In this week's episode of the podcast, I chat with Kelly Kessler, Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at DePaul University, about her new book Broadway in the Box: Television's Lasting Love Affair with the Musical. 
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We talk about Kelly's research, why television networks produce live musicals, the role of adverts, the first musicals on television, the first Broadway musical to air live on television (and who got to watch it), and why we should put musicals on television!

​Broadway in the Box: Television's Lasting Love Affair with the Musical is available at all major bookstores.

About This Week's Guest
Kelly Kessler is an Associate Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at DePaul University. Her work draws on three main areas: the American musical, the intersection of genre and gender, and the mainstreaming of lesbianism in American television and film. Her scholarship can be found in works such as Studies in Musical Theatre, The Journal of E-Media Studies, The Journal of Popular Music Studies, Television and New Media, Movies, Moves, and Music: The Sonic World of the Dance Film, Televising Queer Women: A Reader, and The New Queer Aesthetic on Television: Essays on Recent Programming. Kessler has published two books, including Destabilizing the Hollywood Musical: Music, Masculinity and Mayhem and Broadway in the Box: Television's Lasting Love Affair with the Musical.

The title of this week's blog is a line from the 1979 filmed live musical When Hell Freezes Over I’ll Skate. The musical is one of less than a dozen filmed live musicals with Black people in the creative team, and also one of less than twenty musicals in the current database with a female director.

Filmed Live Musicals is a space for documenting stage musicals that have been legally filmed and publicly distributed. Writing as a white cisgender female, I recognize my biases of being drawn to things that look like me, and that in the past I have skimmed over the fact that much of musical theatre is created by white people, and, usually white men. Due to the fact that I am only fluent in one language, English, the database does not currently have any musicals in languages other than English.

Going forward, I am committed to making Filmed Live Musicals a space for addressing white male dominance in musical theatre by amplifying non-white voices, and amplifying musical theatre created by non-white artists and creatives.

Over time, I will be updating the database to state when a musical is lacking gender and racial diversity in its creative team and/or cast, and providing a search function that will allow visitors to the site to find musicals by non-white, and female-identifying, writers and directors. I also plan to add a Search by Subject feature which will include Kid Friendly musicals.

This work is a labor of love. It is detailed, on-going, and necessary. I am thankful to my Patreons for financially supporting the site.

Recent studies show we still have a long way to go to shifting the dominance of white bodies, voices, and creatives, in American theatre. 

• According to Women of Color on Broadway, between 2008 and 2015, people of color represented less than 25% of the theater industry. 
• According to the Asian American Performers Action Coalition in the 2016/17 season, across Broadway and sixteen of the largest non-profit theatres: 
  • 87.1% of all productions were directed by a Caucasian director 
  • 68.2% of all directors were male 
  • 95% of Broadway plays and musicals were directed by Caucasian directors 
• According to a 2017 Actors’ Equity report studying contracts between 2013 - 2015
  • 74% of national stage management contracts went to Caucasian members 
    
    

The numbers for the truncated 2019/20 season of Broadway were not much of an improvement. Although the majority of plays and musicals, 33 out of 37, had at least two artists of color in the creative and design teams, just 4 were written by artists of color and only 1 of those was a woman of color. Two plays were directed by a person of color, both of whom were men, and zero musicals were directed by a person of color. Eight productions also had no actors of color in the cast. 

In an earlier post, History Has Its Eyes, I spotlighted filmed live musicals with Black actors in lead roles. This month, I’m taking a look at filmed live musicals with at least two Black people on the production team. Black lives matter, and it matters who gets to create the theatre that we consume and the stories that we tell. 

Researching the racial make-up of creative teams is a tricky task as bios, articles, and websites often do not mention ethnicity. I have used self-identification, my own knowledge, and pictures. This method is not always reliable or accurate. For a start, it is possible for a person to pass as white, but still identify as Black. Another difficulty is that producers are sometimes listed as companies, rather than as individuals, so, although statistically small, it is possible that shows and people have been missed as a result.

If I have misidentified, or left off, a person from this list, please let me know and I will rectify the error.

Here is a chronological list of filmed live musicals with at least two Black people in the production team.

When Hell Freezes Over I’ll Skate 
Producer: Urban Arts Corps 
Director: Vinnette Carroll 
Music: Cleavant Derricks and Clinton Derricks-Carroll
Musical Director: Cleavant Derricks
Based on poetry by: lindamichellebaron, Julian Bond, Linda Cousins, Countee Cullen, Walt Delegal, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Jacqueline Earley, Paula Giddings, Sam Greenlee, Langston Hughes, Saundra Sharp, and Quincy Troupe.

