Chapter 13 The Musical

On Musicals American musical theatre is our indigenous art form. We can’t claim drama, ballet, or opera, but musical theatre is our very own.... Musicals are in our blood and in our bones, are part of our collective personality. Molly Smith, Artistic Director of the Arena Stage

Broad Categories of Musicals Book musicals Rodgers and Hammerstein Lerner and Loewe Dance musicals Michael Bennett Bob Fosse Tommie Tune Operatic musicals Andrew Lloyd Webber Stephen Sondheim Adam Guettel

Musical Theatre Genres Opera Opera Operetta Operetta Revue Revue Variety show Variety show Vaudeville Vaudeville Burlesque Burlesque Musical comedy Musical comedy Straight musical Straight musical Rock musical Rock musical Avenue Q

Components of the Musical Music Music Composer Lyricists Book Book Librettist

Types of Musical Numbers Overture Previews the music from the show by playing a medley of tunes before the show begins Ballad Usually a slow love song Comedy number Designed for comic relief Showstopper A big brass production number Reprise Repetition of pieces of a song or melody line

Musicals: A Brief History Opera Opera Originated in Italy in the 1500s Reached its peak in the 19 th century with composers like Wagner, Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, and Handel Comic Opera Developed from intermezzi Gilbert and Sullivan’s opera are regarded by most as the epitome of this form Exists today in the form of the rock opera

Musicals: A Brief History Early American Musicals Ballad Operas Began with John Gay’s Three Penny Opera in 1728 Vaudeville 1890 – 1920 was its height of popularity Minstrel Shows Caricatured African-American plantation life in song and dance Revues Ziegfeld Follies was the epitome of this unique form of the American musical theatre Extravaganzas The Black Crook in 1866 spawned this unique form of musical that emphasized elaborate scenery and scantily glad female dancing chorines

Musicals: A Brief History African American Musicals A Trip to Coontown (1898) The Origin of the Cakewalk (1898) Scuffle Along (1921) Running’ Wild (1923) Porgy and Bess (1935) Cabin in the Sky (1940) The Wiz (1975) Bring in da Noise; Bring in da Funk (1996)

Musicals: A Brief History The Show Boat (1927) Revolution The quintessential American musical Integrated book, lyrics, and music into a unified whole Focused on serious themes in American culture Brought Euro-American and African-American performers together on the same stage at the same time First musical to win the Pulitzer Prize Established Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II as major figures in the development of the American musical

Musicals: A Brief History Today Oklahoma! (1943) West Side Story (1957) Cabaret (1966) Hair (1967) A Chorus Line (1975) Cats (1982) Rent (1996) The Producers (2001) The Light in the Piazza (2005)

Musicals Today The main problems for Broadway musicals has to do with the exorbitant cost of producing them The main problems for Broadway musicals has to do with the exorbitant cost of producing them Disneyification of the musical Disneyification of the musical Reliance upon revivals to recoup huge investments Reliance upon revivals to recoup huge investments The Tourist Musical is challenged by smaller cast musicals like Urinetown and Avenue Q The Tourist Musical is challenged by smaller cast musicals like Urinetown and Avenue Q