tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post116404158586602370..comments2024-01-07T06:59:04.212-05:00Comments on The Playgoer: The Urinetown DisputePlaygoerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02994724588504353485noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12657288.post-1164061282896774162006-11-20T17:21:00.000-05:002006-11-20T17:21:00.000-05:00While I feel some sympathy for directors and chore...While I feel some sympathy for directors and choreographers on this point, there's a problem that I can't get past: When they work to develop a production in New York with writers and actors, aren't they trying to come up with the best possible way of doing things? I don't see how they can then turn around and say, "We'd like the show to have a long regional life, but we don't want anyone else to use any of the ideas that we so painstakingly came to, even if we came to them because they make the most sense for the show." <BR/><BR/>And what about an actor or actress who does a gesture-for-gesture imitation of the original performance (we've all seen that happen IN New York, let alone elsewhere)? Should a performance be copyrightable too, since there's certainly just as much pilfering in that creative category?<BR/><BR/>I can see directors, designers and choreographers having the right to an enforced credit like "based on the original direction/design/etc. by so-and-so". That's only fair. But once they start demanding payment as well, I don't see how it can have anything but a stifling effect, financially and creatively, on the life of a show outside of New York. Not to mention that figuring out how much of a show has to resemble the original production (a song? an act? one piece of staging or the whole thing?) in order to merit a royalty will be a nightmare.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com