S of M has certainly benefitted from BBC endorsements

In 2009 the BBC will be entering its third year in providing musical theatre bursaries for performers. In doing so it’s making £150,000 available to students aged 17 and over so that they can get a leg up in an environment were competition is fierce and grants are slowly decreasing.  

In response to this many are asking: Why musicals? It was this time last year when Kevin Spacey highlighted the fact that other genres of theatre do not have the benefit of reality TV endorsements. (although the thought of a Hamlet inspired reality TV show where skulls and pistols will constantly re-occur on primetime surely is not something the BBC needs right now) But it seems that the revenue from voting on shows like I’d Do Anything has helped make this bursary possible, which means that the BBC is putting its money where the people’s Maria happens to be.

Granted it’s a straightforward play that is somewhat on the verge of extinction, (commercially anyway) it seems only highly publicised catchy musicals are bringing in huge crowds whilst critically acclaimed pieces such as the highly anticipated Polly Stenham’s Tusk Tusk is playing in a tiny auditorium to a smaller audience. So when it comes to enticing new plays in the West End, the cupboard is scarce.

But the figures don’t lie and the BBC is merely responding to the market force (which is partly of its own making). The best formula seems to be reality tv shows = huge crowds and lots of cash. This formula has been proven by the likes of The Sound of Music,  Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and, most recently, Oliver!, and it will not be long before the BBC begins a search for a new Eponine or Cosette, so that Les Misérables can enjoy the benefits of TV endorsements.

If the BBC really wanted to help the world of theatre than surely is should be funding and promoting new musicals that than coexist with the nations old favourites? In the current climate the chances of any new composer of lyricist to make a break are most unlikely (unless you have good sources). Unfortunately it seems that Britain has always preferred to re-ignite the same classics again and again, instead of pushing the boundaries and trying something new. It would be fantastic to see a competition devised to shine a spotlight on up-and-coming composers and lyricists, so that we get a chance to see material which is as fresh as the talent singing it.

Ripley in Next to Normal, which has debuted to raving revues

Perhaps the West End could follow in the footsteps of New York’s Broadway; a new musical was recently opened to Broadway called Next To Normal- and it received raving reviews. The story focuses around a bipolar mother named Alice Ripley. She spends much of her life awash in a world of electroshock therapy, hypnosis and pills. It was a commercial risk that one can imagine the West End would think twice about before taking.

So all in all, if the BBC wants to help the next generation of musical stars, it should give them something new to sing about.