off-Broadway is tough. It’s a helpful tool.”
“’Hamilton’ started at the Public which is a different type of Off-Broadway play.”
“I always think about what I’m going to do next but I’m riding the wave right now. What we’re doing with education will have a trickle down effect.”
“You have to be passionate about what you’re doing. It’s a labor of love. Trust your gut.”
“I had a performance background in opera and studio singing. I feel like that all led up to creating a whole other avenue for me.”
“Not everyone who listens to ‘On Broadway’ is a superfan of Broadway.”
“’Cats’ was the first Broadway show I ever saw. It was on a school trip.”
“When I landed in the Times Square I knew that’s where I wanted to be.”
“I’ve been with Sirius for 10 years but been working with Broadway since 2008. This has been the richest season.”
“’Hamilton’ resonates with audiences outside of theater fandom.”
“’Hamilton’ breaks the boundaries of genre.”
“EduHAM is for low income students in the city and there’s a free education program they prepare before they see the show.”
“From the business perspective no one wanted their show to go in the same season with ‘Hamilton.’”
“Road presenters are interested in shows that would potentially do well in their theater.”
“The Tonys connects people who aren’t theater fans. Especially in the year of ‘Hamilton’.”
“The Tonys are a one time a year when people get to take a look on national television and see what the shows look like.”
“I think there’s a real desire from the part of the fan to be exposed to what’s going on. What could streaming be on Broadway?”
“When we created the Metropolitan Opera station at Sirius in 2006 at Sirius it took over 19 unions to get rights to the recordings.”
“Live opera at the Met is in over 60 movie theaters now. You have a little countdown clock to see how much time you have for a bathroom break.”
“The connection I feel with our listeners because my Broadway was also a touring Broadway.”
“I didn’t want the pressure of mounting a show I wrote. I wanted a fun way to tell my story that was unique.”
“You have to do the thing no one else is doing. So I did a house concert in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. I tried out my show there.”
“On June 12th Siriusxm.com/onBroadway will have the Town Hall with Anderson Cooper and all the Tony nominees.”
“There’s no formula or handbook that tells you have to be successful. It happens differently for everyone.”
“People are getting hired from video auditions.”
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