Is Anything Really New on Broadway?

Broadway is starting to look a lot like Hollywood.  One would think that of all the performing arts, live theater would be the best place for the expression of original ideas.  Yet, as Broadway business grows bigger than ever, producers seem to be following Tinseltown's model by seeking projects that are a known quantity.  Why take a gamble on an unknown story when there are enough risks with known properties.  So we see more and more adaptations, sequels, revivals, tales about well-known celebrities, and retold stories of historic events. 

Broadway adaptations and revivals are nothing new -- classic shows have certainly been made from pre-existing content.  If we look at the Great White Way today, however, it's harder and harder to find a musical or play based on a wholly original concept.  Looking at the shows set to debut in the next few months of the remaining season, all I see are more adaptations, revivals, and even a sequel. 

The Columnist (play) - Here's a new play by David Auburn who wrote the wonderful Proof, but look closely -- it's based on the true story of newspaper columnist Joseph Alsop who served as an adviser to John F. Kennedy in the 1960s.  Auburn will surely use powerful dramatic license to delve into Alsop's reaction to the Soviet KGB's threats to expose his secrets with compromising photos.

Death of a Salesman (play) - Arthur Miller's 1949 classic comes to life again, this time starring Philip Seymour Hoffman as Willy Loman.

Don't Dress For Dinner (play) - You thought I was kidding about a sequel?  If you saw the critically acclaimed play Boeing-Boeing and were wondering what happens next, here's your chance.

End of the Rainbow (play) - This play explores the life of Judy Garland on the eve of her final series of concerts in 1968.

Evita (musical) - Andrew Lloyd Webber's fan-favorite returns with Ricky Martin playing the role of Che.

Ghost: The Musical (musical) - Eventually, every movie will be turned into a Broadway musical.  This one is based on the supernatural romance thriller that starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Gore Vidal's The Best Man (play) - I actually don't mind this timely revival of the 1962 play about a presidential primary race because it stars an amazing cast: John Larroquette, Candice Bergen, Angela Lansbury, Erik McCormack, and James Earl Jones.

Jesus Christ Superstar (musical, March 1) - I already have my tickets ordered for a preview performance of this Andrew Lloyd Webber revival.  It's a critically acclaimed production that's making its highly anticipated trip to Broadway.

Magic/Bird (play) - Written by Eric Simonson based on his conversations with basketball legends Larry Bird and Earvin "Magic" Johnson, will this be a sports version of Frost/Nixon?  (I kid.)

Newsies (musical) - The 1992 movie about a newsboy strike in 1899 comes to a Broadway theater in 2012.

Nice Work If You Can Get It (musical) - Here's a twist on the jukebox musical concept -- a production based on songs from the George and Ira Gershwin catalog.

Once (musical) - The 2006 movie gets the musical stage adaptation treatment.

One Man, Two Guvnors (play) - Based on the 18th century Italian comedy Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, this updated retelling is set in the 1960s.

Rebecca (musical) - They can make a musical out of anything.  This was inspired by the novel by Daphne du Maurier, which Alfred Hitchcock turned into a movie in 1940 and Hollywood remade in 1997.

A Streetcar Named Desire (play) - This is a great play by Tennessee Williams.  This new revival stars an African-American cast, with Blair Underwood as Stanley and Nicole Ari Parker as Blanche.

Wit (play) - Cynthia Nixon stars in this revival of the Off-Broadway hit that was written by Margaret Edson. 

Some of these look like they could be fantastic productions and I hope I have the chance to see them, but I also yearn for some truly original tales to come to life on the Broadway stage.