Chapter 12Chapter 12

The MusicalThe Musical

On Musicals On Musicals

““American musical American musical theatre is our indigenous theatre is our indigenous art form. We can’t claim art form. We can’t claim drama, ballet, or opera, drama, ballet, or opera, but musical theatre is but musical theatre is our very own. . . . our very own. . . . Musicals are in our blood Musicals are in our blood and in our bones, are and in our bones, are part of our collective part of our collective personality.”personality.”

Molly Smith, Artistic Molly Smith, Artistic Director of Director of

the Arena Stagethe Arena Stage

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Musical Theatre GenresMusical Theatre Genres

OperaOpera OperettaOperetta RevueRevue Variety showVariety show VaudevilleVaudeville BurlesqueBurlesque Musical Musical

comedycomedy Straight Straight

musicalmusical Rock musicalRock musical

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Scripts of MusicalsScripts of Musicals

MusicMusicLyricsLyricsLibrettistLibrettistComposerComposerLyricistLyricist

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times /Redux Pictures

Broad Categories of MusicalsBroad Categories of Musicals Book musicals

Rodgers and HammersteinLerner and Loewe

Dance musicalsMichael BennettBob FosseTommie Tune

Operatic musicalsAndrew Lloyd WebberStephen Sondheim

The Music of MusicalsThe Music of Musicals

OverturePreviews the music from the show by playing a medley of tunes before the show begins.

BalladUsually a slow love song.

Comedy numberDesigned for comic relief.

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The Music of MusicalsThe Music of Musicals

ShowstopperA big brass

production number

RepriseRepetition of

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Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930)Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930)

West Side StoryWest Side Story A Funny Thing A Funny Thing

Happened on the Way Happened on the Way to the Forumto the Forum

CompanyCompany FolliesFollies A Little Night MusicA Little Night Music Sweeney ToddSweeney Todd Sunday in the Park Sunday in the Park

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Opera: High Art and Comic Opera: High Art and Comic ReliefRelief

OperaOriginated in Italy in the 1500sReached its peak in the 19th century with

composers like Wagner, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, and Handel

Comic OperaDeveloped from intermezziGilbert and Sullivan’s opera are regarded by

most as the epitome of this form

Early American MusicalsEarly American Musicals

Vaudeville was its height of popularity from 1890 – 1920.

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Early American MusicalsEarly American Musicals

Ballad OperasBegan with John Gay’s Three Penny Opera in 1728

Minstrel ShowsCaricatured African-American plantation life in

song and dance Revues

Ziegfeld Follies was the epitome of this unique form of the American musical theatre

ExtravaganzasThe Black Crook in 1866 spawned this unique

form of musical that emphasized elaborate scenery and scantily glad female dancing chorines

African American MusicalsAfrican American Musicals

A Trip to Coontown (1898)

The Origin of the Cakewalk (1898)

Runnin’ Wild (1923) Dixie to Broadway

(1924) Blackbirds (1926)

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The The Show BoatShow Boat (1927) (1927) RevolutionRevolution

The quintessential American musical

Integrated book, lyrics, and music into a unified whole

Focused on serious themes in American culture

First musical to win the Pulitzer Prize

Established Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II as major figures in the development of the American musical

The Ronald Grant Archive

Thoroughly Modern MusicalsThoroughly Modern Musicals

Porgy and Bess (1935) Oklahoma! (1943) Guys and DollsGuys and Dolls (1950), (1950), My Fair Lady My Fair Lady (1956), (1956), The Sound of Music The Sound of Music (1959)(1959) Fiddler on the RoofFiddler on the Roof (1964) (1964) Cabaret (1966) Hair (1967) A Chorus Line (1975)

Photofest

Hooray for Bollywood!Hooray for Bollywood!

The term “Bollywood” The term “Bollywood” blends “Hollywood” and blends “Hollywood” and “Bombay” and refers to the “Bombay” and refers to the cinema of India. cinema of India.

An average of 800 films are An average of 800 films are made every year in India, made every year in India, many of them musicals. many of them musicals. That’s more than twice the That’s more than twice the number of films Hollywood number of films Hollywood produces per year, making produces per year, making India not only the top India not only the top producer of movies around producer of movies around the world, but also the top the world, but also the top producer of musicals. producer of musicals.

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The Beginning or the End?The Beginning or the End?S

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The Beginning or the End?The Beginning or the End?

Rent Rent (1996)(1996) Urinetown Urinetown (2001)(2001) Avenue Q Avenue Q (2003)(2003) Wicked Wicked (2003)(2003) The 25th Annual The 25th Annual

Putnam County Putnam County Spelling Bee Spelling Bee (2005)(2005)

Monty Python’s Monty Python’s Spamalot Spamalot (2005)(2005)

Spring Awakening Spring Awakening (2006)(2006)

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Curtain CallCurtain Call

Depending on whom you talk to, the American musical is alive and well or on its deathbed.

Music and theatre have been traveling hand in hand for thousands of years, and even though the shape of the musical can’t be predicted, there will be musicals as long as people like a story told with song.

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