The Musical

Setting the Stage  Heart of the musical lies in its music and those who sing and dance to it  The music functions as an extension of the character singing (shows their personality, ideas, motivation, etc.)

Musical Reality  Very different from classical narrative reality  There are sudden shifts between narrative and musical spectacle  There is a shift between one reality to another that involves a rupture or break  Musical numbers break the linear flow of the narrative and shifts to a world of spectacle and fantasy

Shifts in Register  Two different dramatic registers:  Narrative and spectacle  Often these shifts are accentuated by technical elements  Shifts of scenery  Lighting changes  Fog/wind machines  Anything that helps the illusion of a shift to a fantasy world of music

Types of Musicals  Two main types  Revue – nearly all spectacle with little or no narrative between songs  Book musical – prominence of the story book background – integrates musical and narrative sequences – goal is a seamless integration of the two

Ideology of the Musical  Creates a utopian space in which our daily problems do not exist  Poverty replaced with abundance  Work related exhaustion becomes limitless energy  Dreariness of everyday routine becomes excitement and intensity  Isolation becomes close knit communities  Men and women find their perfect matches and win them over

The end and the beginning  Traditional musicals declined in the 1960’s and began a general move from film to Broadway  From the 1970’s to today there has been a rise in different types of musicals than seen before:  Rock n’ Roll and popular music themed  Animated features (Walt Disney esp.)  After school specials (precursers to High School Musica l)

Unit Films  Meet Me in St. Louis – 1944 – Vincent Minnelli -  Meet Me in St. Louis – 1944 – Vincent Minnelli - In the year before the 1904 St Louis World's Fair, the four Smith daughters learn lessons of life and love, even as they prepare for a reluctant move to New York.  Grease – 1978 – Randal Kleiser -  Grease – 1978 – Randal Kleiser - Good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?

Unit Films  Popeye – 1980 – Robert Altman –  Popeye – 1980 – Robert Altman – The adventures of the sailor man and his friends in the seaside town of Sweethaven.  Pitch Perfect – 2012 – Jason Moore –  Pitch Perfect – 2012 – Jason Moore – Beca, a freshman at Barden University, is cajoled into joining The Bellas, her school's all-girls singing group. Injecting some much needed energy into their repertoire, The Bellas take on their male rivals in a campus competition.