Founded by Vinnette Carroll in 1967, the Urban Arts Corps had the goal of developing the careers of Black and Hispanic actors in New York City, and creating accessible art for Black, Puerto Rican, and under-served communities. Carroll was a multi-talented and highly influential actor, director, and writer who found success in both the UK and the United States. She was the first, and still remains the only, African American nominated for a Tony Award for Best Director.

Staged at the Urban Arts Theater in 1979, When Hell Freezes Over I’ll Skate was a musical drama featuring the poetry of Black poets. The show was directed by Vinnette Carroll, and filmed live for Theater in America in 1979. The recording released on VHS in 1999, and DVD in 2003. 

Ain’t Misbehavin’
Music and Lyrics: Fats Waller 
Musical Director and Orchestrations: Luther Henderson
Set in a Harlem nightclub, Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a musical revue featuring the music of stride pianist Fats Waller. The Broadway production opened at the Longacre Theatre in May 1978. It  won the 1978 Tony Award for Best Musical, and went on to play 1604 performances before closing in 1982. NBC aired a filmed live recording of the musical in June 1982. It hasn’t officially been released, but a copy has been uploaded to YouTube.

Sophisticated Ladies
Based on a concept by: Donald McKayle 
Music: Duke Ellington 
Musical Director: Mercer Ellington 
Orchestrations: Al Cohn
Dance arrangements and incidental music: Lloyd Mayers
Vocal Arrangements: Malcolm Dodds and Lloyd Mayers
Choreography: Donald McKayle
Co-Choreography and Tap Choreography: Henry LeTang  

Sophisticated Ladies is a revue celebrating the music of Duke Ellington. The musical opened on Broadway in March, 1981, and in November 1982, it became the first Broadway musical to air on pay TV. Due to difficult contract negotiations, and fears the telecast would affect ticket sales, most of the Broadway cast did not appear in the taping. The telecast was released on DVD in 2005, and it is currently available on BroadwayHD. 

The Gospel at Colonus 
Producer: Yvonne Smith  
Make-Up Design: Toy Russell 

The Gospel at Colonus is a re-telling of Sophocles’ Oepidus at Colonus through a pentecostal sermn. It was filmed live during the American Music Theater Festival in 1985 and aired on PBS’ Great Performances. The cast included Morgan Freeman, Carl Lumbly, Robert Earl Jones, The Institutional Radio Choir, Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama. It was released on DVD in 2008. 

Passing Strange
Producer: Spike Lee
Book/Music/Lyrics/Orchestrations: Stew

Loosely based on the life of rock musician Stew, Passing Strange is a rock musical about a young man who leaves his conservative Californian home to find “the real” in Europe. The musical opened on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre in February 2008. Spike Lee filmed the Broadway production shortly before it closed in July 2008. Passing Strange: The Movie was released in 2009 to much acclaim. The film was aired on PBS in 2010, and also released on DVD. Passing Strange: The Movie is available to view on DVD. 

FELA! 
Producer: Jay Z, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith 
Book: Bill T. Jones
Music & Lyrics: Fela Anikulapo-Kuti
Director/Choreography: Bill T. Jones
Hair, Wig, and Make-Up Design: Cookie Jordan

FELA! is a biographical musical about the pioneering Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. The musical was directed by choreographer and director Bill T. Jones, and featured Sahr Ngaujah in the title role. When FELA! opened in London in 2010, it became the first National Theatre musical production to be concurrently running on Broadway. The London production was filmed live for the National Theatre’s NT Live program, and broadcast in cinemas around the world. It is disappointing that the National Theatre did not release FELA! as part of its National Theatre at Home programme. The musical is not currently available to view. 

Memphis 
Musical Director: Kenny Seymour 
Orchestrations: Daryl Waters    
Costume Design: Paul Tazewell
Stage Manager: Alexis Shorter 
Conductor: Kenny Seymour

Memphis is an original musical about the power of music to overcome racial divides in 1950s America. Despite lackluster reviews, the musical won 4 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and played on Broadway for three years. Memphis was the first Broadway musical to be released in cinemas whilst playing on Broadway. It was subsequently released on Netflix, DVD, and Blu-Ray, and aired on PBS’ Great Performances. Memphis is now available to stream on BroadwayHD and YouTube. 

