Defining Cult Musicals

What is a Cult Musical?

Ride the Cyclone is identified as “cult musical,” but what exactly does this mean? It is far from the first cult classic musical, even in modern times. Despite these musicals fostering their own small but dedicated followings for decades, it is difficult to predict or identify the unifying traits of what makes a cult musical. In this section, we will explore what sets these musicals apart from popular musicals and obscure musicals, both of which share traits with cult musicals.

What Defines a Popular Musical?

Popular musicals can often be characterized by success. Critical acclaim, multi-year runs, large fan bases, or widespread name recognition can distinguish a popular musical from its competitors. Through word of mouth or social media recommendations, a constant flow of new and returning audience members contributes to the lasting impact of a popular musical. In short, these are the musicals that even if a person has not watched a production, they will likely recognize the musical's name or a song from it.

In some cases, a popular musical taps into modern music for its score, blurring the lines between musical theatre and music of a specific genre. Hamilton serves as a modern example of this merge between musical theatre and mainstream music. Prior to this, “Hair, the first rock musical, was the only such record to crack Billboard’s top-10 album chart between 1969 and 2016,” which embraced the rise of rock music (Teachout). Whether it's through the dialogue, lyrics, or a little bit of both, when a musical can speak to an audience, its ability to connect with people is not limited to only those inside the theatre community. As a result, these musicals may gain recognition by the general public, breaching into pop culture. 

The ability to address relevant themes or issues may be another reason a musical achieves "popular" status. When a musical can be in conversation with current events, audiences may turn to these musicals as examples of how to address (or not address) such topics in their own lives. These musicals possess a hidden factor that allows their story to resonate with audiences and leave a lasting impact, lingering in an individual's thoughts even after the performance ends. As a result, audience members may recommend a musical to others or return to the show to experience those feelings again.

What Defines an Obscure Musical?

Obscure musicals typically have their fans, but lack the name recognition or familiarity of other musicals. A variety of factors can contribute to why a musical falls to the wayside and becomes “obscured” or less well-known. This could be due to a musical having relatively few surviving or generally accessible records, whether that be through a cast recording or performances. In other cases, a Broadway musical becomes obscured when produced during a packed season, where rival shows garner more attention or manage to foster a larger following. A show between transfers, whether that be to off-Broadway or Broadway, may be dropped and lose its initial traction, causing it to fall into obscurity.

Time is another factor that may cause musicals to fall into obscurity. For some of the reasons listed above, once popular musicals, such as Sunny by Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach, and Oscar Hammerstein II, which ran for 517 performances during 1925-1926, would likely be considered an obscure musical today. Despite experiencing a successful run and wide-spread recognition at the time, and a movie adaptation in 1941, Sunny’s absence from mainstream productions and discussions could be identified as contributing to its transition into obscurity. Likewise, once popular musicals that include racially insensitive storylines or language may be another reason a musical falls into obscurity as people dismiss these musicals for their content. While some musicals that include this type of content may be revived, in an attempt to reclaim or reimagine these stories, other plays are too rooted in subjects no longer viewed as culturally acceptable, that it would not be possible to address without changing the whole play.

What Defines a Cult Musical?

The level of engagement by fans is argued to separate a “cult musical” from the other types of musicals discussed here. An article titled “One for the Fans: The World of Theatre Fandoms,” discusses the varying behaviors that may characterize fans of cult musicals. This article argues that a cult musical gains this distinction based on how fans express their love, or obsession, with a show, which goes beyond watching that musical again and again or being familiar with the musical’s cast recording.

Social media now serves as a gathering spot for fans of cult musicals to celebrate their shared love of a specific show. Discussion forums and comment sections allow fans to share their various interpretations of a character/lyric or simply why they love “x” show. Fanart, cosplays, and videos (animatics, covers, etc.) allow cult musical fans to flex their creativity while showing their love. These fans invest their time into creating tangible examples of their love for a show. Their interactions with a musical extend beyond the time they spend in a theatre, watching said musical, or at home, as they listen to its cast recording or watch an uploaded recording. Prior to social media’s rise in popularity, a theatre’s stage door served as a meeting spot for fans of currently running, cult musicals to meet and discuss their love of that musical with other fans, or even the performers. 

Regarding the content of “cult musicals,” Samuel French (parent company: Concord Theatricals) argues that these musicals often cover “Taboo topics, pseudo-subcultures and stories that turn social norms upside down,” with an “unlikely” protagonist serving as the audience’s guide (Samuel French). Rather than being characterized as the underdog, the protagonists of cult musicals often play along the lines of morality with their actions. They are characters who cannot be as easily defined as “good” or being the “hero” of their story. Because of the nature of cult musicals stories and/or characters, these musicals may not be able to attract an initial audience, leading them to experience a short run or be considered box office flops. However, this does not apply to all cult musicals. Through word of mouth, cast recordings, or social media, dedicated fan bases may develop around a musical that general audiences overlook.

Ride the Cyclone as a Cult Musical

The buzz around Ride the Cyclone could largely be credited to its fanbase. As sound bites from Ride the Cyclone's cast recording and off-Broadway production became trendy on TikTok, social media aided in this musical's rise in popularity. Small audio samples brought Ride the Cyclone to a larger audience than any of its previous staged iterations, which led curious users to learn more about the sound's origins. A full recording of Ride the Cyclone's off-Broadway production also brought the musical to audiences outside of New York, who now had a reference when creating their own work inspired by this show (including art, animatics, and cosplays). Despite playing more regional venues for limited runs, Ride the Cyclone has amassed a following comparable to other modern Broadway musicals. The musical's handling of darker subject matter, its cast of flawed characters, or the score itself may play a role in how Ride the Cyclone found such a dedicated fanbase.

Sources:

Linnard, D. (2020, Sept. 5). One for the Fans: The World of Theatre Fandoms. Stage Agent. https://blog.stageagent.com/one-for-the-fans-the-world-of-theatre-fandoms/

michaelthompson19 (2020, Jan. 20). The History of Musical Theatre. Level 3 Performing Arts. https://mthompson19143932526.wordpress.com/2020/01/20/the-history-of-musical-theatre/

Samuel French (2015, May 5). Exploring the Culture of Cult Musicals. Breaking Character. https://medium.com/breaking-character/exploring-the-culture-of-cult-musicals-f00ee1550745

Short, S. (2018, March 10). Impact of Musicals on Culture. The Standard. https://standard.asl.org/10311/arts/impact-of-musicals-on-culture/

Teachout, T. (2019). When Broadway Became Broadway. Commentary. https://www.commentary.org/articles/terry-teachout/broadway-became-broadway/