Wizards and villains and posters, oh my! : The Niche Musical and the InternetIn the study of musical theater today, it is easy to see the staggering range of specific topics used as subject matter for new musicals. For example, Avenue Q, an affectionate parody of "Sesame Street," and Wicked, an adaptation of Gregory Maguire's novel of the same name, which itself is an adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, are two wildly different shows that have been created in the same year. These are two shows with fairly specific subject matter, built with a fairly specific audience in mind, and have managed to do well, critically and financially, on Broadway. However, not all shows with a specific subject are intended for Broadway: some may have too limited an audience for a Broadway premiere to seem feasible or are simply not designed for a Broadway audience, and yet "comedies "niche musicals" like this can still manage to find a large national audience. [show title], A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog are all "niche musicals" that have managed to find a wider audience than they would have made with simple stage production thanks to connectivity. of the Internet. Of these shows, [show title] is the only one to premiere on Broadway, which it did in 2008 after a successful off-Broadway run in 2006. The show, with music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen and book by Hunter Bell, came about when the two friends decided to write a musical for New York's first-ever musical theater festival with just three weeks' notice. They wanted to write an original musical but found that none of their ideas worked. However, they eventually realized that their conversations... middle of paper......market where a consistent audience is needed to succeed. However, with the Internet, these broadcasts open up to a global audience who can access their material regardless of location or time. Therefore, in the Internet age, the "niche" in the "music niche" may be larger than ever. Works Cited “Dr Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. May 11, 2011. the web. May 13, 2011. .McKee, Jenn. "'A Very Potter Sequel' Has Opening Night Fans Thrilling." AnnArbor.com. May 15, 2010. the web. May 13, 2011. “Title of the show.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. May 5, 2011. the web. May 13, 2011. .Whedon, Joss. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog: The Book. London: Titan, 2011. Print.