BWW Blog: Micah Young - There's Not A Tune You Can Hum

Give me a melody. Arguably the measure of a show's success lies in its melody; can you walk out of the theatre humming the tune? If you can, it's sure to be a hit. That's the test, right? There are shows that leave the melodies in us, whistling and singing them for days after seeing the show. That's what commercial theatre is all about; having a good hook, and staying with us, wanting to hear it again and again.

But is all successful commercial theatre good? I seem to have this conversation many times with many different people. Theatre is only good when it's selling tickets. Theatre is only good when has hummable melodies. Or, it doesn't matter, so long as the theatre is true and honest.

One of the best examples of this question is the 1994 Tony awards. Passion won the Tony over Beauty and the Beast for best musical. Passion closed six months later, Beauty and the Beast ran for 13 more years. Which is the more successful musical?

When I talk to other writers and creators of theatre, it appears melody is its own form of currency; the more people can hum your melodies, the more the melodies stay with people, the more them might be interested in them, and consequently your show. If we measure success by awards and nominations, perhaps, Passion is the more successful musical. Yet, Beauty and the Beast made a great impact at the box office. How do you measure success? Which do you happen to hum?

Photo Credit: Ryan McGuire