Analysis Of The Movie ' The Disneyfication Of Broadway '

Since the 1930’s, the Walt Disney Company is known for producing characters, images, as well as stories which have created happiness for audiences around the world. This corporation has grown from a small cartoon studio run by famous Walt and Roy Disney to a million dollar business. In Janet Wasko’s novel, “Understanding Disney”, Wasko explains Disney as corporation calling it “The Disney Empire”. Throughout her novel, Wasko argues that Disney is set up like a typical profit seeking corporation, as well as creates and manufactures fantasy, and lastly re-invents folk tales by “Americanising” them.

Net income increased from $93 million in 1984 to $445 million in 1987, so Disney increased its net income more than four times after Eisner’s takeover in the first four years. Much of this incredible success is due to Eisner’s tough leadership, brand management and his corporate strategies. He not only brought the company back on track, but also made sure, that Disney did not loose its sight in his own corporate values (quality, creativity, entrepreneurship and teamwork) (1, p. 4). Much of Disney’s success in the first four years under Eisner was due to the strategies of simultaneously “managing creativity” and keeping an eye on costs due to well-defined financial objectives (1, p.4). What’s more, Disney

As we dressed for the show, my thoughts were flooded with images and ideas. We descended the hotel stairs, hailed a taxi, and arrived at the theatre; while I remained in a pleasant daze. My first impression of the Nederlander met and exceeded all my expectations. I had envisioned an old theater, forgotten by the Broadway elite. As we walked to the door, we were able to see the wall signed by the cast and photos of the premier. The theater itself had a rundown feel to it and left you with the distinct impression that the magic was within the walls and on stage. As we entered the doors, I soaked in every thing. Our seats were located in the center, orchestra section, which gave us a perfect view of all the action.

Sarah Maslin Nir is a reporter who specializes in documenting nightlife, and culture in New York City. Maslin Nir has revisited the Jackson Heights-Corona corridor to write an accurate description of the activities that occur in the neighborhood. Maslin Nir has visited bars in the neighborhood where sex-crimes are hidden by dances that are legal and can be obtained for small sums of money. Maslin Nir documents that as the crimes are occur there is a thriving and diverse Latin American community present with “normal”, family run businesses that do not deviate from the cultural expectations in the Latino/a diaspora including bakeries, clothing stores, and restaurants these are places that one will find packed with Latin American immigrant families

Rachel Lee Rubin’s book Well Met chronicles the history of the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, a cultural wellspring in 1960s Los Angeles, and subsequent events modeled after it. Through her research, Rubin shows the reader how the “Faire” has affected American culture, and our lives today. The Faire is set in the Shakespearean Era. One early attendee drew her own connection about the Faire’s setting and the time of its development: “The Faire… had an intellectual focus on the history of an era of awakening from the Dark Ages (just as we were awakening from the Dark Ages of McCarthyism)” (Rubin 23). The Renaissance Faire was a grand experiment in cultural change. In the 60s and into the 70s, healthier body image was promoted, as was more open sexuality,

The famous Globe Theater had history behind being built, an amazing structure, and tons of expenses.

Although big-hit Broadway musicals have always been popular with the masses and generated tons of money, the changing political weather on the United States has slowly affected the population’s view of their purpose in society. Stacey Wolfe addresses the changing political climate in the musical theatre form in her article, The 2003-2004 Season and Broadway Musical Theatre as a Political Controversy, as a subtle but impactful way to convey public issues after the events on September 11th, 2001. Musicals have a reputation of being over the top and cheesy with the old classics like Oklahoma! and The Music Man. Although the old musicals address issues like marriage and telling the truth, they lack the intellectual depth of the new millennium. However, singing and dancing are still effective ways of conveying the problems to a society where interest is easily lost. Wolfe adamantly points out that producing a musical takes years of work and funding, thus affecting the response time to modern events. The musicals Avenue Q, Wicked, and Caroline, Or Change, all discussed in her article, did not make their debut until years after 9/11. Nonetheless, the lag time allows for critical adjustments and full understanding of the events to be evaluated before they premiere on the big stage. Wolfe argues that despite the slow response time, modern musicals are still an effective way to show important issues to the public and especially inspire reflective change in the target audiences of the

In every walk of life, people seek refuge from the judgmental perception of their contemporaries. Thus, many people live in secrecy. For them, secrecy is an absolute necessity in dodging undesired scrutiny and maintaining normalcy in public. When it comes to gender and the expression of it, lines are often blurred. While some hide, others brazenly parade their sexuality in public and their alternative perspectives on gender roles. In “The Bowery as Haven and Spectacle” from Gay New York, by George Chauncey, explores the emergence of the Bowery “fairy” bars, and how they became a sanctuary for the queer and working-class of New York City. He discusses in great length the tension that arises between the middle-class and working-class, the

