Originally, a jukebox is a stationary music machine. You drop a coin – you get a song. These were widespread from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries until humanity embraced audio cassettes, which offered much more mobility and were cheaper than vinyl. The term “jukebox,” thanks to American film critic Andrew Sarris, began to describe films and performances stuffed with famous songs. Don’t confuse Jukebox with cover bands, where musicians play other musicians’ songs. Want examples? I have some, including those currently playing in London. But first, a few words about other famous genre examples that have recently left the stage.
“We Will Rock You,” a musical from the early 2000s based on Ben Elton’s book and Queen’s songs, played at the Coliseum a year ago. It’s an alternative history of a society where everything live, including live guitar sound, is banned. The “Bohemians,” a group of rebels, managed to return freedom to the people, partly thanks to Freddie Mercury’s immortal songs. For instance, there’s a scene where the characters talk about the tragic fate of musicians—they were secretly killed, and one of them, named Bri-ann, played a guitar solo as his last wish (delaying his own death by three days).
Why incorporate rock band songs into completely unrelated stories? First, it’s beautiful! Secondly, you can justify anything, but the main thing is that the audience is completely happy. Take “Mamma Mia!” for example—one of the most successful Jukebox musicals in history. A girl raised on the sunny Greek coast is about to get married. She doesn’t know who her father is, her mother won’t tell her, so she invites three of her mother’s lovers, whom she read about in a diary, to the wedding. A comedy of situations and secrets unfolds, generously seasoned with ABBA songs. Why ABBA? Because it’s great! The songs are vibrant, youthful, and fresh, like this story of a Greek summer and people in love.
However, in “We Will Rock You” and “Mamma Mia!” no one pretends to be Björn Ulvaeus or Roger Taylor. But in “The Drifters Girl,” for instance, it’s a biopic-jukebox, a completely feminist story about Faye Treadwell, one of the first music managers in history, the fairy of the famous The Drifters. She was their unwavering guide for thirty years, during which many members changed, but not Faye. The perfectly balanced space, colourful flashing lights, 50s dresses, luxurious jackets—and the music.
In general, if a musical is made about a rock star, their place in the rock music Pantheon is ensured forever. Jukebox is a very popular musical genre right now. We wrote about a new show in this series here (LINK): it’s “Just One Day” at the Old Vic, a biopic-jukebox about the Live Aid festival and its visionary, Bob Geldof. Geldof, by the way, was thrilled, attended the show, and even brought friends. Famous songs are performed here too, and the audience sings along. Some critics call this genre “theatrical karaoke,” saying people come to the theatre to sing their favourite songs. Yes, if you prefer the classic sound of famous songs, if you get goosebumps from unfamiliar timbres and hiss like a boiling kettle, it might be hard for you.
But there’s something for everyone, like “Tina”—a musical about Tina Turner, played by actress Karis Anderson, who sings her songs and fully embodies her character. Tina Turner herself worked with the production team and attended the premiere (imagine how nervous the lead actress was, right?). The great Turner liked it. She approved it. The show is based on the story of little Anna Mae Bullock, who grew up to be a singer, oppressed by an abusive husband, lost everything, and—was reborn. She is passionate, resilient, and bright. When this Tina bursts onto the stage in a gold dress covered in thousands of golden threads, it feels like a furious lightning bolt that’s had enough of tolerating and adapting.
It’s incredibly difficult to fit the life story of a mega-star into two hours of stage time, especially within the confines of a musical. The unique way musical actors exist on stage doesn’t allow them to perform like dramatic actors; everything looks as if the monitor brightness is turned up to 200 percent. Therefore, it’s extremely challenging not to fall into excessiveness, even caricature, but in Tina’s case, both the actress and the director, Phyllida Lloyd (and Tina Turner herself, as part of the team!), managed to avoid this. Moreover, Ike Turner is undoubtedly a tyrant, but driven by his pain—Ike is given dramatic depth here.
In another jukebox musical, “MJ The Musical,” a biopic about Michael Jackson, dramatic depth wasn’t very successful. The strained relationship with his abusive father, which left a permanent mark on Jackson’s psyche, is the focal point—hence the same actor plays Joseph Jackson and the ruthless manager. The narrative cuts off a few months before the scandal and the first accusations against Michael—quite unexpectedly, as if the stage time simply ran out. But the main reason to see “MJ The Musical” is the lead actor, Myles Frost. It’s eerie—either someone travelled to the past and brought back Michael from 1989, or we’re looking at his twin. You’d believe in soul transmigration, honestly. Frost walks the same way, talks the same way, looks slightly from under his brows. It’s a strange feeling, but the actor’s charm is so strong that even die-hard Jackson fans aren’t irritated but mesmerised, watching him step onto the stage, shoulders slightly hunched and neck extended, as if expecting a blow, like a boy perpetually ready to apologise. But then he steps onto the stage, and his image changes dramatically. Frost has started a solo career; he recently released a clip, “Rubber Bridge,” full of homages to Jackson and his dance style: that’s how jukebox influences the music industry.
Finally, on July 9th, a tribute concert “Meat Loaf By Candlelight” will be held at Adelphi Theatre, featuring West End artists from the jukebox musical “Bat out of Hell,” based on Meat Loaf’s music but with such a mind-blowing plot that I don’t want to recount it. The main thing is that they perform famous songs. And they sing superbly. So, the jukebox is very useful in theatre.
