In a weekly update of the top albums purchased and consumed,
Billboard music makes mention of frequency of Broadway musical cast albums on
this chart. Dear Evan Hansen has become the Hamilton equivalent of the year. So far,
the cast and crew has sold about 29,000 albums, putting them at number 8,
(behind Lady Gaga and Rebal McEntire).
In the article, Keith Caulfield, co-director of charts at
Billboard, writes of the past musicals to make the top 40. This list is small,
with the inclusion of Hamilton
(obviously), The Book of Mormon, and Hair. Caulfield argues that in order to
have this degree of success as a Musical soundtrack, a requirement of modernism
is needed.
I agree with Caulfield’s argument. As a theater nerd myself,
I am always aware of the differences between the “mainstream” musicals out, as
suppose to the “hipster” musicals the me and my friends listen to. For example,
I know a lot of people who listen to Hamilton
despite not being into musicals at all. What makes this musical so popular is its
similarities to modern-day music (as well as its historical accuracy, for
some). That being said, I imagine if I showed these non-theater people the
soundtrack to Sunday in The Park with
George or Evita, they would not
show the same enthusiasm.
Caulfield uses inductive reasoning to reach his argument.
First, he mentions specific musical titles, like Hamilton, Hair and Dear Evan Hansen. Next, he tells us what
these scores have in common. He draws the conclusion that all the top musicals
are also the most similar to the top music on the radio. Finally, Caulfield
synthesizes that all the Musicals to make the top 40 display a commonality of conventionalism,
and because of this, in general, musicals that have “pop” sounding scores are
more successful.
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