Rockin’ Down Fairytale Lane
Producer: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
Book: Nate Jacobs & Joey James 
Music & Lyrics: Nate Jacobs 
Concept & Director: Nate Jacobs 
Musical Director: James “Jay” Dodge II
Choreography: Donald Frison
Scenic Design: Annette Breazeale 
Costume Design: Angela Franklin-Mayo 
Lighting Design: Michael Pasquini 
Stage Manager: Juanita Munford
Videography/Editor: Bill Wagy 

Think Into the Woods meets The Wiz. Written by Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s artistic director Nate Jacobs. The 2018 production was performed at the Donnelly Theatre in Florida and was streamed throughout most of June on the WBTT website. 

Your Arms Too Short to Box With God 
Producer: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe
Book: Vinnette Carroll
Music & Lyrics: Alex Bradford and Micki Grant
Director: Harry Bryce 
Musical Director: Jay Dodge II
Choreography: Donald Frison
Scenic Design: Michael Newton-Brown
Costume Design: Adrienne Pitts
Lighting Design:  Nick Jones
Stage Manager: Juanita Munford

Based on the Book of Matthew, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God is gospel-infused re-telling of Jesus’ final days. Written by the aforementioned Vinnette Carroll with Alex Bradford and Micki Grant providing music and lyrics, the musical originally opened on Broadway in 1976. The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe staged a production in March 2020 as part of their 20th anniversary season celebrating Black women. The musical was filmed live and released as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown. Due to licensing and Equity agreements, the musical was only available until April 19th, 2020.

British actor and writer Carrie Sutton has performed in many West End musicals including Sister Act: The Musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Little Women, Cabaret, Imagine This, and Kiss Me, Kate. She also worked as a dresser on the recent West End musical The Wind in the Willows. You can catch Carrie performing as Laurey in Oklahoma! later this month at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage.

Imagine This, Kiss Me, Kate, and The Wind in the Willows were all filmed live. I recently chatted with Carrie about her experiences working on these filmed live musicals. 

What difference is there between acting for camera and acting on stage? How does that translate when you’re filming a live stage show? 
You’re still giving a theatrical performance, but there is an awareness of the camera. It’s a different scale. I aimed for the middle of the audience rather than the back, and in close-up moments, I tried to be still. The audience is recorded too, and that energy translates on camera. 

For “Kiss Me, Kate” and “The Wind in the Willows,” we did pick-ups after the performance. For example, a mic went down during the show, so afterwards we re-recorded some scenes out of sequence.

You knew Kiss Me, Kate was going to be filmed from the outset. Did you rehearse for the stage or for the camera? 
We rehearsed it as a piece of theatre, and it was filmed as a piece of theatre. In fact, John Wilson [the conductor], told us to “chip your teeth on the words” because Royal Albert Hall is so big. You really have to work hard to make yourself understood in that space. So we definitely worked for the live performance of it. 

We had rehearsals at the Town Hall in Belsize Park, and then the camera guys would come in and see the work. They would check angles and close-ups, and compare it to marked-up scripts. There is a lot of back and forth between the director, the DP [director pf photography], and the choreographer. It’s very much a group effort.

"Kiss Me, Kate" aired during prime time on Christmas Day. That was so exciting for me. A real bucket list item. 

Stage musicals are sometimes altered when the cameras come in. What aspects of Imagine This were changed for the filming?
Some slight blocking changes were made to accommodate the cameras, but from the actors’ perspective very little was changed. 

What was it like working as a dresser on “Wind in the Willows”? 
It was filmed over three days. We had a dress rehearsal for close-ups, and where they got pick-up footage for when things go wrong in live filming, like a child screaming in the audience, or costume failure. The costumes had to be immaculate — it has to be perfect for film. What passes on a regular show won’t pass on a recording. Socks have to be level, ties have to be straight. There is extra attention to detail on quick changes because all the clothes use velcro, ties are stuck on with velcro, shirts do up with velcro, it has to be exact or it doesn’t look right. 

How do contract negotiations work for filmed live musicals? 
All the negotiations are done through the producer. For “Imagine This” we were given a fee for filming, or perhaps we waived it, and were bought out for the broadcasts. “Kiss Me, Kate” was all done prior and we just signed a standard BBC contract. If you had a step out, you received extra. 

You get reimbursed for royalties. It’s all worked out with the cast and crew and everyone is allocated points based on how much you work during the rehearsals and during the show. Like in “The Wizard of Oz,” we ended up distributing points based on word count. The female ensemble had a lot more to do in that show, so we were given more points. 

EPKs [Electronic Press Kit] are included in new contracts. We spend around a day in the theatre shooting scenes for promotional copy. The scenes are different from what’s in the show, we learn new blocking that works better for the camera, like a dance will be more spaced out, or the angles will be slightly different. “The Wizard of Oz” were on Children in Need. We did a montage specifically for that show. It was covered in the EPK as “reasonable promotion.” 

