[At the end of last month, two television news programs aired reports on different aspects of the performing arts in New York City in the (hopefully) waning days of the COVID pandemic. If you’ve been following the news from this city, Broadway theater has just started to return—not without setbacks—and other performance venues have been following in its wake.
[First up is a report from PBS NewsHour, known for its in-depth coverage of issues and current events, looking at the financial implications of the 18-month shutdown on the artists and artisans whose work is off stage. That’s followed by a report from WCBS on its CBS2 News At 5 newscast on a performance art troupe that’s been using the public spaces of New York City as its stage for two decades.]
by Jeffrey Brown and Anne Azzi Davenport
[The following report was aired on PBS NewsHour on 29 September 2021. The transcript and the video of the segment is posted at https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-show-must-go-on-broadway-hopes-reopening-boom-will-pay-off-debts-worsened-by-pandemic.]
There’s no business like show business, but for 18 months during the pandemic, Broadway theaters had virtually no business at all. Jeffrey Brown recently visited the theater district’s artisans who are making sure Broadway puts its best face forward and comes back to life. It’s part of our arts and culture series, CANVAS.
Amna Nawaz: Well, as the saying goes, there’s no business like show business.
But for 18 months during the pandemic, there was basically no business in Broadway theaters.
Jeffrey Brown recently visited the theater districts artisans, who are playing a key role in Broadway’s return.
It’s all part of our arts and culture series, Canvas.
Jeffrey Brown: The green suit, worn by Lin-Manuel Miranda in the musical “Hamilton.” Miranda told the costume designer it should be — quote — “the color of money.”
Crystals and mirrors on Elsa’s ice dress from Disney’s “Frozen.” From “Phantom of the Opera,” what else? The mask. They are defining images of contemporary Broadway. But even live in the theater, you don’t get to see them like this.
Brian Blythe, The Costume Industry Coalition: What I think is so great about this is that when you’re sitting in the fifth row or the 10th row or in the balcony, you’re never this close . . .
Jeffrey Brown: Yes, that’s for sure.
Brian Blythe: . . . to the costumes, to the point where you can see the amount of craftsmanship, the workmanship and the details that go into each one of these.
Jeffrey Brown: Brian Blythe helped put together this exhibition called Showstoppers!. He’s a founder of The Costume Industry Coalition, a group of more than 50 small businesses that make these amazing garments, like this dress from “Wicked.”
Can I touch it?
Brian Blythe: I will let you touch it, yes.
(LAUGHTER)
Jeffrey Brown: Why do you do all of this underneath in such exquisite detail?
Brian Blythe: Because they’re living in this fantasy world. You know, they’re in Emerald City. And when an actor puts this on, they become the character. That’s how they realize their character, is through their costume.
Jeffrey Brown: But starting in March of 2020, no characters, no costumes, no shows. Now, gradually, tentatively, the spectacle is coming back.
The musical “Six” was supposed to open the same day Broadway shut down in 2020 [12 March]. The six, by the way, are the wives killed by Henry VIII. Now they have come to life onstage. And opening night recently was sold out.
[Historically, King Henry VIII (1491-1547; reigned: 1509-47) only “killed” two of his queens: Anne Boleyn (c. 1501-36) and Catherine Howard (1523-42), numbers 2 and 5, both beheaded for adultery and treason. He divorced two, Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536), whose marriage was actually annulled, and Anne of Cleves (1515-57), numbers 1 and 4; one died in childbirth, Jane Seymour (1508-37), number 3; and one survived the king, Catherine Parr (1512-48), number 6.
[A mnemonic for remembering the fates of the six wives is: “Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived.”]
Gianna Van Rouendal, Theatergoer: This is my first Broadway show back, which is very exciting. And I think it will be so inspiring.
Jack Nix, Theatergoer: We are just thrilled for Broadway, and we cannot wait to see “Six.” And we will be back to see a bunch of shows.
Jeffrey Brown: “Six” is one of 15 Broadway shows reopening throughout September. Twenty more are set to open before the end of the year, with patrons masked and required to have proof of vaccination or negative test results to enter theaters.
Charlotte St. Martin is president of The Broadway League, a trade group representing theater owners.
