David Henry Hwang and Alexandra Silber Reimagine Classic Musicals

The process of reviving classic musicals often reveals a stark divide between the longevity of a musical score and the fragility of its book. While the songs of the mid-20th century often remain timeless, the scripts—known as the books—frequently require significant restoration to remain viable for modern audiences.

In an analysis of this creative challenge, American Theatre examines how David Henry Hwang and Alexandra Silber are approaching the restoration of the books for Flower Drum Song and Brigadoon. The goal for both writers is to honor the original intentions of these classic works while ensuring the productions feel fresh.

The necessity for such work stems from the fact that scripts from the mid-20th century often contain dated racial or gender politics. Because of this, the book is typically the element where surgery or salvage is most required when a beloved musical is revived.

This difficulty is a recurring theme for organizations dedicated to preserving Broadway musicals. Programs such as New York City’s Encores!, San Francisco’s 42nd Street Moon, and the now-closed Reprise Theatre in Los Angeles often perform these works in concert or semi-staged renditions. In these contexts, the score is generally the main attraction, while the book is frequently cited as the reason old shows are unrevivable.

The challenge is further complicated by the nature of book writing itself, which is described as an under-appreciated and often thankless craft. Unlike the songwriters who create memorable scores, book writers focus on a discipline that is more about structure than dialogue.

The craft of book writing is viewed as analogous to screenwriting. Its primary purpose is to set the scene for the central activity of the production, which, in the case of a musical, is the singing and dancing.

For the current productions, David Henry Hwang is applying this approach to Flower Drum Song at East West Players, and Alexandra Silber is adapting the book for Brigadoon at the Pasadena Playhouse.

The need for this specific type of restoration highlights a broader trend in theater. Mid-20th-century non-musical plays are rarely revived, with the exception of a small canon of roughly a dozen warhorses. This is largely because their scripts are so closely tied to the politics of their original era.

Musicals, however, often possess a quality that allows them to survive these shifts. Works such as Carousel, West Side Story, and Kiss Me, Kate are considered strong enough in quality to justify constant reexamination and tweaking, despite the problems present in their original books.