Artistic freedom through subsidy: The British model of reviving American musicals

In the last two decades, a host of British-directed revivals of American musicals have opened in London and on Broadway, in many cases to great acclaim. These productions have received critical praise for their fresh staging and dark psychological character exploration. This article suggests that British government subsidizing of the arts has opened the doors for not-for-profit theatres to explore radical reinterpretations of classic American musicals, without the pressures of having to cater to audience expectations in order to back the shows financially. Because of government support, British directors have been free to experiment with staging, physical design, cross-racial casting and character interpretation to get at the emotional core of the material. In many cases, the shows have generated enough critical support to allow them to transfer into the commercial sector – the West End, Broadway, or both – and the original producing theatres benefit from the transfer. This article examines two subsidized theatres in England that have produced some of the most influential musical revivals of the last fifteen years: the Royal National Theatre and the Donmar Warehouse. Through an overview of their histories, subsidy arrangements, and a few of the musical revivals they mounted and later transferred to Broadway, this article illustrates how not having to focus on the box office take can lead to innovation and creativity in musical theatre staging, and how theatrical experimentation in turn creates more opportunities for public funding.