Subsequent Events Two of the most notable exam-
ples of solo stars include Robbie Williams, who
broke away from Take That and has since sold over
fifty-three million albums on his own, along with
Justin Timberlake, the former member of *NSYNC,
with over eighteen million solo album sales to date.
As of 2008, a revised lineup of the Backstreet Boys re-
mained on the road, while the New Kids on the
Block also announced a potential reunion.
Further Reading
Catalano, Grace.New Kids on the Block. New York:
Bantam Books, 1989. An in-depth look at New
Kids on the Block’s music, the subsequent rage
surrounding the group, and personal trivia about
each member.
Delavan, John.Boy Bands: The Hunks and Heartthrobs
Conquering the Pop Music World. Syracuse, N.Y.:
Benchmark Press, 2001. A close look at several
boy bands that drove the 1990’s craze, including
the variables that helped them find mass appeal.
McGibbon, Rob.Backstreet Boys: On the Road. Phila-
delphia: BainBridgeBooks, 1998. Traces the Back-
street Boys’ wild ride to fame and the extreme
fanfare members received all over the world.
NSYNC and K. M. Squires.NSYNC: The Official
Book. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books
for Young Readers, 1998. An authorized tale of
*NSYNC’s time in the spotlight told from mem-
bers’ perspectives.
Andy Argyrakis
See also Fads; Music.
Broadway musicals
Definition Musical theater productions opening
on Broadway
The 1990’s saw a shift on the Broadway landscape from the
dominance of the British mega-musical to Disney-driven
productions and revivals as well as adaptations.
In the early 1990’s, Broadway was riding high off
the success of British mega-musicals such asLes
Misérables(pr. 1987) andThe Phantom of the Opera(pr.
1988). However, a sharp decline in audiences drove
producers to nostalgia-driven pieces and revivals.
Beginning of the Decade: Nostalgia Successful mu-
sicals in the early part of the 1990’s embraced famil-
iarity and nostalgia and includedThe Will Rogers
Follies(pr. 1991),The Secret Garden(pr. 1991), and
Crazy for You(pr. 1992), as well as revivals ofGuys and
Dolls(pr. 1950) in 1992 andCarousel(pr. 1945) and
Show Boat(pr. 1927) in 1994.The Will Rogers Follies
featured inventive dance numbers by Tommy Tune
and a charming performance by Keith Carradine as
Will Rogers. With its Busby Berkeley feel, homespun
humor, and Americana designs, the production
seemed to recall the movie and stage musicals of
the 1930’s. It proved a solid change of pace from the
British mega-musical. The 1930’s inspiration was
also found inCrazy for You, a reworking of George
and Ira Gershwin’sGirl Crazy(pr. 1930). With its
zany staging and dynamic tap dancing choreog-
raphy by Susan Stroman, the show ran for more than
sixteen hundred performances.The Secret Garden,
based on the beloved 1909 children’s novel, found a
small but loyal audience who grew up with Frances
Hodgson Burnett’s tale of a young English girl who
discovers a dying garden and revitalizes it. In addi-
tion, major revivals of Broadway classics pulled audi-
ences in with their charming nod to the past.Decline of the Mega-musicals With the emergence
of the spectacle-driven mega-musical in the 1980’s, it
had seemed as if the book-driven musical was a thing
of the past. However, the early 1990’s saw British im-
ports find mixed success, with many losing millions
of dollars over the course of their runs.Aspects of Love
(pr. 1990) lost over $8,000,000 despite its 377 perfor-
mances on Broadway. The Andrew Lloyd Webber
chamber opera seemed to fail under the weight of its
negative press and poor word of mouth. Blood
Brothers(pr. 1991), which ran for more than twenty
years in Britain, lasted only 840 performances. Al-
though it made use of popular stunt casting, it ulti-
mately lost money on its original investment.
Perhaps the most notorious money-loser was
Lloyd Webber’s adaptation of Sunset Boulevard,
which premiered on Broadway in 1994. Featuring
stage and screen stars during its run, the production
ran for 977 performances. However, both Patti
LuPone, who played lead Norma Desmond in Lon-
don and was promised the role should it transfer to
Broadway, and Faye Dunaway, who was hired then
fired when her voice did not prove strong enough,
sued Lloyd Webber. New York critic Frank Rich esti-
mated that although tickets sold moderately well,
the total loss for the production, including lawsuits,The Nineties in America Broadway musicals 119