Charlotte St. Martin, President, The Broadway League: We said from day one we will not open unless we feel we can keep the audience, the cast and crew safe.
They might be a little bit sensitive about the Delta variant, but we’re trying to spread the message that we’re safe, we’re secure, and all of the magic they loved about Broadway is still there.
Jeffrey Brown: Magic and money. Broadway is a business with a large behind-the-scenes ecosystem fed by ticket sales, with every production employing scores of workers crucial to making the show go on. And then there’s its wider impact on the city.
Charlotte St. Martin: We’re responsible for 97,000 jobs in this city, and 80 percent of the tourists that are coming here for pleasure give Broadway as their number one, two or three reason for coming to the city. So we need to be open not just for us, but to bring New York back.
Brian Blythe: We lost over $26.6 million in gross revenue in 2020. And we have incurred an immense amount of debt during the pandemic.
Jeffrey Brown: Showstoppers!, occupying an out-of-business sporting goods store on 42nd Street, was conceived as a fund-raiser, with ticket sales benefiting costume workers.
According to Blythe, they face a collective debt of $3.5 million. In an industry where nothing but the best will do, some of the people who make these costumes took part in the exhibition.
Camilla Chuvarsky is a theatrical milliner[;] she makes hats.
Camilla Chuvarsky, Lynne Mackey Studio: I think there’s a bit of a false perception with costumes that they’re not as well-made as everyday garments.
And, in fact, the opposite is true. They have to hold up through eight shows a week and still look beautiful the entire time, because, when you’re going to Broadway, more than regional theater, what you’re paying for is the production value.
Jeffrey Brown: The pandemic, she says, forced some to leave the industry or retire early, revealing just how fragile some of the costuming trades are.
Camilla Chuvarsky: There are a lot of techniques and skills that really are passed down through training on the job and that a lot of people don’t know and would honestly be lost. If some of these shops closed, there’s knowledge that would just vanish, because it is so particular to the industry.
Jeffrey Brown: Another behind-the-scenes art form, fabric painter.
Hochi Asiatico has worked on Broadway for 25 years, painting everything from the most detailed patterns to a character’s sweat. [Asiatico is the subject of a New York Times article I posted on 29 May 2021, “‘Broadway’s Dirty Secret: How to Turn Costumes From Riches to Rags’” by Erik Piepenburg.]
A painter for a Broadway show, most people probably don’t know there is such a thing.
Hochi Asiatico, Owner, Hochi Asiatico Studio: No, people don’t know.
And they just get the feeling of something. And I think they get into the character. But, really, the painting is very important for the development of the character.
Jeffrey Brown: Asiatico hand-painted these robes, set in the early 19th century, for the play “Golden Child.”
Hochi Asiatico: So, we had to research the colors that were available at the time and the style of the time. Also, we wanted them to look a little bit embroidered. So we have to consider the distance on stage, how the lighting works.
Jeffrey Brown: The people we met are now back at work making costumes for productions.
But will the audience return? With tourism still down in New York City . . .
Oprah Winfrey, Producer/Philanthropist: This is Broadway.
Jeffrey Brown: . . . Broadway League has a new $1.5 million ad campaign narrated by Oprah.
Oprah Winfrey: This is the return of something truly spectacular.
Jeffrey Brown: Strategically targeting those within a car drive.
And, as we saw recently, those who are coming are glad to be back, even amid continuing uncertainty.
Audrianne Speidel, Theatergoer: I’m loving the fact that the shows are back and being able to come and see as many shows as possible. So, yes.
Woman: And please let Broadway open, please.
Audrianne Speidel: Right.
Jeffrey Brown: For now, at least, it is.
For the “PBS NewsHour,” I’m Jeffrey Brown in New York.
[Jeffrey Brown is the chief correspondent for arts, culture, and society at PBS NewsHour. Anne Azzi Davenport is the Senior Coordinating Producer of “Canvas.”