The Bowery has continuously re-invented itself over the years, living several lives at different points of time. In the early 1900s as the world’s most famous “skid row” where it gained the reputation as a haven for alcoholism, drug abuse, prostitution, and other misbehaviors. Then to an artists’ neighborhood in the 1960s, where many people forced out due to gentrification in SoHo and East Village moved in, establishing itself as a place of diverse community. In recent years however, things changed and the Bowery has become a neighborhood lined with boutique hotels, independent retailers, cafes, bars, and restaurants. The relocation of the New Museum’s signature building to the Bowery in 2007 has only intensified the transformation by adding

After a $75 million dollar investment, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark premiered in the summer of 2011 at Foxwoods Theater. By the time the curtains opened to reveal the highly controversial show, Spider-Man had become the most expensive theatrical production ever produced in the world. The show also opened to many negative reviews and infamous technical difficulties which included an actor falling over 20 feet into the orchestra pit. The budget, which was originally planned at $51 million dollars, quickly snowballed out of hand after numerous delays and high operating costs. However, this did not stop theatergoers from witnessing the controversial spectacle. Its Box office numbers were strong, but it would take much more than solid ticket sales to turn over profit. By the time Spider-Man closed its doors, the production had lost over $60 million dollars, making it one of the most iconic flops in Broadway history (Weiss). More than any recent production, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark highlights the financial risk that goes into producing a Broadway musical. Both non profit theater and commercial theater are driven by financial factors. The risk and financial dependency of American theater in the new century has influenced content that attempts to maximize this financial return. Through its own economic ecosystem, Broadway theater production creates a system that intertwines and supports both commercially viable spectacles and content driven non profit theater. This essay will

Broadway shows can cost anywhere from $100 to $1000+ front row seats. Also in Times Square there is ticket booth under the stairs (called TKTS) where you can get tickets for shows on that day for cheap. You can also get tickets at the theatre website or websites such as: Broadway.com (The main Broadway website) and Theatermania.com.

- [Alex Brightman] One of the interesting things about this Broadway season is that the two most nominated shows are Hamilton and Shuffle Along, which feature big and almost entirely non-white casts. Additionally, there 's Eclipsed, the first Broadway production be written, directed, and performed exclusively by black women, and The Color Purple, which centers around black actresses. The list goes on. What can Hollywood, learn from Broadway because they are obviously having their own struggling with diversity at the moment?

While this book report is on the transformation from old to new Times Square, there is something much more to this essay than just a transformational period. As I carefully read through the book report there were many things that contributed to the changeover to new Times Square, two major things seemed to be talked about more than anything else; the illuminating signs of Times Square and how these signs are the main culprit of the appearance of the mass culture. These glamorous signs, no matter what topic Gopnik was talking about, seemed to come up often, making them one of the most important topics to help the readers understand how old Times Square transitioned into the new Times Square. They are used to help emphasize the big changes that sucked the popular culture into a downwards spiral into the

The 1980s were a tough decade for Disney animated features. There had been a string of unsuccessful films leading to speculation about the future of the company. However, in 1989 The Little Mermaid changed the division’s trajectory. In his article in Time Magazine in 2014, “How the Little Mermaid Cued the Disney Animation Renaissance” Richard Corliss notes, “Disney had earned Best Song Oscars in 1941… and in 1947…then nothing — until The Little Mermaid again changed the studio’s luck. In the past quarter-century, ten Disney tunes have won the Best Song Oscar” (n.pag). The Little Mermaid marked the beginning of a string of animated hits, the second of which was Beauty and the Beast. In Michael Kantor’s 2004 Documentary, Broadway the American Musical, Julie Andrews, the documentary’s narrator, marks that just as 42nd street was “resurrected by Disney, Disney was “resurrected by the Broadway musical” (Kantor).

The decade I chose was the 1950’s and I will be mainly focusing on the broadway play called “The King and I”. I chose this play because it was one of the most iconic plays in this era and is still running on broadway. Based on a 1944 novel by Margaret Landon, “Anna and the King Siam”, “The King and I” was directed by John Van Druten and has about 1,200 performances and it's the longest running Broadway Musical. It's written and produced by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Rodgers was also the composer and Hammerstein was the lyricist. The opening night was in March 29, 1951 in St. James Theatre.