was over $20 million, earning it the record for most
money lost on a theatrical endeavor in the history of
the United States.
The financial shortcomings of other British pro-
ductions such asMartin Guerre(pr. 1996) andWhistle
Down the Wind(pr. 1996), neither of which made it to
Broadway, and a handful of mega-musical copycats
indicated that audiences were looking for more than
spectacle. Only 1991’sMiss Saigon, which ran for ten
years, was able to reverse the trend.
Disney The year 1994 brought a new producer of
musicals to Broadway: Walt Disney Productions.
Using a high-profile marketing campaign and riding
the success of its film version,Beauty and the Beastbe-
came one of the longest-running musicals in Broad-
way history, with a staggering 5,464 performances
over a thirteen-year run. Three years later,The Lion
King, also based on a Disney film and featuring pup-
petry and masks by Julie Taymor, opened to rave re-
views. BothBeastandLion Kingbrought nontheater
composers to Broadway, changing the traditional
“Broadway sound.”
End of the Decade Teenagers and young adults re-
discovered musical theater when Jonathan Larson’s
Rentopened in 1996. Based on Giacomo Puccini’s
1896 operaLa Bohème,Rent, with its rock score and
youthful protagonists, struck a powerful chord. A
string of successful but short-lived musicals followed,
includingJekyll and Hyde(pr. 1997),Titanic(pr. 1997),
Ragtime(pr. 1998), andFootloose(pr. 1998). Major re-
vivals ofChicago(pr. 1975) in 1996 andCabaret(pr.
1966) in 1998 revitalized interest in both John
Kander and Fred Ebb’s work, as well as the choreogra-
phy of Bob Fosse, whose work was remounted in the
dance revue Fosse(pr. 1999). Two other revivals,
1999’sAnnie Get Your Gun(pr. 1946) andKiss Me, Kate
(pr. 1948), were also critically acclaimed.
Impact The beginning of the decade found musi-
cals in sharp decline. To counteract low attendance
and increasing production costs, producers pushed
ticket prices up from $60 to more than $80 by the
end of the decade. By the end of the 1990’s, the
Broadway musical seemed lost. Revivals and adapta-
tions indicated that there was little room for original
story lines. Financially, producers were more cau-
tious and audiences more particular about paying so
much for an unknown production. It was a decade of
financial and artistic conservatism.
Further Reading
Block, Geoffrey.Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway
Musical from “Show Boat” to Sondheim. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1997. An exploration of
music as a dramatic tool in twentieth century mu-
sicals. Useful for discerning stylistic differences
among composers in the 1990’s.
Flinn, Denny Martin.Musical! A Grand Tour. New
York: Schirmer Books, 1997. A look at the history
of the American musical on both stage and screen.
Jones, John Bush.Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social
Histor y of the American Musical Theatre. Lebanon,
N.H.: Brandeis University Press, 2003. A literate
examination of how musicals promote social
change. Includes insights into the 1990’s political
landscape and Broadway’s response to it.
Larkin, Colin.The Virgin Encyclopedia of Stage and Film
Musicals. London: Virgin Books, 1999. An excel-
lent resource covering both American and British
musicals.
Singer, Barry.Ever After: The Last Years of Musical
Theatre and Beyond. New York: Applause Theatre
& Cinema Books, 2004. Covers musicals from
1975 to the early 2000’s. Singer’s analysis con-
cerning the 1990’s is particularly compelling.
Suskin, Steven.Show Tunes 1905-1991: The Songs,
Shows and Careers of Broadway’s Major Composers.
New York: Limelight Editions, 1992. A phenome-
nal resource for exploring Broadway composers
throughout the twentieth century.
Wilmeth, Don B., and Christopher Bigsby, eds.The
Cambridge Histor y of American Theatre. New York:
Cambridge University Press, 2000. Covers theater
from post-World War II to the 1990’s.
Tom SmithSee also Beauty and the Beast;Rent; Theater in the
United States. Brooks, Garth
Identification American pop country music
singer and songwriter
Born February 7, 1962; Tulsa, OklahomaDuring the 1990’s, Brooks dominated the pop countr y mu-
sic market, recording chart-topping hit singles and six stu-
dio albums. Throughout the decade, he broke records for
sales and concert attendance.120 Brooks, Garth The Nineties in America