1. MUSICAL
THEATRE

2. TYPES OF MUSICAL THEATERE
OPERA
OPERETTA
BALLET
VAUDEVILLE
MINSTREL SHOWS
MUSICAL REVUE
BOOK MUSICAL
CONCEPT MUSICAL

3. OPERA
GRAND OPERA: originates in Italian Renaissance ( ), usually tragic, sung-through, high spectacle
COMIC OPERA: Opera Comique; sung-through, lighter in tone
Music-driven, elitist

4. OPERETTA 1800’s, Not entirely sung-through Light in tone
Romantic; happy ending, often ends in marriage
Exotic locales
Music-driven

5. BALLET Origins in Court Masques of the 17th Century (1600’s)
Tells story through music and dance, no words
Movement-driven, elitist

6. ORIGINS OF MODERN MUSICAL THEATRE

7. THE BLACK CROOK-1866 Second-rate Melodrama
NY Producer hires stranded member French ballet company
Bare-limbed “spirits” and “demons” are highly popular; introduces concept of “chorus line”
Runs for 16 months, tours for 40 years
Use of dance to help tell story in popular entertainment

8. William GILBERT and Sir Arthur SULLIVAN
Wrote comic, satiric operettas
Story and Words important
HMS PINAFORE- 1878
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE- 1879
THE MIKADO- 1885
Popular in England and America

9. VAUDEVILLE Variety show popular later 1800’s through 1930’s
Includes singers, dancers, musicians, animal acts, jugglers, comedians
Training ground for future musical theatre stars, composers, choreographers

10. MINSTREL SHOWS
Popular from 1850’s to 1950’s; introduces African-based melodies and rhythms to popular American culture
Introduces syncopation, gives birth to ragtime, jazz, blues
Originally presented by white performers in “blackface”, black troupes organize in 1870’s; segregated theatres prevented Blacks from performing in “White” theatres.

11. BERT WILLIAMS First African-American “star”
Began in minstrel shows, went on to vaudeville in early 1900’s; became well-known, popular performer

12. GEORGE M. COHAN
Performer, writer, composer, producer, director
Performed in vaudeville with his family
Played in orchestra at age 8
Published first song at age 16
Family’s business manager, commanding $1000 per week

13. GEORGE M. COHAN
1901-wrote and directed first musical, The Governor’s Son, age 22
1904- “Give My Regards to Broadway”, “Yankee Doodle Boy”

14. GEORGE M. COHAN
Developed strong, American stories about “everyday” people, immigrants
Patriotic, celebrated American spirit; flag-waving; red, white, and blue
Songs supported story, characters
James Cagney movie portrays Cohan’s life
George M.!- musical about Cohan’s life

15. FLORENZ ZIEGFELD 1867-1931:Producer/Director
Best known for producing the Follies series from 1907 to 1927, as well as plays and musicals
Lived and spent grandly, known for spectacle
Made many composers, lyricists, performers famous: Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II, Fanny Brice, Barbara Stanwyck, Billie Burke (his wife), Anna Held, Fred Astaire, Will Rogers, Eddie Cantor, Bob Hope, Marion Davies

16. ZIEGFELD FOLLIES Spectacle/ Extravaganza, huge, opulent, fantastic
Introduced concept of “showgirl”, living scenery

17. The ZIEGFELD “Showgirl”
Hired most beautiful women
Costumed lavishly , often revealingly, and always with great style and taste
Motto: “Glorifying the American Girl”

18. BERT WILLIAMS
Hired by Florenz Ziegfeld for his Follies in 1912, first African-American to “headline” in a major “White” production
Continued to star in the Follies until his death in 1922

19. SHOWBOAT-1927 Produced by F. Ziegfeld Jerome Kern, composer
Oscar Hammerstein, lyricist
Serious storyline
All American, life on riverboat
Combined operetta with native American music
Integration of Black and White performers

20. SHOWBOAT 1ST musical to show interracial love story
Deals with unlikely themes of racism, alcoholism, spousal abuse/neglect, gambling addiction
Integrates songs into story, dance is organic to action
Eliminates line of chorus girls

21. 1930’s: Experimentation
The Depression begins the demise of the big stage extravaganzas, puts more emphasis on innovation
Franklin Delano Roosevelt creates the Federal Theatre Project in 1935 to aid unemployment among theatre artists
Development of African-American artists and material

22. 1931: OF THEE I SING
Direction and Book by George Kaufman, music by GEORGE GERSHWIN, lyrics by IRA GERSHWIN
Political Satire
First musical to win Pulitzer Prize

23. 1935: PORGY AND BESS music by GEORGE GERSHWIN, lyrics by IRA GERSHWIN
Folk opera, uses indigenous musical style:
“Summertime”, “Bess, You Is My Woman Now”, “It Ain’t Necessarily So”
African-Americans as central, sympathetic, realistic characters

24. 1940’s-early 60’s: GOLDEN AGE OF “BOOK” MUSICAL
“Book” musicals and their presentation develop in maturity
Competing with Television
Prolific period of American creativity in the genre
Wide range and depth of material

