Throughout the rise of the internet, and even before, videos of theater shows are known to be sneakily accessible. These are found throughout the internet as ‘bootlegs’ or nowadays, code worded as ‘slime tutorials.’ There is a constant debate from theater performers and fans of whether or not these videos should be found online, as on one hand, it allows people who cannot financially or geographically afford theater, but on the other hand, it can harm sales of a show if it is available online for free.
The Two-Step Flow theory, created by Katz and Lazarsfeld in 1955, states that media messages are reached by opinion leaders and then passed on to others in their social networks. In relation to broadway shows, and bootlegs, the opinion leaders are the bootleggers, who consume a theater show and film it, and then pass it along on social media to online audiences who watch it and become fans.
Recently, a Broadway show called Death Becomes Her has become incredibly popular on the internet through TikTok clips that have become viral sounds. It has become known outside of the usual niche theater communities, and along with the clips, bootleg clips of the actual show have made their way across the internet. Not only were people able to enjoy the soundtrack, but were able to watch the show as well.
Rather than taking legal action against the bootleggers, the Death Becomes Her marketing team and even the actors have seemingly embraced the leaked clips, reposting fan made edits and moments online. The encouragement of the clips online have in fact helped the show up its sales, and made it a sought out Broadway show for tourists. The leaked clips has also helped bring attention to the show’s understudies and standby, Kaleigh Cronin, Natalie Charlé Ellis, and Dee Roscioli, so that when the main actresses, Jennifer Simard and Megan Hilty are out of the show, fans are still excited to see these performances that they have seen online.
The Two-Step Flow theory actively demonstrates how in some instances, theater can be consumed through online bootlegs, and how when ‘opinion leaders’ decide to share these performances that they have captured, the audiences that watch them can help the success of the show overall. Currently, Death Becomes her is grossing around a million dollars a week, with a capacity of about 11,870 audience members, according to Broadwayworld.com. Although it is still a very controversial topic, and there needs to be a further conversation about theater accessibility, ultimately sometimes it has its benefits.
