Musical theatre

音樂劇

The tills are alive

票房火爆

The musicals business is bigger, more global and more fabulous than ever

音樂劇產(chǎn)業(yè)越做越大：無論是全球化程度，還是賺錢效應(yīng)，都是以前所無法比擬的

May 4th 2013 |From the print edition of The Economist

中文音頻

英語音頻

IN MEL BROOKS'S film “The Producers”, two men plot to make a fortune from a flop. They raise more money than they need to stage a musical, by selling all the shares in it several times over. Then they try to make the worst show ever: “Springtime for Hitler”. They assume it will close in a night and they will be able to abscond with the cash, since no investor will demand a cut of non-existent profits. To their horror, the audience loves it.

由梅爾·布魯克斯執(zhí)導(dǎo)的影片《金牌制作人》講述了這樣一個(gè)故事：兩個(gè)大男人密謀通過一場失敗來發(fā)一筆橫財(cái)。隨后，為了籌集到上演一部音樂劇所需要的資金，他們將該劇的股份反復(fù)出售了數(shù)次，結(jié)果不僅資金不成問題，而且還綽綽有余。錢到手后，他們又開始千方百計(jì)地想把這部音樂劇打造成有史以來最爛的作品。為此，他們給它取名為《希特勒的春天》。根據(jù)他們的設(shè)想，這部音樂劇也就是一個(gè)晚上的命運(yùn)；之后，他們就可以帶著現(xiàn)金逃之夭夭。這是因?yàn)?，既然不存在利潤，何來投資人的分紅要求。但是事件的發(fā)展令他們驚訝不已：這部音樂劇不但沒有失敗，反而一炮走紅。

Musicals are risky in real life, too. So when David Geffen, a showbiz mogul, approached Mr Brooks about turning his movie into a musical over a decade ago, Mr Brooks dragged his feet. Mr Geffen tried to convince him it was worth the hassle: he had made more money on the musical “Cats” than on any film he had ever made. This helped win over Mr Brooks, says Alan Schwartz, his lawyer. They put “The Producers” on Broadway (see picture). Mr Brooks made a packet.

在電影中，音樂劇被描述成一項(xiàng)有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的投資。在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中，事實(shí)也是如此。于是，當(dāng)娛樂業(yè)大亨大衛(wèi)·格芬在十年前找到布魯克斯，建議他把這部電影改編為音樂劇時(shí)，布魯克斯陷入了猶豫不決之中。為了說服他冒險(xiǎn)一試，格芬無所不用其極。據(jù)布魯克斯的律師艾倫·施瓦茨說，當(dāng)格芬告訴布魯克斯，《貓》這部音樂劇給他賺到的錢超過他之前投資的任何一部電影后，布魯克斯才下定了決心。在兩人的合作下，《金牌制作人》被搬上了百老匯的舞臺(tái)，布魯克斯也賺得盆滿缽滿。

“You can't make a living, but you can make a killing,” goes the Broadway adage. Musicals have odds like venture capital: only one in ten makes money, and two out of ten lose it all. The hits, however, are huge (see table). “Cats” probably made a 3,500% return for its initial investors. Since it debuted in London 27 years ago “The Phantom of the Opera”, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, has grossed $5.6 billion worldwide, more than any film or television show.

關(guān)于音樂劇，百老匯流傳著這樣一種說法：“你不能指望以此為生，卻能靠它來賺大錢”。這種情況有點(diǎn)類似于風(fēng)險(xiǎn)投資：十人之中，賺錢的只有一個(gè)人，而輸光了本錢卻大有人在。然而，一旦獲得成功，等著你的將是巨大的回報(bào)。例如，音樂劇《貓》可能為初始投資者帶來了35倍的回報(bào)；自從27年前在倫敦首演以來，安德魯·勞埃德·韋伯的《歌劇魅影》已在全球收獲了高達(dá)56億美元的票房，這是任何一部電影或是電視節(jié)目都難以望其項(xiàng)背的成就。

Musicals had their first big boom in the 1940s, when Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote “South Pacific” and “Oklahoma!”. In the 1980s Mr Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh, another Brit, invented the “mega musical”, with big-budget shows such as “Phantom” and Mr Mackintosh's “Les Misérables”. Now the business is belting out high notes again, with new shows, new markets and new interest in old hits.

