An overview of the history, theory, and key shows! Musical Theatre An overview of the history, theory, and key shows!

What is Musical theatre? Musical theatre is theatre that utilizes singing, acting, and dancing to tell a story

A Brief History of Musicals

History of Musicals: The beginning Music has been used in onstage performances throughout the years – Greek theatre, medieval theatre, Tudor theatre, and Elizabethan theatre all saw the use of music and/or dance in some form to entertain audiences

History of Musicals: The beginning The oldest main influences of musical theatre are operas and operettas Opera: the voice and the orchestra are the only media of performance; “total music” Conversations are sung, not spoken Operetta: includes lighter music and the singer/actor speaks lines rather than sings them Usually have light plots that are used to connect songs

History of Musicals: The beginning 18th century: most popular form of musical theatre in Britain was ballad operas Ballad operas: satirical spoofs; lyrics set to popular tunes of the time John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera (1728); music by Johann Christoph Pepusch Satirized Italian opera; story focused on corruption

History of Musicals: The beginning In America 18th-20th century, musical theatre-type entertainment included : Variety – stage entertainment that included circus acts, singers, dancers, comics – not refined Minstrel shows – variety shows with racist themes; performers donned blackface; unfortunately, the first theatrical form that was distinctly American; a dark spot in our history & history of musical theatre Vaudeville – variety shows that strove to be inoffensive and appeal to many people (bridge the gap); included specialty acts, such as mind readers and escape artists Burlesque – comedic work that caricatured subjects; in its decline began using immodestly dressed women to maintain audiences

The Black Crook (1860) Often considered the be the first piece of musical theatre that conforms to “book musical” “Book musical:” a musical play where songs and dances are intertwined with a well-planned story with serious dramatic goals – wants to make audience feel range of emotions rather than just laughter Book by: Charles M. Barras Music: mostly adaptations, but some new pieces were composed Opened September 12, 1866 on Broadway; ran for 474 performances Gave America the claim that we originated the musical – opened way for development of American musicals in 1860s.

Gilbert & Sullivan Theatrical Partnership Created comic operas W.S. Gilbert : wrote librettos Arthur Sullivan: composed music Created comic operas Huge impact on musical theatre – showed how to make musicals where lyrics and dialogue advanced a coherent story

G&S: Trial By Jury (1875) Comic opera in one act First produced March 25, 1875 at the London’s Royalty Theatre Ran for 131 performances Story: satire of legal system; tells the story of a breach of promise of marriage

G&S: H.M.s. Pinafore (1878) Comic opera in two acts First produced May 25, 1878 at the Opera Comique in London Ran for 571 performances Story: satire of class system; Josephine, the captain’s daughter, falls in love with a low-class sailor – surprise twist at the end (like many G&S stories!)

G&S: The Pirates of Penzance (1879) Comic opera in two acts Premiered December 31, 1879 at Fifth Avenue Theatre in NYC Story: Frederic falls in love with Mabel, the daughter of a Major-General. Frederic is an indentured servant who must serve until his “twenty-first birthday,” but because he was born on a leap day, that means he must serve for another 63 years.

“Hold Monsters”/ “I am the very model of a Modern Major General ”

G&S: The Mikado (1885) A comic opera in two acts Opened March 14, 1885 in London Ran for 672 performances Story: set in Japan, Nanki-Poo wants to marry Yum-Yum – runs away from home to avoid marrying an elderly lady, but there are many obstacles that stand in the way of their marriage!

Early 1900s Babes in Toyland Princess Theatre Shows (1915-1918) Operetta – composed by Victor Herbert, libretto by Glen MacDonough Wove together characters from Mother Goose nursery rhymes into a Christmas-themed musical Opened June 1903 in Chicago; opened in NY in October – ran for 192 performances Princess Theatre Shows (1915-1918) Jerome Kern, Guy Boulton, and P.G. Wodehouse Musicals produced at the Princess Theatre Believable people and situations – integrated innovative songs with their stories Considered an artistic step forward for American musicals

Early 1900s Babes in Toyland Princess Theatre Shows (1915-1918) Operetta – composed by Victor Herbert, libretto by Glen MacDonough Wove together characters from Mother Goose nursery rhymes into a Christmas-themed musical Opened June 1903 in Chicago; opened in NY in October – ran for 192 performances Princess Theatre Shows (1915-1918) Jerome Kern, Guy Boulton, and P.G. Wodehouse Musicals produced at the Princess Theatre Believable people and situations – integrated innovative songs with their stories Considered an artistic step forward for American musicals

Early 1900s WWI: people flocked to theatres for entertainment to escape the sad & scary times of war Ziegfeld Follies (1907-1931) Flo Ziegfeld – American Broadway producer, impresario (person who organizes/finances plays/operas) Follies: a theatrical revue Revue: combines music, dance, and sketches Many top entertainers appeared in the shows Famous for displaying beautiful chorus girls – known as Ziegfeld girls Later became a radio show

Roaring Twenties Musicals of this time emphasized big dance routines and popular songs Plot was not as strong/emphasized Many shows were revues Raised production values – musicals became more expensive

Show Boat (1927) Music: Jerome Kern, Book: Oscar Hammerstein II Stood out from typical 1920’s musicals – featured a masterful integration of book and score Dramatic themes told through music, dialogue, setting, and movement Story: follows the lives of performers, stage hands, and dockworkers on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, over 40 years Themes: racial prejudice and tragic love

The Great Depression People had little money to go see theatre - public resumed wanting light, escapist entertainment Of Thee I Sing (1931) First musical awarded the Pulitzer Prize Anything Goes (1934) On Your Toes (1936) First musical to make dramatic use of classical dance Babes in Arms (1937)

The evolution of Film & Impact on theatre Development of the motion picture posed a threat to the theatre By end of the 1920s, “talkie” films were available at low prices Effectively took vaudeville shows off the market Musical (and theatre!) survived – continued to evolve thematically (whew!)

The Golden Age (1940s-1960s) Oklahoma! (1943) Composer: Richard Rodgers, Libretto: Oscar Hammerstein II (Rodgers & Hammerstein!) Opened March 31, 1943 – was a smash! Ran for 2,212 performances First fully integrated musical theatre piece– cohesive plot, each song and dance developed the plot/characters, featured dream ballets, developed characters Tells the story of Curly McLain and his romance with a farm girl, Laurey. Had some dark aspects: the villain is a suspected murderer and psychopath Had had numerous revivals and a film adaptation Rodgers and Hammerstein won a Pulitzer Prize in 1944

Opening scene of Oklahoma

The Golden Age (1940s-1960s) After Oklahoma, Rogers & Hammerstein became some of the most important and influential men on Broadway: Carousel (1945) Deals with spousal abuse, thievery, suicide, and the afterlife South Pacific (1949) Centers on American nurse stationed on South Pacific island during WWII, falls in love with a French plantation owner The King and I (1951) A British schoolteacher is hired by the King of Siam to teach his children & help modernize his country The hero dies onstage

The Golden Age (1940s-1960s) Annie Get Your Gun (1946) Kiss Me, Kate (1947)