MSMTP - Lesson 1 Historical Highlights of American Musical Theatre – Each slide has a reflection question – jot down some notes and then post them to the wiki discussion board Note - You need to watch the PowerPoint in Slide Show view in order for the hyperlinks to be active Please contact me at if you have any questions or concerns

Historical Highlights Click on the linked title to see a sample Birth of Broadway – As theatre styles and personalities from around the world and the country come to New York – the theatre district is born and so is the American musicalBirth of Broadway Little Johnny Jones – 1904 – Give My Regards to Broadway What do you notice about the setting & the choreography?

Historical Highlights Click on the linked title to see a sample – Broadway Melody – Broadway enters its most prodigious period, songwriters create a new musical mythology of Broadway and send it across the countryBroadway Melody Anything Goes – 1934 – Revival This setting & choreography is similar to the previous clip (Give My Regards to Broadway) – why do you think this might be the case?

Historical Highlights Click on the linked title to see a sample – Hard Times – During the Great Depression, Broadway distracts audiences with escapism, while also offering political commentary and social engagementHard Times Boys from Syracuse is a 1940 musical based on Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors – future musicals will be based on Shakespeare’s work – Kiss Me Kate (Taming of the Shrew) – West Side Story (Romeo & Juliet) – All Shook Up & Play On (12 th Night) Why is classic literature a good basis for a musical?

Historical Highlights Click on the linked title to see a sample –Golden Age - Rodgers & Hammerstein pioneer a new form of narrative storytelling that brings a new age of musical classics. Carousel & Oklahoma Dream BalletCarouselOklahoma Dream Ballet Lerner & Lowe create a musical based on Shaw’s Pygmalion – My Fair LadyMy Fair Lady Bernstein & Sondheim create West Side Story – based on Romeo & Juliet - choreographed & directed by Jerome RobbinsWest Side Story Comment on how each story is told - through movement – text – song – acting??

Historical Highlights Click on the linked title to see a sample – Changing Times – Broadway confronts the seismic changes in American culture by reinventing it own tradition The Wiz provided an all-Black version of the Wizard of Oz The Wiz Andrew Lloyd Weber brought us the controversial Rock Opera - Jesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ Superstar How does the music in these musicals reflect the culture of this time period?

Historical Highlights Click on the linked title to see a sample – 2 nd Century - Broadway becomes a truly global phenomenon as new innovations respond to economic challenges – 1982 Cats – Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical based on the whimsical poetry of T.S. EliotCats – 1987 Les Miserables – A sung-thru musical based on Victor Hugo’s famous novelLes Miserables – 1988 Phantom of the Opera – another Andrew Lloyd Weber musicalPhantom of the Opera – 1994 Beauty and the Beast – musical based on a Disney movie & classic French storyBeauty and the Beast – 1997 Lion King – musical based on a Disney movie with choreography by Garth Fagan, Puppets by Julie TaymorLion King – 2002 Hairspray - based on a film – features 1960’s dance-style music and downtown rhythm/bluesHairspray – 2003 Wicked – The untold story of the Witches of Oz by Stephen SchwartzWicked How do these examples reflect a global society?

2009 Tony Awards 2009 Tony Awards Contemporary & a Retrospective Billy Elliott – contemporary musical about a young man who pursues his dream against the odds and his father’s wishes West Side Story and Guys & Dolls revivals of shows from the Golden Age Rock of Ages a contemporary rock/jukebox musical based on the songs of glam metal bands of the 1980s Pal Joey – revival of a famous musical from the 1950s Next to Normal – contemporary musical based on family challenges Shrek – contemporary musical based on a children’s movie 9 to 5 – a contemporary musical based on the 1980s movie with words & music by Dolly Parton Liza’s at the Palace – Solo concert featuring Liza Minelli (Judy Garland’s daughter) Hair – revival of a protest musical of the 1970s What are your thoughts about the plots for musicals – the source material – and the need for revivals?

Spotlight on MatildaSpotlightMatilda Based on a famous children’s story by Roald Dahl When I grow up is a great way to introduce the theme of our original musical When I grow up What are your dreams and how can the arts help you get there??

Coming Soon … Lesson 2 = Getting to Know You & the Work – Self-assessments on learning preferences – Elements of a Musical Lesson 3 = Production Responsibilities – Transferable Skills (virtual chalk talk) – Career Interest Inventories Lesson 4 = Writing our story