What do you think of filmed live musicals or filmed live theatre in general?
It’s both theatre and film. It’s a record. It is important to have records of shows. People who would otherwise never be recorded are able to have a record of their work, especially ensemble members. It creates revenue for the production. It brings art back to the people. It makes the West End accessible to people who are far away. 

Do you have a favorite filmed live theatre event?
The entire Kenneth Branagh season. I saw it filmed live, and I watched the films. I loved the Royal Ballet’s “Alice in Wonderland.” I felt really involved in the production, even though I was watching it in the cinema. Also the RSC’s “Henry” plays. 

Why are filmed live musicals important? 
The “Imagine This” DVD potentially gives that show a future life. It honors the work of the all the people that create the show, all the creatives, and the cast. The level of work that went into the show is incredible. Everything was handmade for the production, and every moment of work is captured. It was just a flash in the pan, but all the work, and commitment, and artistry, it isn’t lost. 

Learn more about Carrie at www.carriesutton.com  and  http://www.londonvoiceover.com/carrie-sutton/. 

In the final week of Women’s Month, let’s take a look at the producers.

In an earlier post, I took a look at the representation of women in the production teams of filmed live musicals. After costume design, the area where women had the highest representation was producing. In the current database, a total of 53 women have produced 34 filmed live musicals. Many musicals credit companies rather than people as producers, so these numbers may actually be higher.

Four of these women, Ellen M. Krass, Iris Merlis, Dione Orrom, and Bonnie Comley have been instrumental to bringing filmed live musicals to the world. Between them, these women have produced 19 filmed live musicals, which is 55% of all the musicals produced by women, and 15% of all the musicals currently in the database. Many of the musicals were Broadway or West End productions, and, in a fun tidbit related to last week’s post on Sondheim, nearly one-third of female produced musicals were written by Sondheim.

Ellen M. Krass
In a career spanning over 30 years, Ellen M. Krass has been instrumental in bringing theatre to film and television. Krass worked as an executive producer for RKO/Nederlander before forming her own company, EMK Productions. She has won 2 Emmy Awards, including the  Outstanding Classical Music-Dance Program for  Sweeney Todd in Concert in 2002 (shared with Iris Merlis and several others). Her filmed live musical credits include Sweeney Todd (1982 and 2001), Candide, Company, Gypsy, and She Loves Me. Krass also produced the 1985 concert production of Follies.

Dione Orrom
Dione Orrom has worked as a producer for film, opera, and live music concerts, with The English National Opera, Cirque du Soleil, The Three Tenors, Tina Turner, Elton John, and Cher among her many credits. Orrom has worked extensively in bringing live theatre to cinema and television. Her filmed live musical credits include the 25th anniversary productions of The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, Billy Elliot, Miss Saigon, and The War of the Worlds.

Iris Merlis
Since graduating from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1961, New York native Iris Merlis has worked as a stage manager, production consultant, and producer for film, television, and theatre. With credits spanning the ABC, HBO, and PBS, Merlis has been instrumental in producing theatre for television and film. Her filmed live musical credits include Candide, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd. Along with Ellen M. Krass, and several other producers, Merlis won an Emmy for Sweeney Todd in Concert.

Bonnie Comley
Bonnie Comley has worked as an actor, and producer for film, television, and Broadway. Over the past 14 years, Bonnie Comley, along with her husband Stewart F. Lane, has produced over 20 Broadway shows, including A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson, and Legally Blonde the Musical. In 2015, Comley and Lane launched BroadwayHD, a subscription-based streaming service for live theatre productions. The site features musicals such as Billy Elliot, Daddy Long Legs, Les Miserables, Jesus Christ Superstar, and most recently The Wind in the Willows.

I hope women and girls see the work of these tremendous women and are inspired to become producers themselves.

From Here to Eternity (2014)

• director: Tamara Harvey
• A musical based on the novel of the same name. Filmed live during its West End run and released in cinemas. Now available to view on BroadwayHD and on DVD. ​

Merrily We Roll Along (2012)

• director: Maria Friedman
• producer: Debbie Bindo, Sonia Friedman, Tanya Bink
• scenic & costume design: Soutra Gilmour
• musical director: Catherine Jayes
• The Menier Chocolate Factory’s smash hit 2012 production. Filmed by Digital Theatre, and released in cinemas and online. Not currently available to view. ​

When Hell Freezes Over I’ll Skate (1979)

• director: Vinnette Carroll
• Musical featuring poetry by people of color set to music. Conceived and directed by trailblazer Vinnette Carroll. Taped live and aired on Channel 13’s Theater in America. Now available on DVD. ​

This week's blog title comes from Langston Hughe's poem "Note on Commercial Theatre," which is spoken by  Brenda Braxton in the 1979 musical When Hell Freezes Over I’ll Skate. ​In researching last week’s blog post, History Has Its Eyes, I was fascinated by the biography of the musical's director, Vinnette Carroll, and decided to spotlight her incredible career in this week's post. 

