Evolution of Musical Theatre

What makes a musical? “It can be anything it wants to be. There is only one thing a musical absolutely has to have - music.” Oscar Hammerstein II

The Basics Has evolved to include varied styles, subjects and themes, music and instrumentation Styles range from opera to rock, to jazz, to pop “Musical” can mean musical comedy, musical drama, or musical tragedy Since 1830, Broadway (in New York City), also called “The Great White Way,” has been the center of American theatre

The Basics (continued) Off-Broadway shows are in locations somewhat outside the central area and having less than 300 seats The success of a show is based on the length of its run and the amount of its profit Broadway bests are recipients of the Tony Award, named for Antoinette Perry

Early Forms Include elements of drama, song and dance side by side Songs arise out of dialogue England - Shakespeare’s plays often included music France - Moliere’s plays often included ballet dance, songs and an orchestra

Early Influences - English ballad opera   The Beggar’s Opera – 1728; Flora – 1735 No historical scenery or costumes Spoken play with preexisting popular songs amid dialogue Video Musical parody - Late 18th, early 19th century Satire of famous story or performer – burlesques Pantomime with songs and dances for entertainment and variety 1828 – Hamlet 

The Beggar’s Opera – 1728 by John Gay & John Christopher Pepusch Video Clip "Fill Every Glass"

Early Influences - Minstrel Show First major contribution to theatre by blacks in America Product of black slave culture mingled with white colonial potpourri Dan Emmet, composer “Old Dan Tucker”, “Blue-Tail Fly”,1843, brought Virginia Minstrels to NY – touring show Stephen Foster wrote songs for Christy Minstrels

Three part show - performed in “blackface 1- Fantasia - The Walkaround (Cakewalk) singing & dancing 2 - Olio – snappy banter, jokes, solo musical (banjo, fiddle, tambourine, singing, bone castanets) 3 - Burlesque (parody) – one-act vignette; satire of plays or carefree life on the plantation

Minstrel show clip Cakewalk Blackface performer The Cakewalk Minstrel show clip Cakewalk

Christy Minstrels - 1847 Part 2 – The Olio

Early Influences - The Operetta Satirical operas by the English team of Gilbert and Sullivan were popular in America: Pirates of Penzance, HMS Pinafore and The Mikado Operettas have both dialogue and song accompanied by a classical score Most early American operetta composers were German-born or trained (Sigmund Romberg, Victor Herbert)

Early Influences - Operetta HMS Pinafore “Captain of the Pinafore” 10:30

Early Influences - Operetta 1890’s – 1920, European Operetta was an instant success as it toured U.S. Gilbert & Sullivan’s satirical operetta was especially popular Gave way to American imitations (Sousa) W.S. Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan

Early Influences – New York City Shift from rural to city life created a demand for permanent theatres and pleasure gardens 1866 – The Black Crook – used theatrical effect and sensual pleasures to become a theatre extravaganza Showed producers and investors that frivolity could substitute for dramatic and musical substance (as in European opera)

Early Shows in NYC 1874 – Evangeline was first to use an original musical score – first musical comedy 1879 – The Brook used a common locale or event to interweave stories (like a sitcom/serial) – first desire for meaningful story Mulligan Shows – 1880’s was a burlesque on the common people of NY – tales of the ordinary became important

The Black Crook – 1866 Melodrama First American Acting Troupe Using Women - 1893

Birth of the American Musical Vaudeville was an early style that offered variety acts - songs, dances, skits, etc. to suit the multiclass and multiethnic population in cities Extravaganzas were lavish productions White performers imitated the songs, dances and diction of slaves in minstrel shows Revues were variety shows with a theme (Ziegfeld Follies)

Development in the Early 1900’s Early musical composers were songwriters for popular music publishing houses – Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin Musicals consisted of a flimsy “book” as a framework for popular songs and dances of the era Jazz, a uniquely American music style became popular in the 1920’s

Showboat In 1927, Showboat by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein opened on Broadway Considered to be the first American musical – a jazz opera style First to have musical numbers spring directly from the dialogue Famous songs: “Old Man River,” “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man”

Showboat Dealt with more serious themes of racial discrimination and alienation between marriage partners

The Depression Days One-third of all theatres closed People could not afford tickets Beginning of movies which cost less to attend 1927 – the movie musical was born in Hollywood Porgy and Bess by Gershwin opened in 1935; billed as an America Folk Opera

Porgy and Bess

The Classic Musical – Oklahoma! After WWII, themes were more timeless and universal Oklahoma!, the first collaboration of Rogers and Hammerstein opened in 1943 It was a “unified work of art” integrating plot, music and dance for the first time

Musical Themes Irving Berlin wrote Annie Get Your Gun about Annie Oakley Cole Porter wrote Kiss Me Kate based on Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew Guys & Dolls by Frank Loesser was based on short stories by Damon Runyon Gypsy by Jule Styne (and young Stephen Sondheim) was based on the life of Gypsy Rose Lee My Fair Lady by Lerner and Lowe was based on G.B. Shaw’s Pygmalion Leonard Bernstein wrote West Side Story as an adaptation of Romeo & Juliet

Kiss Me Kate - 1948 Note Bob Fosse on the right…!

Guys & Dolls - 1955 “Sue Me” and “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat”

West Side Story - 1957 Lyrics also by young Stephen Sondheim!

Musicals in the Era of Rock In the early 1900’s musicals and popular music were linked together Popular music of the 50’s and 60’s had no voice on Broadway – styles and subjects of previous eras prevailed: Hello Dolly – opera, 1920’s popular Fiddler on the Roof – folk music Cabaret – 1930’s jazz

Hello Dolly by Jerry Herman set in 1900’s New York, based on The Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder - 1964

Hair “The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical” In 1968, Hair opened on Broadway and broke many Broadway “rules”: Rock & roll – return to popular music Characters were high school socially discontented kids Songs evoked a wide range of emotions (especially outrage!) “Let the Sunshine In”, “Hair”, “Easy to Be Hard”, “Good Morning Starshine”

Hair by MacDermot & Ragni

Broadway in Decline The 1970’s began suffered from few new ideas, death of many golden age composers, and capitalize on popular trends. Trends – revivals, revues, shows imported from England, technological extravaganzas

Godspell – 1971 by Stephen Schwartz

Fiddler on the Roof set in tsarist Russia by Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick - 1971

Jesus Christ Superstar - 1971 by Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice

Cabaret by Kander & Ebb is set in pre-WWII Weimar, Germany - 1972

Grease - 1972

A Chorus Line - 1975

Modern Composers & Producers Stephen Sondheim Andrew Lloyd Webber Boublil & Schoenberg Disney

Stephen Sondheim Into the Woods A Little Night Music Sweeney Todd

by Andrew Lloyd Webber Cats Chess Phantom of the Opera

by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg

Revivals Gypsy Pippin Chicago Grease

New Shows Spamalot Hairspray Spring Awakening Legally Blonde