上世紀(jì)四十年代，隨著羅杰斯和漢默斯坦的《南太平洋》和《俄克拉荷馬！》的成功，音樂劇迎來了第一次大繁榮。到八十年代，勞埃德·韋伯和另一名英國人卡梅隆·麥金托什又發(fā)明了高成本大制作的“超級音樂劇”，其代表作為《歌劇魅影》和麥金托什的《悲慘世界》。如今，這一行業(yè)再次高歌猛進(jìn)，新劇目不斷涌現(xiàn)，新市場日益擴(kuò)大，而之前曾大獲成功的老劇目也不斷給制作人帶來新的利潤。

Unlike films, musicals can run in theatres for decades. “The Lion King”, based on a Disney film, has prowled on Broadway since 1997. Shows can charge a lot for all that jazz. A ticket for the “The Book of Mormon” on Broadway can cost $477, plus fees, and even more if bought from a tout.

音樂劇不同于電影，它舞臺(tái)壽命可以歷經(jīng)數(shù)十年而不衰。例如，自1997年以來，取材于迪斯尼電影《獅子王》的同名音樂劇就一直霸占著百老匯的舞臺(tái)。同時(shí)，音樂劇還可以讓觀眾心甘情愿地為劇中的炫目歌舞而掏腰包。例如，在百老匯，一張《魔門經(jīng)》的門票能夠賣到477美元。如果要是算上小費(fèi)，或是從黃牛黨手中購票的話，價(jià)格還要高出許多。

Musicals in America will probably generate $1.9 billion in revenue this year, according to IBISWorld, a research firm; most of that will come from tours beyond Broadway. Once a musical has been branded a success, producers roll out national tours. “Apart from holiday weeks it is hard to do $2m weeks” for big shows on Broadway, says John Gore, the boss of Key Brand Entertainment, a musical production, touring and ticketing firm. “On the road you can have $2m weeks all year long.”

據(jù)市場調(diào)研公司IBISWorld預(yù)測，在美國，今年的音樂劇票房可能會(huì)達(dá)到19億美元，而且其中絕大部分來自于百老匯之外的巡回演出。音樂劇一旦走紅，制作人就會(huì)組織全美巡回演出。Key Brand Entertainment的老板約翰·戈?duì)栒f，對于大型音樂劇而言，“除了節(jié)假日之外，每周的票房難以達(dá)到200萬美元；而在全美巡回演出過程中，一年到頭，周周都能掙到200萬美元?！盞ey Brand Entertainment是一家負(fù)責(zé)音樂劇制作、巡回演出和票務(wù)的娛樂公司。

Musicals have long toured in English-speaking countries, Japan and Europe. In Germany, where musicals grossed nearly €600m ($455m) in 2011, nearly a tenth of the population goes each year. It is the third-largest musical market after America and Britain. Western musicals are spreading to South Korea, Brazil, Russia and other emerging markets. China and India, which are starting to build big theatres, could become lucrative within five years.

音樂劇在英語國家、日本和歐洲等地的巡回演出一般要持續(xù)較長的時(shí)間。在德國，每年都去看音樂劇的人數(shù)接近全國總?cè)丝诘氖种?，該?011年的音樂劇票房將近6億歐元（約合4.5億美元——譯者注：TE的編輯是不是在發(fā)昏？難道美元比歐元還值錢嗎？），這使她成為緊隨美國和英國之后的第三大音樂劇市場。西方音樂劇正在向韓國、巴西、俄羅斯和其他一些新興市場擴(kuò)展。中國和印度也已經(jīng)開始建造大型劇場，這兩個(gè)國家有可能成為今后五年內(nèi)有利可圖的市場。

Western musicals either run in English with subtitles or are put on by actors in the local language. It helps to have been a hit on Broadway, but it is not essential. Disney's “Tarzan”, a musical about a brawny man who swings on vines, fell flat in New York but soared in Germany.

