A career in pre-Broadway hits
Michael Price has spent 46 years running one of the top regional theaters in the United States. Under his guidance Goodspeed Musicals has originated shows such as 鈥�Annie鈥� and 鈥�Man of La Mancha鈥� that have gone on to become theater classics.
But he also knows audiences don鈥檛 want to just revisit 鈥渕useum pieces.鈥� This spring, for example, Goodspeed is reviving the 1955 musical 鈥淒amn Yankees鈥� but adding a twist: The downtrodden team trying to bring down the mighty New York Yankees isn鈥檛 the Washington Senators, as originally written, but the Boston Red Sox. It鈥檚 a keen marketing move for a theater located in East Haddam, Conn., midway between the two cities. His theater sits on 鈥渢he fault line between the Yankees and the Red Sox,鈥� Mr. Price says. 鈥淎udiences are loving the show.鈥�
Price, who is the dean of artistic directors in American professional theater, has produced more than 200 musicals, including 75 world premi猫res. Nineteen of them have transferred to Broadway, a mere 100 miles to the south, where they鈥檝e garnered 13 Tony Awards and 33 Tony nominations. Goodspeed itself has received two regional Tony Awards, the first regional theater ever to be honored twice.
Price has announced he will retire later this year. But not before he helps stage a 50th anniversary production of 鈥淔iddler on the Roof鈥� and premi猫res 鈥淗oliday Inn,鈥� a new stage musical based on the classic 1942 film starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.
In his four decades-plus, Price has seen Goodspeed grow 鈥渇rom a sleepy eight-week season鈥� to an enterprise that includes two venues and two mandates. The Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, a small-but-elegant jewel built in 1876 with views of the Connecticut River, was joined in 1984 by a second stage in a converted knitting-needle factory in nearby Chester, Conn.聽
The mission of the two stages is to revive Broadway shows that deserve a new look and to introduce original new musicals that might become future hits.
Though styles and audiences have changed, 鈥淭he two most important parts of a musical do not change,鈥� Price says. First, 鈥淚s the story compelling?... And the second is 鈥楧oes the music also mean something to you, does it take you further along the path of understanding the story?鈥�... You need both of them in sync at the same time.
鈥�'Phantom of the Opera',鈥� he notes, 鈥渋s a very old-fashioned musical, but it speaks to people 鈥� it鈥檚 now 30 years on Broadway.鈥�
What he most enjoys about the American musical is the 鈥渕agic鈥� it can create, Price says. He loves to cook up a new show. 鈥淚f I were a chef, I鈥檇 say, umm, the soup smells good, and it tastes good. And I like stirring the pot.鈥�
Goodspeed productions are able to draw on the wealth of acting talent in nearby New York. But Price has never fallen victim to the temptation to headline shows with well-known film or television actors as a gimmick to draw an audience. 鈥淥nce you do that .. you become hostage to the 鈥榳ho鈥檚 in it?鈥� question,鈥� he鈥檚 say. 鈥淲e want to talk about the musical we鈥檙e doing, not the actor who鈥檚 portraying the role.鈥�
Some of his favorite shows were flops (though he won鈥檛 name them). When he鈥檚 producing a show like 鈥淎nnie鈥� or 鈥淢an of La Mancha鈥� he gives no mind to whether it might one-day become a Broadway hit. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 do them because we thought they鈥檇 become staples of American musical theater,鈥� Price says. 鈥淲e did them because they said something to us. We liked the music. We liked the story. And that鈥檚 how we pick our new productions 鈥� on the merits of the piece.鈥�
His theatrical roots stretch back to his boyhood in Chicago, where he started out as a child actor. Later he worked behind the scenes, becoming a stage hand, a lighting designer, and eventually a stage manager. An early mentor gave him advice that鈥檚 helped him through the years. 鈥淗e said get out in front and see what the scenery looks like from [where the audience sits],鈥� Price recalls. 鈥淎ll the scenery looks the same from the back side.鈥澛�
Though the Goodspeed Opera House is an elegant venue, its stage (and seating capacity) is tiny by Broadway standards. That makes staging big dance numbers a special challenge.聽
鈥淲e鈥檙e in a very tight space onstage. Every production we do uses a shoehorn to get it into place,鈥� he concedes.聽
But that doesn鈥檛 mean he skimps on actors.聽
鈥淲e end up with about the same number of actors [in a production] that you have in a Broadway show鈥� 鈥� about 22 to 24 on average, he says. 鈥淲e probably have the greatest ratio of actors to seats of any professional theater in America.鈥�
In his retirement Price will have more time to spend with his grandson in Brooklyn, N.Y. And he鈥檒l have time to relax and see more musicals as an audience member. When he goes to productions that aren鈥檛 his own, he says, he doesn鈥檛 analyze the productions. 鈥淚 go as a patron and to enjoy myself. Not as a critic.鈥�
