MUSICAL THEATRE

WHAT IS A MUSICAL AND WHAT ARE THE TERMS?• Musical Theatre-a type of entertainment containing music, songs, and usually, dance

• Production Number- a large-scale performance within a musical show, usually combining both song and dance

• Music Director-shapes the musical tone of the show

• Choreographer-the artist who designs dances for the stage

• Principal-an actor who has one of the major roles

• Chorus-ensemble and supporting roles

• Composer-person who writes the music for a musical

• Lyricist-the person who writes the words for the music

• Book-script for the musical

HISTORY OF BROADWAY THEATRE• 1904-1919: As theater styles and personalities from around the world and the country come to New York,

the theater district is born — and so is the American musical.

• 1920-1932: Broadway enters its most prodigious period; songwriters create a new musical mythology of Broadway and send it across the country.

• 1933-1942: During the Great Depression, Broadway distracts audiences with escapism, while also offering political commentary and social engagement.

• 1943-1959: Rodgers and Hammerstein pioneer a new form of narrative storytelling that brings a new age of musical classics.

• 1960-1979: Broadway confronts the seismic changes in American culture by reinventing its own tradition.

• 1980-2004: Broadway becomes a truly global phenomenon as new innovations respond to economic challenges.

WHAT MAKES THE MUSICAL HAPPEN

• Things to consider behind the scenes:• Directing team: director, music director, choreographer, producers

• Budget: High school can range 2 to 15 thousand, Professional can range 4 to 10 million dollars

• Performance space: proscenium stages are most often used due to space; rarely use arena or thrust

• Cast and crew: principles, chorus, backstage crew, designers, managers, stage hands

• Audience: your show has to appeal to your target audience

MUSICAL FYI• The production budget for Wicked is $42 million dollars

• The production budget for Spiderman was an estimated $75 million

• The production budget for Phantom of the opera is $8 millionShow Dates Performances1

1. The Phantom of the Opera 1/88–present 8,5752. Cats 10/82–9/2000 7,4853. Les Misérables  3/87–5/2003 6,6804. A Chorus Line 7/75–4/90 6,1375. Oh! Calcutta! (revival) 9/76–8/89 5,9596. Beauty and the Beast  4/94–7/2007 5,4617. Rent 4/96–9/2008 5,1248. Chicago (revival) 11/96–present 4,8929. The Lion King 11/97–present 4,524

THE BEGINNING FOR THE U.S.

• The first musical was “The Black Crook” • It opened September 12. 1866

• It ran 474 performances

• It was 5 ½ hours long

STRUCTURE OF THE TYPICAL AMERICAN MUSICAL• Overture- Orchestral introduction previewing from the show

• Act I

• Intermission (10-20 minutes)

• Entr’acte

• Act II

• Curtain Call

• Exit music

TYPES OF MUSICALS

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

• Revue• A collection of songs, generally with some common element. May or may not have a plot

• Concept Musical• A musical where the message or metaphor is just as, if not more important, than the actual story

• Jukebox musical• Musical using only songs from an artist or group

• Rock (or Pop) Musical• Musical that uses rock music (or pop music) as the main style of music. If there is little spoken dialogue, it could

be called a rock opera or pop opera

BEHIND THE MUSIC

• Songs are as important as the dialogue that is spoken

• The actor must determine the subtext or underlying message of the specific song

• Wicked: For Good

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwpKB-sj7GI

BEHIND THE SCENES

• Wicked: The Road to Broadway• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fi-p7anJCmM

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCXEgzBkfsA

“You have 2 kinds of shows on Broadway - revivals and the same kind of musicals over and over again, all spectacles. You get your tickets for The Lion Kin a year in advance, and essentially a family comes as if to a picnic, and they pass on to their children the idea that that’s what the theatre is - a spectacular musical you see once a year, a stage version of a movie. It has nothing to do with theatre at all. It has to do with seeing what is familiar. We live in a recycled culture…. I don’t think the theatre will die per se, but it’s never going to be what it was. You can’t bring it back. It’s gone. It’s a tourist attraction.” Stephen Sondheim

MUSICAL PROJECT

• Name and information for your theatre

• Typical musical theatre experience: what can an audience expect when they attend a musical

• Content of a musical: what are your musicals about

• Create a scene with a 30 second monologue for each actor

• Provide dialogue to tie monologues together

• Select an appropriate song to sing with scene, provide lyrics, 90 seconds minimum

• Create choreographed movement for the song