在演出時(shí)，西方音樂劇或是使用配有字幕的英語，或是使用演出所在國的語言。音樂劇借助這種做法在百老匯取得了成功，但是，在別國演出時(shí)，音樂劇的內(nèi)容才是必不可少的。例如，迪斯尼公司的《泰山》講的是一位肌肉男在林間晃來當(dāng)去的故事，這部音樂劇在紐約演出時(shí)反響平平，但是到了德國卻轟動(dòng)一時(shí)。

In mature markets popular television shows, such as “Any Dream Will Do”, in which people vie to be cast in musicals, have attracted a younger crowd into theatres. “People have now grown up with musicals, and the audience has expanded vastly,” says Mr Mackintosh. And people are willing to fork out for a night out. Spending on Broadway musicals was resilient during the downturn, partly thanks to tourists. Big shows are doing well even in crisis-hit Spain, notes Mr Mackintosh.

在成熟市場上，由于《夢想成真》等電視選秀節(jié)目需要參與者為了獲得音樂劇中的一個(gè)角色而激烈競爭，因此此類節(jié)目將一批年輕的觀眾吸引到劇場中來。麥金托什說：“如今，人們都是隨著音樂劇一起長大的。因此，觀眾人數(shù)大大增加了。”同時(shí)，人們也愿意為看一場音樂劇而付出整個(gè)晚上的時(shí)間。在經(jīng)濟(jì)低迷時(shí)期，人們花在百老匯音樂劇上的開銷不僅沒有減少反而有所增加，這部分應(yīng)歸功于游客。麥金托什指出，甚至在深陷危機(jī)的西班牙，大型音樂劇依舊能有不錯(cuò)的票房。

The business today is not all song and dance, however. Margins are not what they were. Labour costs, especially in unionised New York, have risen, as has the price of theatre rentals, sets and costumes. David Ian, a British producer, reckons that putting on a musical is three times costlier than it was 20 years ago. “When I first started, if you had a hit show you'd expect to make your money back in 20-25 weeks,” he says. “Now you'd absolutely expect a year.” Producers are losing more of their profits to intermediaries. “If you want to make money off of theatre, open a ticketing company,” harrumphs one producer.

如今，歌舞只是該產(chǎn)業(yè)的一部分，能否賺錢才是制作方最關(guān)心的問題。從目前來看，這一行業(yè)利潤已經(jīng)不比以前。隨著劇場租金和道具費(fèi)用的提高，勞動(dòng)力成本也在上升，這一問題在到處是工會(huì)組織的紐約尤其嚴(yán)重。據(jù)英國制作人戴維·伊安估計(jì)，同20年前相比，現(xiàn)在制作一部音樂劇的費(fèi)用是當(dāng)時(shí)的3倍。他說：“在我剛出道那會(huì)兒，如果你的劇作走紅了，你可以期待著在20-25周后收回本錢。而如今，這個(gè)時(shí)間絕對需要一年。”制作方的利潤大都被中介機(jī)構(gòu)賺走。一位制作人抱怨道：“假如你想靠舞臺(tái)掙錢的話，不如開一家票務(wù)公司。”

Musical-goers now expect more spectacle. “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” is thought to have cost $60m, because actors fly across the stage. Other big musicals have seen their budgets scale skyscrapers, too. Opening a big musical on Broadway can cost $10m-15m, and then another $500,000 a week to run it.

音樂劇的觀眾也在期待著更加精彩的表演。以《蜘蛛俠：終結(jié)黑暗》為例，由于演員要在演出的過程中飛越整個(gè)舞臺(tái)，據(jù)說這部音樂劇的成本已經(jīng)達(dá)到了600萬美元。至于大制作的音樂劇，它們的預(yù)算更是在以火箭般的速度上升。據(jù)估計(jì)，如今在百老匯推出一部大型音樂劇的成本在100萬-150萬美元之間。如果制作方想繼續(xù)運(yùn)作下去，每周還得另外再支出50萬美元。

So producers and investors crave recognisable brands. Of the four Tony nominees for best musical, announced on April 30th, two were well-known films (“A Christmas Story” and “Bring It On”) and one a famous children’s book that had also previously been filmed (“Matilda”). “Juke box” musicals, which weave popular songs into a threadbare plot, are also in vogue. Critics say “Book of Mormon” was an unlikely hit, but its writers had “South Park”, the TV show they created, behind them.

