Intro to Musical Theatre

We will be looking at...

• What is Musical Theatre

• The History of Musical Theatre

What is Musical Theatre?

• A theatre piece that contains music, spoken dialogue, and dance

• Typically popular styles of music

• Story is told through all aspects of the piece

• Examples?

Types of Musicals

• • Book Musical

• • • Traditional music with a strong story that drives the music and the characters

• • Revue

• • • A collection of songs, generally with some common element

Types of Musicals cont.

• • Concept Musical

• • • Musical where the concept or message is just as, if not more important than the story

• • Jukebox Musical

• • • Music using only songs from a group or artist

Types of Musicals cont.

• • Rock Or Pop Musicals

• • • Using rock or pop music, typically with little to no dialogue. It could be called a Rock/Pop Opera

Musical Breakdown a. The three main components of a book musical are the music, the lyrics and the book. b. The book of a musical refers to the story, character development, and dramatic structure, including the spoken dialogue. c. Book can also refer to the dialogue and lyrics together, which are sometimes referred to as the libretto (Italian for little book d. The music and lyrics together form the score of the musical

Musical Breakdown

• • Typically 2 act shows

• • About 6 main pieces of music, but usually more than 10 songs

• • Spoken dialogue breaks up between the songs

• • • Although some musicals are sung all the way through (Jesus Christ Superstar/ Evita)

• • Typically the moments of greatest tension are told through song

Clip 1

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1xL6vtLM9U&feature=related

Who Makes Musicals?

• • Producers

• • Director, Choreographers, Musical Director, Technical Director, Stage Manager

• • Typically characterized by the technical aspects such as staging, lighting, props, set, costumes, sound, any special effects

• • Example?

History

• • Around since the earliest forms (Greek, Medieval etc.) in some form

• • As we know it today, it began with Operettas which were a transition from Opera forms to musical comedy (Such as Gilbert & Sullivan)

Clip 2

• H.M.S Pinafore

• http://www.wtso.net/movie/271-The_Simpsons_502_Cape_Feare.html

History Cont.

• • In America, the first original theatre piece in English that conforms to the modern conception of a musical, adding dance and original music that helped to tell the story, is generally considered to be The Black Crook

• • premiered in New York on September 12, 1866. The production was a staggering five-and-a-half hours long, but despite its length, it ran for a record-breaking 474 performances

History Golden Age

• • The Golden age of Musicals was from the 1940s-60s

• • Began with Oklahoma by Rodgers and Hammerstein

• • • tightly integrating all the aspects of musical theatre, with a cohesive plot, songs that furthered the action of the story, and dances that advanced the plot and developed the characters, rather than using dance as an excuse to parade scantily clad women across the stage

Golden Age Cont.

• • It was the first "blockbuster" Broadway show, running a total of 2,212 performances, and was made into a hit film. It remains one of the most frequently produced of the team's projects

• • From this era we get famous musicals such as Carousel (1945), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), and The Sound of Music (1959).

• • These had serious subject matter than earlier shows

Golden Age Cont.

• • • the villain in Oklahoma! is a suspected murderer and psychopath with a fondness for lewd post cards

• • • Carousel deals with spousal abuse, thievery, suicide and the afterlife

• • • South Pacific explores miscegenation even more thoroughly than Show Boat

• • • the hero of The King and I dies onstage.

The 60s

• The most notable musical contributor to come out of this time period was Steven Sondheim

• Notable Plays by him include

• • Sweeney Todd

• • Sunday in the Park with George

• • Into the Woods

• • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

ALTHOUSE MUSICAL

• Happening Feb 1 st -4 th !!!

70s

• • Here we saw the rise of rock musicals such as

• • • Jesus Christ Superstar

• • • Rocky Horror

• • • GODSPELL

80s/ 90s

• • Here the mega- musicals or Pop Operas began

• • • Andrew Lloyd Webbers musicals Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Cats

• • • Miss Saigon

• • • Aida

• • • Little Shop of Horrors

Current

• • Musicals currently put on are those most likely to see healthy profit, largely based off of spectacle and Broadway influences

• • However a few unusual shows have sprung up to become some of the most popular shows yet such as Avenue Q , The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Spring Awakening , In the Heights , Next to Normal , The Book of Mormon

• • Where do you see musicals heading?

Questions?

• ???

Godspell

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv--XOVV2RY