Theatre Critic Chris Jones Talks Broadway and His New Book at the Bloomsbury Institute

In the world of American theatre, Chris Jones is a clairvoyant, a savage, and a fixer; as the chief theatre critic for the Chicago Tribune, he writes about the plays and musicals that start in Chicago before making their way to New York. Since October of this year, he has also written for the New York Daily News, giving him a panoptic view of American theatre.

Chris's new book, Rise Up!, looks at Broadway and American society - from Angels in America to Hamilton. In an interview with fellow critic Matt Wolf, at the Bloomsbury Institute yesterday, Chris talked about what makes a show successful, how the theatre has changed in American and Britain, and what we can expect to see in the future.

Ambition pays off

Theatre is most successful when it's ambitious, according to Chris. An ambitious play is at the heart of the cultural conversation - it doesn't shy away from politics or bad news. Citing Angels in America, which "combined spiritual longing with a political mandate for change", Rent and Hamilton, Chris argues that, contrary to the stereotype of Broadway as a place of escapism, the best shows tend to confront difficult issues, like death (see also Harry Potter and the Cursed Child).

But at the same time, to make it on Broadway, a show has to be "safe for everyone". Rent and Hamilton are political shows with a lot to say, but they don't point fingers, and they don't make anyone in the audience feel out of place. Hamilton, especially, is "a musical that welcomes".

Hot takes

Nowadays, "to be succsseful, you need a take, not just a topic". "The rise of attitude" means that audiences expect more than knowledge - which "anyone can find on Wikipedia, anyway" - they expect the author to take a position.

When Mike Pence went to see Hamilton, shortly after the 2016 election that would bring him to the White House, the cast of the show addressed him directly, pleading for him to help protect diversity. Chris's book concludes ominously: "By then, even Broadway, even Hamilton, had been forced to pick a side."

Rising costs

Developments in the economics of theatre have also affected both artists and audiences. Where once a show could be tweaked and developed until opening night - or after - with a new number or scene, the rise of complex sets and technical pieces has made these changes extremely costly. Now, once a show makes it to Broadway, it is nearly set in stone. This is a loss, because, Chris explains, "it takes a great deal of time for a show to become good".

Audiences, likewise, are feeling the pinch. On Broadway, a night at the theatre with the family can cost $1,000, when you factor in food and transportation. Hamilton is partly to blame - it raised the prices for all other shows.

New media vs theatre

Going forward, we might see some serious changes in the way people go to the theatre, believes Chris. Attention spans are shorter, so plays likely will be too. TV programmes and movies are mostly on-demand these days, so audiences feel freed from the shackles of the schedule - they don't like showing up on time, or, God forbid, putting away their phones.

But, at the same time, the virtual age has left many folks yearning for physical, concrete, real things, like actual people performing on an actual stage, Chris adds. Hi-tech makes people crave hi-touch, as they say.

A backlash to the on-demand nature of most entertainment might make the theatre less broadly appealing, but it also makes it more sacred. The event is falling, but the 'mega-event' is on the rise.

Chris told the audience about taking his young son, normally glued to a smartphone, to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, whose parts combined total almost six hours. Midway through, he turned to his dad and said, "I never want this to end." That's a long time to spend in the theatre, and there's a lot of people who want to do just that.

Rise Up! by Chris Jones is published by Bloomsbury