因此，公認(rèn)的成名劇作就成了制作方和投資方的追捧對象。在4月30日公布的托尼獎(jiǎng)入圍名單中，獲得最佳音樂劇提名的共有四部作品。其中兩部（《圣誕故事》和《魅力四射》）是根據(jù)著名電影改編而來，還有一部（《小魔女》）雖說是取材于兒童讀物，但是也曾經(jīng)被改編成電影。在無厘頭情節(jié)中加入流行歌曲的“點(diǎn)唱機(jī)”音樂劇也是獲獎(jiǎng)的大熱門?！赌чT經(jīng)》雖然不被評論界看好，但是由于該劇的作者是流行電視節(jié)目《南方公園》，因此也獲得了成功。

An industry once composed of scrappy producers has become more corporate. Hollywood studios have muscled in. Studios have always licensed rights to their films; now they are trying to produce them on stage. Disney led the way. Universal Pictures struck accidental gold with “Wicked” (the studio had bought the rights to turn the book, about the Wicked Witch of the West, into a film, but was later approached to make it into a musical, which has grossed $3 billion). In May Warner Bros will help bring “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” to the West End.

這個(gè)一度由內(nèi)訌不斷的制作人參與其中的產(chǎn)業(yè)，如今已經(jīng)變得更加企業(yè)化。隨著好萊塢制片公司躋身其中，過去那種總是將版權(quán)授予電影的做法已經(jīng)不再流行，取而代之的是，各家公司都在力爭把故事搬到舞臺(tái)上去上演。在這方面，迪斯尼公司走在了前面。除此之外，環(huán)球影業(yè)也因《女巫》而收獲意外的成功（該公司在購得《西方女巫》一書的版權(quán)后，原本準(zhǔn)備將其改變?yōu)殡娪埃坏S后又改變主意，將該書改變?yōu)橐徊恳魳穭?，并且獲得了30億美元的總票房。）同時(shí)，華納兄弟也準(zhǔn)備在今年5月把《查理和巧克力工廠》搬上倫敦的西區(qū)劇院。

More musicals are opening in non-traditional towns and moving to Broadway and the West End after kinks have been worked out. A revival of “Dreamgirls”, with music by the Supremes, opened in South Korea and came to Broadway later. Chinese producers are hoping to develop a Chinese-language show, “Shanghai, Shanghai”, and eventually take it global. Stage Entertainment, a European production firm, worked with Sylvester Stallone to turn “Rocky”, a film about a boxer, into a musical. It opened in Hamburg, in Germany, last year. Next year “Rocky: Das Musical” will open in English on Broadway.

當(dāng)各種癥結(jié)被理順之后，越來越多的音樂劇開始“反其道而行之”：那些沒有音樂劇傳統(tǒng)的城鎮(zhèn)已經(jīng)取代百老匯和倫敦西區(qū)劇院，成為新劇作的首演之地。例如，由美國Supremes組合創(chuàng)作的《夢幻女郎》的翻版作品就是先在韓國首演，隨后才被搬上百老匯舞臺(tái)的。在中國，為了把《上海，上?！返戎形囊魳穭⊥葡蛉颍抢锏闹谱魅苏跐M懷希望地做著改進(jìn)的工作。在歐洲，制作方“舞臺(tái)娛樂”公司已經(jīng)同西爾維斯特·史泰龍合作，把講述拳擊手生涯的《洛奇》改編為音樂劇，并于去年在德國漢堡進(jìn)行了首演。除此之外，他們還準(zhǔn)備在明年把英文版的《洛奇：從音樂劇出擊》搬上百老匯的舞臺(tái)。

A hit about hitting people (while singing) may sound odd, but this is an odd business. The producers in “The Producers” speak for the whole industry when they ask: “Where did we go right?”

講述社會(huì)邊緣人物故事的作品（還是用歌舞的形式）能夠走紅？聽起來有點(diǎn)不可思議，但這就是一個(gè)與眾不同的產(chǎn)業(yè)。當(dāng)《金牌制作人》中的制作人發(fā)出“我們將會(huì)走向何方？”這一問題時(shí)，他們已經(jīng)替整個(gè)產(chǎn)業(yè)說出了自已的疑惑。