The longevity of any operation—whether in business, the arts, or everyday life—requires a careful balance of consistency and adaptation. No machine, entity, or team operates at peak performance one hundred percent of the time, without regular maintenance and necessary adjustments—not even the Energizer Bunny or Taylor Swift.
A car needs new tires in winter; a bank manager changes branches and must be replaced; a makeup artist’s go-to product gets discontinued, requiring a substitution. These changes can disrupt our routine and seem inconvenient, but they often force us to evaluate and improve other aspects of our work. Over time, these adjustments can lead to significant growth, prolonged relevance, and a healthier work environment.
About 20% of new businesses fail within the first year, and roughly 50% fail within five years.
A report from the Harvard Business Review found that companies that successfully balance adaptation with consistency have a 20% higher chance of achieving long-term survival and profitability. This balance ensures they remain competitive while staying true to their core values.
This principle of reinvention is especially relevant in the arts, which is just as competitive as any other industry.
Broadway 2023 | Photo: Howard Sherman
Broadway’s Post-Pandemic Bounce-Back
In the 2022-2023 season, Broadway as a whole grossed over $1.5 billion.
This was the first full season since the pandemic shutdown in 2020, (and intermittent performance cancellations in the following two years). Unlike recorded music and film productions, live entertainment had to wait extra long, and be especially resilient in making the constantly shifting ‘new normal’ work.
Careful Creative Choices
Luckily, musical theatre professionals are very accustomed to adapting, which is why that industry offers perhaps the best example of thoughtful experimentation.
Before a show lands on Broadway, it undergoes an extensive workshop process where the creative team, along with a workshop cast, irons out and refines every detail. This is usually followed by a pre-Broadway engagement known as a ‘try-out,’ which allows for further adjustments based on audience reception.
A tiny Kristen Chenoweth bows at the opening of “The Queen of Versailles” pre-Broadway tryout at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston. (Photo: Ken Yotsukura)
Trying out a production in a lower-stakes scenario is the most secure way to accomplish a high-quality, consumer-tested product before it hits shelves (a Broadway stage). But this process isn’t always completely smooth and straight-forward. There may be differences of opinion within stakeholders (e.g. the head producer wants one thing and the director wants another).
Gary P. Pisano, author of the book “Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation”, writes in the Harvard Business Report that “innovative cultures are paradoxical”
Here are the principles he believes must be in balance for effective innovation:
Gary writes:
“Unless the tensions created by this paradox are carefully managed, attempts to create an innovative culture will fail."
Even after a show opens on Broadway and begins a (hopefully) lengthy run, it will still experience minor variations. By this point, creative changes will be minimal, but the configuration of the cast will shift from time to time, to allow for the team to prioritize well-being. This modular structure ensures the production maintains its quality, and optimizes the endurance of the whole operation.
The Evolution of the 'Kit Kat Club'
How reiteration works in musical theatre for a perennial classic like Broadway's CABARET:
In April, the latest revival of this avant-garde musical opened on Broadway. (A revival is like a remake, but often with a completely new creative direction). This particular production, which transferred from London’s West End, is a boldly experimental take on the original, or any of its previous Broadway revivals.
Joel Grey, Alan Cumming, and Eddie Redmayne as “The Emcee” (Photos by: Douglas Kirkland, Corbis/Unknown/Marc Brenner)
Back in 1966, musical theatre legend Joel Grey originally played the quirky Emcee of the Kit Kat Club, and the Scottish Alan Cumming took on the role in several subsequent versions. This time, Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne is making his mark on the iconic character, but his contract is about to end and soon, American Idol alum Adam Lambert will make his Broadway debut as the Emcee.
Between the original production, the film adaptation, and numerous revivals since, CABARET is one of those versatile shows that can be twisted and interpreted in so many ways. Each director, actor, and designer will have their own perspectives and vision to make the material fresh. This multi-dimensional ability to continuously re-tell a story in so many new ways is unique to the art of theatre.
Embracing Change for Long-Term Success
No matter the vocation, longevity comes from mastering the delicate balance between consistency and the willingness to adapt. CABARET’s ongoing revivals each demonstrate how reinvention can sustain relevance without sacrificing core identity.
The estates of CABARET’s creators, John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Joe Masteroff, continue to benefit from the groundbreaking product they birthed, while fans keep getting treated to new flavours of a time-honoured classic.
Success isn’t just about staying the course—it’s about knowing when to pivot, evolve, and breathe new life into something. By embracing change while maintaining what makes a project unique, we prolong its life and legacy.
This is the introductory blog for a series called The Art of Reinvention. Follow me so you don’t miss the next installments, where I dive deeper into specific case studies that illustrate various forms of reinvention in the arts (Hamilton, Taylor Swift, and more on CABARET).
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