| Speaking of 50 years from now, while you may be correct in that Herman and his fellow American contemporaries and predecessors may be forgotten, which of this era's musicals (excluding Sondheim, perhaps) will be remembered or revived? I can envision none that will be seen in 50 years. Even huge critical and commercial hits like Dear Evan Hanson, I don't see being revived in 50 years. IMHO, I think that the shows mentioned (with the exception, perhaps of Show Boat and Porgy & Bess) are revived because of their tremendous entertainment value. They were written to entertain and not necessarily to deliver a message. And while Show Boat and Porgy & Bess had their serious intentions, they were both entertaining as well and musically superior. Musicals today, generally do not have that level of entertainment, and are (again with the exception of Sondheim) not at the levels of Porter, Kern, Gershwin, Herman, Rodgers & Hammerstein or Hart score. |
