Sometimes it’s healthy to take a break from the news, the hype cycle, Elon buying Twitter, the daily influx of texts, alerts, and Kanye f-up’s. What does it all mean? A lot! However, sometimes it’s nice to do something different; something that challenges you culturally; something artsy and outside your comfort zone.
That’s what I did last night in Miami. No, I’m not talking about III Points Music Festival, which I admittedly got turnt at over the weekend. I’m talking about SIX, the musical. I grew up a fan of Broadway shows and my family went frequently. I’m glad to see Miami getting fresh, fun shows now, too.
The musical is a story based on the six wives of Henry the VIII. In this rendition, they compete to see who had it worse (lol). Two were beheaded, one died during childbirth, one divorced, and one survived. Each is styled after a pop star, from Nicki to Ariana to Beyonce. The show was created by two theater-loving college kids at Cambridge University in 2017 and puts a contemporary twist on old British history. Imagine a Real House Wives of England set in the past and sung to pop melodies.
The show has made the rounds the last few years getting hot in festivals and on TikTok before making it to Broadway in 2020. The soundtrack has been streamed over 100 million times and is a staple on many people’s playlists. Miami was fortunate to be a stop on the 80-minute show’s world tour.
Broadway is in some ways an under-tapped market, especially when it comes to mainstream music. It’s certainly a place where cataloge and legacy artists can thrive. However, I wish this lane was wider. What’s more prestigious than a Grammy? An EGOT. A lot of stars are pretty much just a Tony short, including Jamie Fox, Common, Eminem, Adele, Justin Timberlake, Cher, and Taylor Swift to name a few. In the golden age of TV streaming – when more and more fantastic content is being made and winning awards – the pendulum could foreseeably swing back to Broadway, not only because people are craving a live experience, but because the stars want their shot at an EGOT.
The theater stage has worked wonderfully for David Byrne and Bruce Springsteen of late. It would be fun (and lucrative!) to see younger popular artists exploring Broadway as a unique and expressive way to package and tour music.
Also published on Medium.