Musical theatre has supplied a steady gig for generations of musicians, but an interesting – and alarming – feature in the Guardian today suggests that those days are coming to an end. Orchestras are shrinking and musicians are being asked to work harder – for no extra money.
Part of that is down to KeyComp, a piece of software that allows musicians to perform alongside prerecorded parts without sacrificing that live ‘feel’. It’s banned in New York and in Washington DC, but not elsewhere in the world.
In Australia certainly, it is making its presence felt – during the Lion King’s debut Sydney season in 2003 there were 17 musicians in the pit, now there are just 11.
Brisbane-based woodwind player Diana Tolmie is interviewed about the trend, which she puts down partly to the fashion of jukebox-style musicals, which require smaller bands, and partly to KeyComp.
“Years ago, you could learn the ropes safely with less stress being part of a larger section,” she suggests. “That’s all different now. Where there used to be four reed parts, there are now one or two; where there used to be six string parts, there is now one or two.
"Where there used to be percussion and drum kit, the expectation now is that a drummer does both. Some instruments are completely gone from the live pit – the oboe, the bassoon, even the upright and electric bass.
"That’s all due to KeyComp.”
The doubling-up doesn’t make for a better performance. Tolmie says she “hit a peak” last year when she ended up playing seven different instruments in one show - “It was hectic and rarely gave me any time to rest.”
Essentially, producers are turning to KeyComp to cut down costs. Understandable, you could argue, at a time when the cost of everything – theatre hire, transport, set-building – has been going up.
But some of the biggest shows gross huge amounts of money. James Steedman, the Federal President of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) in Australia, suggests that increased overheads are just an excuse. “Musicians are being paid around 20–25% less now than they were in 2003 if we adjust for inflation, so they are not the reason costs are blowing out.” He calculates that cutting six musicians might save £9,500 a week – peanuts, when you consider The Lion King is the highest earning musical of all time.
Worrying times, then. Tolmie warns that: “if we embrace KeyComp, the audience will no longer understand what ‘live music’ is, will not be discerning, and then that will extend to other areas of the music industry.
“For pit orchestras, we are out of sight – therefore the most vulnerable.”
