There's a discussion going on over on BroadwaySpace about how teens nowadays tend to have no appreciation for the older shows in musical theatre history, favoring contemporary shows like Wicked, 13 and Spring Awakening.
Here's what I had to say on the matter:
It's a similar phenomenon to the music industry - everyone just wants the latest, freshest sound and whatever sparkles the most gets the magpie's attention. The difference here is that since the copyright in songs tends to be owned by the publishers rather than the authors someone can do a cover of an old classic, snazz it up, and the younger end of the audience will think it's a hit from today. New productions of old shows don't have as much flexibility: to make any changes to the piece requires permission from the author(s) or their estates. A re-working of Showboat, putting it in a modern context, and re-orchestrating Kern's work for a more contemporary sound might make an audience of teens sit up and listen, but ultimately wouldn't happen.
Theatre is an evolving and organic art form. As writers we can learn from the classics and bring something new to the equation. If we can inspire audiences with our work then maybe we can lead by example and point them towards our influences, letting them find their own way through history.
