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The Festival, a starry new three-day August concert event in upstate New York, has been billed as "Coachella for Broadway." But for die-hard musical-theater mavens, it's even cooler than that.
"It's different from Coachella because it's actually creating new material for these artists who are coming together to perform," says the Tony-winning director-choreographer Jerry Mitchell, a key member of the creative team. Along with director DB Bonds and choreographer Jon Rua, Mitchell is overseeing seven high-energy, Stephen Sondheim–heavy production numbers performed by an ensemble of singers and dancers. "There are Coachella elements to it," Mitchell says. "But the new stuff is what's exciting and amazing: production numbers like you would see in the opening of a show on television or on Broadway."
The Festival will offer four stages of Broadway-themed programming every day from Friday, August 14, to Sunday, August 16, at the stunning riverfront escape Hutton Brickyards in Kingston, New York. The centerpiece of each evening will be The Big Show, an eclectic two-hour concert featuring the headliners—such as Audra McDonald, Kelli O'Hara, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christopher Jackson, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Alex Newell, Norbert Leo Butz and most of the original cast of Rent—and those splashy new medleys Mitchell has been working on. In addition, there will be previews of in-development musicals; themed concerts; a showcase of up-and-coming performers; and concert sets by original Annie star of “Tomorrow” Andrea McArdle, Hedwig Tony winner Lena Hall, Frozen treat Patti Murin and Hadestown power couple Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney, plus Jason Scott Brown, Tom Kitt and Seth Rudetsky accompanying their gifted friends. Fans can even get in on the action with campfire sing-alongs, a pair of Broadway Rave dance parties, a theater trivia show and the interactive show-geek comedy show Theater Adult.
"When we first approached artists for this, we had to make it clear that we are inventing something new," explains Joshua Saltman, a longtime lawyer for Disney who came up with the idea after attending Coachella and the Broadway Cruise. "Our expectation is that if you're an artist and you’re going to come for a day, you're going to do a variety of things. Maybe you'll sing a song with Seth Rudetsky. If you have an '80s power ballad you love, you'll do our '80s Jukebox. Then we have our Big Show where you'll sing some of the things people know you for. Then you'll do a campfire song. What's been really affirming is that people love the idea and are really leaning in."
David Schwartz, who co-founded the Festival with Saltman, concurs. "This setup allows for some unexpected duets and trios with artists you've never seen performing together before," he says. "It's been a tremendous scheduling task: a gigantic puzzle, but one that I think the fans are really going to appreciate."
Saltman and Schwartz knew they needed to get some heavy hitters on board behind the scenes for such an ambitious undertaking. In addition to Mitchell, they hired veteran casting agent Daryl Eisenberg, musical director Dan Lipton and, as a consulting producer, original Rent boy Adam Pascal. "It's more complicated than Lollapalooza or Coachella in the sense that those festivals invite artists to come do their self-contained sets and then they're done," Pascal says. "This is a much more creative and collaborative type of presentation."
Pascal has been involved since the event’s inception; Saltman pitched the Festival to him when Pascal was performing on the Broadway Cruise with his longtime pal and erstwhile Rent costar, Anthony Rapp. The duo is performing that concert on Sunday and also appearing at Saturday's 30th-anniversary Rent reunion, which features nearly the entire original cast of the landmark musical. (Notable exceptions are Idina Menzel and Jesse L. Martin, who have scheduling conflicts.) In addition to performing songs from the show, the actors will share backstage stories, from their experience. "The music is important, but I think fans want to hear from us personally," he says. "I wanted to make sure that speaking to everybody was more of a priority than the songs. People have been hearing us sing these songs for years!” The evening will be hosted by Jennifer Ashley Tepper, the Broadway historian who created The Jonathan Larson Project. "Nobody knows Rent better than her,” says Pascal, who knows Rent pretty well himself.
All this Broadway talent does not come cheap. General-admission tickets for the weekend, priced at $400, have now sold out; reserved seating and VIP passes are still available, and range from $695 to $1,550. That's on top of the cost of travel, accommodations and food; the Festival is partnering with local vendors for a wide range of onsite eats, including gluten-free and vegan options. "I understand it's a high price point," Saltman acknowledges, noting they recently began offering day passes (for between $191 and $267) and even held a brief lottery for deeply discounted tickets via Broadway Direct. "But given the price of things on Broadway, we think that the amount of programming you're going to get really makes this a value."
The founders are also prioritizing accessibility and comfort. "One of the reasons we chose Hutton Brickyards is that it has a massive pavilion you can put 3,000 people in” if the weather doesn't cooperate, Saltman says. There are multiple bathrooms and water stations throughout the grounds, and the producers are working with ACCESS Broadway NY to ensure that the Festival is wheelchair accessible and meets other accommodation needs.
Everyone interviewed stressed that the Festival is truly a singular sensation, and not a variation on BroadwayCon, Elsie Fest or the Broadway Cruise. "Those things are phenomenal in their own rights, but we're trying to make this different," says director DB Bonds. "You get a chance to watch your Broadway stars be rock stars.” Saltman is already thinking about the future. "My hope is that we look at each other on Monday, August 17, and say, 'Wow, that was everything we thought it was going to be and more! Now, what does year two look like?’"