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CHAPTER NINE The Musical Theatre
CHAPTER NINE
The Musical Theatre
Music theatre is antirealistic & presentational
All drama has always been partly musical Classic Greek drama was sung and danced Most renaissance performances were accompanied by
songs and instrumental music Shakespeare’s 38 plays contain singing...THE TEMPEST
has nine songs 17th century comedies regularly ended with a dance Musical masques evolved over time into ballet and opera Asian forms of theatre involve singing, dancing and
instrumental musicStill, musical theatre is widely regarded
as a genre into itself for the past 150 years
Broadway musicals dominate NY box offices and NYC remains the international center of musical theatre
THE FANTASTICKS
Opened in 1960Ran for 42 yearsClosed in 200217,162
performancesReopened in 2006
Pulitzer Prize Award-winners
1932Of Thee I Sing 1950South Pacific1960Fiorello!1962How to Succeed in Business
Without Really Trying1976A Chorus Line1985Sunday in the Park With George1996Rent2010Next to Normal2016Hamilton
European influences of the musical includeClassical Greek Theatre
Greek Theatre’s were like modern sports stadiums
Greco-Roman Theatres developed along Roman ideals
Shakespeare’s stage featured many songs
The court of Louis XIV developed dance
Minuet at Court Royal Ballet
Lully’s Ballet at French court
Commedia dell’ Arte – Italian renaissance
Improvisation developed the comic traditions of the musical
Size and spectacle in 18th Century Playhouse
19th Century German Opera at Bayreuth
Wagner’s operas developed the spectacle of the musical stage
Russian Ballet at turn of 20th century
Influences on the American musical
RENT
Extravaganza
Niblo’s Garden, 1860
Niblo’s Garden produced “first” musical
The Extravagant Revue
Slayton Jubilee Singers
Burlesque
Musical Comedy
Irving Berlin’s “The Cocoanuts”
George and Ira Gershwin
Rodgers and Hammerstein with Irving Berlin
Broadway’s Golden Age
Show Boat, 1927
Of Thee I Sing, 1932
Porgy and Bess, 1935
Pal Joey, 1940
Oklahoma! - 1943
Agnes DeMille
South Pacific
Memorable MUSICALS from the Golden Age
Irving Berlin’s ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1946)Cole Porter’s KISS ME KATE (1948)
Frank Loesser, GUYS AND DOLLS (1950)Adler and Ross, DAMN YANKEES (1955)
Leonard Bernstein’s WEST SIDE STORY (1957)Meredith Willson’s THE MUSIC MAN (1957)
Jule Styne’s GYPSY (1959)Charles Strouse BYE, BYE BIRDIE (1960)Lerner and Leowe, MY FAIR LADY (1964)
Bock and Harnick’s FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (1964)Michael Bennett’s A CHORUS LINE (1974)
The Contemporary Musical
In its heyday, the broadway musical was a star-maker: Jimmy Durante, Eddie Cantor, Mary Martin, Ethel Merman, Julie Andrews,
Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, Bob Hope, John Raitt are examples
As film and television became more popular, the golden age of the musical came to an end.
During the 70s and 80s, a new artist emerged...the Choreographer-DirectorJerome Robbins (1918-1998)Gower Champion (1921-1980)Bob Fosse (1927-1987)Tommy Tune (born 1939)Michael Bennett (1943-1987)
Susan Stroman
Today’s pre-eminent Director-ChoreographerCredits include
Crazy for You (1992) Show Boat (revival) 1995 Big (1996) Steel Pier (1997) Oklahoma! (revival) 1999 Contact (2000) The Music Man (revival) 2000 The Producers (2001) Young Frankenstein (2007) The Scottsboro Boys (2010) Big Fish (2013)
Dress rehearsal – THE PRODUCERS
Production shot – THE PRODUCERS
Susan Stroman credits
Contact
The Producers
The Scottsboro Boys
Stephen Sondheim (born 1930)
The Rock Musical
The British Invasion
Jesus Christ Superstar EvitaJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatCatsPhantom of the OperaLes MisérablesStarlight ExpressMiss SaigonMamma Mia
Two men led the British Invasion
Andrew Lloyd Webber Cameron Mackintosh
A rare American Musical success in the midst of the British Invasion
Based on Mark Twain's classic 1884 novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it features music in the bluegrass and country styles in keeping with the setting of the novel. The 1985 Broadway production ran for more than 1,000 performances and it remained one of the few very successful American musicals in the mid-1980s among the emerging successes coming from Great Britain.
Cult Musicals
Musicals of the 21st Century
Musicals – A “How to”
Music
Composer writes the music Arranger prepares for performance Music director prepares music for performance
Lyricist writes the lyrics Stephen Sondheim writes both music and lyrics Cole Porter also wrote both music and lyrics
Musical Score
The orchestra pit
The Lyrics of Stephen Sondheim
A Little Priest (from “Sweeney Todd”)
TODD: (spoken) These are desperate times,
Mrs. Lovett, and desperate measures are called for!
LOVETT: Here we are, now! Hot out of the oven!
TODD: What is that?
LOVETT:It's priest. Have a little priest.
TODD:Is it really good?
A Little Priest (continued)
LOVETT:Sir, it's too good, at least!Then again, they don't commit sins of the flesh,So it's pretty fresh.
TODD:Awful lot of fat.
LOVETT:Only where it sat.
TODD:Haven't you got poet, or something like that?
LOVETT:No, y'see, the trouble with poet is'Ow do you know it's deceased?Try the priest!
The Book of a Musical
What is "The Book"?The book – also called the libretto – is the least appreciated and yet most dramatically important element of a musical. It is the narrative structure that keeps the score from being nothing more than a disjointed medley of songs.
For many years, the main point of most shows was to showcase a score and/or a major star. As a result, the books of most Broadway musicals were a series of scenes, jokes and sight gags designed to get from song to song. By the 1940s, audiences were ready for something more, and shows like Pal Joey and Oklahoma! made it imperative that the book and score interweave to tell a cohesive story. This made for a much more satisfying kind of theatrical entertainment.
After all, the first job of every play or film – musical or not – is to tell a good story.
Rehearsal studio
Karl C. Bruder Theatre
Our 2017 Homecoming Musical
9 to 5 The MusicalMusic by Dolly Parton| Lyrics by Dolly Parton | Book by Patricia Resnick| Adapted from the 1980 film
Co-workers Violet, Judy, and Doralee form a strong female triumvirate through their mutual dissatisfaction with workplace conditions and especially obnoxious office boss Franklin Hart, Jr. After fantasizing about making things better, the women work together to help improve both their personal and professional situations.