Carroll was one of the first African American women to direct on Broadway, and the West End. She was nominated three times for a Tony Award, and was the first (and regrettably, still the only), African American woman to be nominated for a Tony Award for Best Director. She was an Obie and Emmy Award winner, and celebrated in her lifetime as a driving force for theatre by, and about, African American people.

Over the course of her career, Vinnette Carroll created and wrote 16 musical plays, many of which were written with long-time collaborator Micki Grant. Carroll also collaborated with Alvin Ailey and Langston Hughes. Her work has been credited with launching the careers of actors such as Cicley Tyson, Clarence Williams III, James Earl Jones, Jennifer Holliday, Brenda Braxton, and Cleavant Derricks, among many others.

Born in New York in 1922, Carroll spent most of her childhood in Jamaica. She returned to New York City to attend high school and, thanks to her father’s thriving dental practice, enjoyed a rich cultural life attending theatre and receiving music lessons.

To satisfy her father, Carroll trained to be a psychologist. Shortly after leaving her PhD program at Columbia University in 1948, Carroll sought to pursue her true passion as an actor. She attended the New School and the Actors Studio, training with Erwin Piscator, Lee Strasberg, and Stella Adler.

Upon completion of her actor training in the early 1950s, Carroll found regular acting work, but was frustrated by the limited range of roles made available to her as an African American woman: maids, and roles that reinforced negative stereotypes of people of color. In response, Carroll created her own work and successfully toured a one woman show.

Carroll began teaching acting at the High School for the Performing Arts in 1955, a position she held for 11 years. During this time, Carroll developed a passion for directing.

In 1964, Carroll won an Emmy Award for the television production Beyond the Blues, a dramatization of works by African American poets.

In 1968, Carroll joined the New York State Council on the Arts as the new director for the Ghetto Arts Program. The Ghetto Arts Program (GAP) sought to provide collaborative theatre experiences for African American and Hispanic communities in New York, and establish a new repertory company that created new work.

In her capacity as director of GAP, Carroll founded the Urban Arts Corps (UAC). Within a few years Carroll left GAP and became the artistic director of the UAC. The UAC trained a troupe of actors from African American and Hispanic backgrounds, who wrote and performed original material. Later knowns the Urban Arts Theatre, the UAC worked in schools, colleges, and prisons to bring theatre, and theatre training, to minority audiences.

Throughout her 10 years with the Urban Arts Corps, Carroll directed over 50 productions. Musical highlights include But Never Jam Today, Don’t Bother Me I, I Can’t Cope, and Your Arms Too Short to Box with God.

Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope, which first opened at the UAC in 1970, opened on Broadway at the Playhouse Theatre in 1972. The musical earned Carroll a Tony nomination for Best Director of a Musical and played 1065 performances. It will be performed in 2018 as part of Encores! Off Center’s summer program.

Your Arms Too Short to Box with God transferred to Broadway in 1976, earning Carroll her second Tony nomination for Best Director. The musical was revived on Broadway in 1980, 1982, and 1996.

But Never Jam Today, was an adaptation of Alice in Wonderland featuring gospel and calypso-infused music. The musical adaptation began life as Alice, and after much re-working and several off- and off-off-Broadway runs opened on Broadway in 1979. It was a commercial flop and closed within a week of opening.

In 1984, living in Florida in “semi-retirement,” Carroll founded the Vinnette Carroll Repertory Company. The company was renamed the Metropolitan Diversity Theatre at Carroll's request in 2000 after she suffered a debilitating stroke. The theatre is now the home of Fort Lauderdale’s Cinema Paradiso.

Despite Carroll’s immense body of work, just one of her shows was filmed live for public distribution: When Hell Freezes Over I’ll Skate. The musical had a short run at the UAC in January 1979, before being presented as part of the Lincoln Center’s Black Theatre Festival in May of the same year. An hour-length version of the musical co-directed by Carroll was presented on PBS in June 1979. When Hell Freezes Over I’ll Skate was released on VHS in 1999, and on DVD in 2003. Sections of the musical are currently available on YouTube.

In the capture of When Hell Freezes Over I'll Skate, we get a mere glimpse of Carroll’s incredible talent as a writer and director. One wonders if Carroll had been born white, and a male, how much more of her work we could have continued to enjoy watching today.