On May 6, 2008, a musical called Glory Days, about four friends returning from their first year of college and struggling with their identities, opened on Broadway.
On May 6, 2008, a musical called Glory Days, about four friends returning from their first year of college and struggling with their identities, closed on Broadway.
That's right. One night and it was over. Critics panned this musical mercilessly. A few examples:
THE NEW YORK POST REVIEW:The best thing about Glory Days is that it lasts 90 minutes. But those 90 (intermissionless) minutes seem longer than all of "Tristan and Isolde" without Wagner.
VARIETY REVIEW:"An irritating offshoot of the digital revolution is that it's democratized the filmmaking process, opening the floodgates for kids straight out of school with no life experience and no stories to tell to start making navel-gazing movies. Beyond the small-time local level or the ubiquitous solo show, theater is mostly spared that indignity because it costs more, requires more collaborators and demands an audience. But occasionally, one such immature self-indulgence slips through, such as Glory Days, which slipped all the way through to Broadway."
AMNY REVIEW:We guarantee that anyone who sees the new Broadway musical Glory Days, which was written by two lucky 23 year olds, will be stunned. But not in a good way. After enduring all 90 painful minutes of this undercooked, horribly amateurish show, you'll be wondering how the hell it got to Broadway.
Yeesh. These reviews hit close to home for me as I am friends with Nick Blaemire, who wrote the music and lyrics, and Adam Halpin, who played the role of Skip. While knowing it is disappointing from a distance, once you know the people and hearts behind the work, it really strikes how devastating the experience must have been for them.
The curious thing about "Glory Days" is that it originated at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA and recieved many positive reviews, including a rave from the Washington Post:
The buoyant product of the talented young team of composer-lyricist Nick Blaemire and librettist James Gardiner, "Glory Days" swiftly, tunefully and yes, authentically latches onto the rhythms of late adolescence and plays them back to us as the music of wrenching transitions. Over the course of 15 spirited songs and 85 minutes, fissures are exposed in friendships, especially those lacking a capacity to adapt to new facts. It is a show that reminds us that even in comfortable suburbs, you can't really go home again.
Is this the same show? Pretty much. From what I understand not many changes were made on the road to Broadway. So what was it that made this show shut down so quickly on the Great White Way?
From what I can tell it sounds like everything happened too fast and before anyone had time to assess the situation. The show was not entirely developed (Blaemire and his co-writer, James Gardiner, even admit to not being adept at writing a musical-and why would they be? This was their first one.) and yet a few people got their hands on it, believed in it and had the heart and soul to want to see it on Broadway...which is where all musicals belong, right?
The fact is, it seems Glory Days was just one of those shows that was never meant to get there. First of all Broadway is about profit, and even at the tiny Circle in the Square Theatre the overhead costs were just too much to keep the production up. Which makes sense-Broadway is a tourist's market, and shows like Glory Days often fall under the shadow of shows like Wicked or Jersey Boys. What's left are savvy theatre audiences with very high standards who look at a musical from educated perspectives. With the amount of inventory available, theatregoers in New York City want to be challenged, thrilled, and tormented. (Some of the shows they dislike are still successful. Ask any of these savvy theatregoers what they think about Phantom of the Opera. Go ahead. I dare you.) It seems to me that Glory Days was never meant to be the kind of show you write a thesis about-it is fun, reflective, relatable, a bit crass, and altogether entertaining. Which, in a regional and particularly non-profit market, is a sure fire crowd pleaser. But on Broadway its a different story. Shows like Wicked, with big name stars, lavish effects, name recognition and major publicity, can survive mixed to negative reviews from critics (which is exactly what happened in Wicked's case). None of these advantages existed for Glory Days.
From an artistic standpoint the problems are harder to determine, especially since I have not read or heard the show. But it appears that the characters were all in search of their identities. This can work and has appeared in many musicals before but it only works if you have a strong focus and strong characters surrounding that one who is unsure. Four reactive characters who respond to the world around them tend to get dull. It sounds like, from what I read, the characters were not fully developed and none of the strong personalities were able to emerge. Again, maybe with more time...but these are the subtle changes that educated theatre geeks know can make all the difference.
Perhaps if the profit question had not been part of the equation, Glory Days would have lived on and found its following...and it looks like that is exactly what is about to happen. With a new cast recording coming out, the songs will be heard and the show will most definitely be picked up for performances at regional theatres across the country-apparently the interest is already in place. And I'm happy for my friends because I know how hard they worked. I wasn't there when they went through all of this but I can only imagine how hard it must have been, and I feel for them. Because in spite of faults and mistakes it was their baby, their creation and they love it. Luckily they didn't escape totally empty handed-Nick and James received some kind words from the mother of all critics, Ben Brantley, in the New York Times:
I do find it heartening that a pair of enthusiastic and gifted young artists have fallen in love with that beleaguered form, the musical, as a means of self-expression.
Glory Days is an interesting study of the fact that some musicals, like most of the ones I post about in this blog, may not be meant to pack Broadway houses. But this doesn't mean they don't have something to say and the ability to touch hearts-it just may be a little tougher for them to find their audience.
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