Belonging to the Stars?

It's been a busy period for Lord Grade of Yarmouth of Her Majesty's Upper House. Taking time our from Lordly duties and following in the family tradition, he's taken to promoting popular theatre. In Michael Grade's Stars of the Musical Theatre he asks the eternal question: is it the musical that makes the star or the stars that makes the musical?

This is, of course, the wrong question. Star-wise the proper question, as previously discussed, is: how to distinguish stars who do musicals from musical stars?

Nevertheless it does give him the opportunity to shoot the breeze with Dominic West. And why not. He's a brilliant TV star who went on to play Henry Higgins in Sheffield. Now, for all I know, he may sing like Domingo. He may dance like Nureyev. He may break a hundred hearts with the rakish tussle of his wavy brown hair. Not a clue have I. But this I know: he is not a musical star; he's a star who's doing a musical.

This is nothing to do with talent, only stardom. To be a musical star requires two things: one, to be in an original musical and two, to have a hit song from a show. That's why we don't have many musical stars these days (and I mean "household name" musical stars). The simple fact is that we don't have many successful new musicals and the ones we do have (Billy Elliot, Matilda) don't really have hit songs. Hence, no stars.

So, until they produce a musical stage version of The Wire which includes Detective Jimmy McNulty's showtopping chart-topper "Tap Your Troubles Away Like Real POH-lice", then Mr. West will not, strictly speaking, be a musical star. On the other hand, if this does happen, I will be first in line for a ticket.

Back to the good Lord's question: is it the musical that makes the star or the stars that makes the musical?

It's tempting to say that it's a symbiotic relationship, like those colourful little birds that sit on top of African rhinos and clean their skin by eating the ticks off their back. I suppose the stars would be the birds, the musical would be the rhino, the ticks would be the lack of narrative drive in the middle of Act II. Or something.

Perhaps a clearer way of putting the questions is: who needs whom? And putting it this way, I'd say the balance is in favour of the musical. After all, there have been many successful star-less musicals (Billy Elliot, Matilda - gosh, they're hit-less and star-less); but there have never been any musical-less musical stars.

In the end, the show is always the star.