[Showstopper! Spectacular Costumes from Stage and Screen, the costume exhibit from the Costume Industry Coalition, closed on 26 September; it had been housed at the former Modell's Sporting Goods store at 234 W. 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues in Times Square.]
by Steve Overmyer
[This “Snapshot New York” was broadcast on 30 September 2021 on WCBS, Channel 2 in New York City. Improv Everywhere, formed in 2001 by Charlie Todd (b. 1978), is a performance art group based in New York City. Its slogan is “We Cause Scenes.” (The video for this report is posted at https://newyork.cbslocal.com/video/6052800-snapshot-ny-improv-everywhere-reminds-new-yorkers-to-celebrate-shared-spaces/.)
[In their own words: “Improv Everywhere is a New York City-based comedy collective that stages unexpected performances in public places. Created in August of 2001 by Charlie Todd, Improv Everywhere aims to surprise and delight random strangers through positive pranks. We joined YouTube in April of 2006, making us one of the first comedy channels on the platform.
[“We have staged hundreds of projects involving tens of thousands of undercover performers. Highlights include making time stop at Grand Central Terminal, giving Best Buy 100 extra employees, and letting random strangers conduct a world class orchestra in the middle of Manhattan.
[“Improv Everywhere produces television series (recently, Pixar In Real Life for Disney+) and has produced commercials for brands like Target, ESPN, and Hallmark.”]
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — For more than 20 years, Improv Everywhere has been turning New York City into a playground for positive pranks.
Most of the moments came before the pandemic, but their messages remains the same. That’s the focus of this week’s Snapshot New York with Steve Overmyer.
“I’ve always looked at the city like a playground,” said Charlie Todd. “That’s been our motto, always, that we cause scenes. But we’re causing a scene that’s funny, that catches people off guard in a positive way and a way that makes them laugh and smile.”
For more than 20 years, Improv Everywhere has been creating moments that allow everyone to join in. They’re called missions.
“Giving people this fun, unexpected moment of joy that maybe they carry with them the rest of the day. Maybe it makes their day 5% better,” said Todd. “Our best projects are the ones that invite people in rather than us just forcing ourselves on people. We like to lure people in and invite them into our world.”
On any random day, you might see an impromptu dance party with a few people from Improv Everywhere. But it becomes infectious.
“Does there come a time when you’re not sure who’s in the troop [sic: ‘troupe’] and who’s just a random person that’s walking by?” asked Overmyer.
“Yeah absolutely. Those are the greatest moments,” said Todd.
As New Yorkers, we have an unwritten, social contract to keep our heads down, don’t talk to anyone and, no matter what happens, don’t react.
That’s impossible when Charlie Todd is around – even on a depressing morning commute at the 53rd Street subway station.
“There are these two giant escalators in that station with a staircase next to it, but nobody takes the staircase because it’s like you’re going up four stories,” Todd explained.
That day he added a flair of color by simply asking everyone to lend a hand.
“Over the course of about an hour, my friend Rob gave out 2,000 high-fives to commuters,” he said.
Their brand of performance art has stretched across all five boroughs. It all started with a harmless prank that’s become an annual tradition: “The No Pants Subway Ride.”
“I love it when something happens in the city where strangers have a connection,” Todd said.
Improv Everywhere reminds us while we are all leading millions of different lives, our unique connection to our outside spaces gives us a chance at a shared experience.
It’s a reminder that playing like a child can be liberating. All we need is someone to give us the OK.
“We try to provide unique opportunities for people,” said Todd. “If they say yes and if they want to come into our world, they can have a once in a lifetime experience.”
“Creating moments of joy and bringing people together is important. We create this joyous, euphoric moment for no reason, just to celebrate life and be funny and have a good time,” he added.
To date, Improv Everywhere videos have 470 million views on YouTube. They’ve completed two missions during the pandemic as a way to remind us to celebrate our shared space.
[Steve Overmyer joined WCBS in February 2011 as a sports anchor and reporter. He hosts Sports Update every weekend on CBS 2 and its partner station on Long Island, WLNY 10/55. Previously, Overmyer anchored and reported for the cable network SportsNet in New York (SNY).
[Overmyer was the field reporter for Jets Post Game Live and studio host for 1st and Goal with football reporter Mike Tannenbaum. During his time at SNY, he was utilized in a number of capacities from anchoring the nightly highlight show to talk show hosting duties to field reporter for all New York teams.]
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