25. 1943: OKLAHOMA!
Simple love story, not ground-breaking, but caught growing sense of nationalism created by war
Music by RICHARD ROGERS, lyrics by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II
Choreographed by AGNES de MILLE, used ballet and modern and indigenous dance to tell story; “dream ballet”

26. Agnes de Mille
Combined different forms of dance to help create individual characters, advance the plot
Dance was not just for “dance’ sake”; assigned dancers dramatic features, motivation, emotional content
Other shows: BRIGADOON, PAINT YOUR WAGON, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES

27. “Dream Ballet”
OKLAHOMA!’s “dream ballet”, about 17 minutes long, allowed dance to play an intrinsic part in the psychology of the characters, story
Created a trend: 12 of the next 21 musicals on Broadway included a dream ballet

28. Richard Rogers 1902-1979 Oscar Hammerstein II 1895-1960
Prolific team, wrote many of the most famous musicals of the 40’s and 50’s
Both had established strong careers with other partners
Interested in serious themes, social issues
Some of their most famous works:

29. CAROUSEL
Set at the turn of the 19th Century in a traveling carnival near a small New England town, deals with life and love on “two sides of the train track”
“If I Loved You”
“You’ll Never Walk Alone”

30. SOUTH PACIFIC
Set during WWII on a south sea island, deals with racism and effects of war on relationships
Wins Pulitzer Prize and 7 Tony Awards
“Some Enchanted Evening”
“I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair”
“Bali Hai”

31. THE KING AND I
Set in Siam in 1864, examines clash of eastern and western cultures
“Something Wonderful”
“I Whistle A Happy Tune”
“Hello, Young Lovers”
“Shall We Dance?”

32. THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Set in Austria on the eve of the Nazi invasion, tackles theme of clashing political ideologies
Last show together before Hammerstein dies in 1960
“Do-Re-Mi”
“Edelwiess”
“Climb Every Mountain”
“The Sound of Music”

33. OTHER SHOWS OF THE PERIOD
1946-ANNIE GET YOUR GUN
1948-KISS ME, KATE
1950- GUYS AND DOLLS
MY FAIR LADY
GYPSY
DAMN YANKEES
CAMELOT
CAN-CAN

34. WEST SIDE STORY-1957
Conceived, directed, and choreographed by JEROME ROBBINS; first “triple-threat”
Music and lyrics by LEONARD BERNSTEIN
“Romeo and Juliet” told in terms of NY street gangs
Integrates dance seamlessly into action

35. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Widely considered to mark the end of the “golden era” of book musicals
Story of a Jewish Russian milkman in the small village of Anatevka who wishes to marry off his daughters in the traditional ways; examines themes of tradition vs. modern thought
“If I Were A Rich Man”
“Far From The Home I Love”
“Sunrise, Sunset”
“La Chaim!”

36. 1960’s
HAIR introduces the “CONCEPT” MUSICAL, no real story line, current themes in youth culture, nudity
Other “concept” musicals: COMPANY (1970), FOLLIES (1971), A CHORUS LINE (1975)

37. A CHORUS LINE
Longest running musical in the world when it closed in 1990 after 6,137 performances; only CATS has surpassed it
Directed and choreographed by MICHAEL BENNETT, music and lyrics by MARVIN HAMLISCH, tells personal stories of dancers at a Broadway audition
Wins Pulitzer prize for drama and 9 Tony Awards

38. BOB FOSSE –
Major director/choreographer in 60’s/70’s, started as a stage and film dancer
Hallmarks are use of hats and “turned-in” toes, angled limbs
Directed his own life story as a musical film: “All That Jazz”

39. SHOWS DIRECTED and/or CHOREOGRAPHED BY BOB FOSSE
PAJAMA GAME
SWEET CHARITY
DAMN YANKEES
PIPPIN
CABARET
CHICAGO
DANCIN’
FOSSE: a compilation of his work from many shows

40. 1970’s/80’s: Emergence of British Musicals
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, most prolific of the British composers, dominates Broadway for over 20 years
With lyricist TIM RICE: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (1971), EVITA (1979), JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (1982)

41. OTHER WEBBER SHOWS 1982-CATS 1984- STARLIGHT EXPRESS
1987- PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
1990- ASPECTS OF LOVE
1993- SUNSET BLVD.

42. 1980’S/90’S: RETURN OF THE SPECTACLE
1985- LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
1987- LES MISERABLES
1989- GRAND HOTEL
1991- WILL ROGERS FOLLIES
1991- MISS SAIGON
1992- CRAZY FOR YOU

43. SPECTACLE MUSICALS 1999 - THE LION KING 2001 - 42ND STREET (revival)
HAIRSPRAY
2003 – WICKED
GYPSY (revival)

44. MUSICALS FROM ANIMATION
1994- BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
1999- THE LION KING
2008 – SHREK THE MUSICAL

45. BROADWAY TICKET PRICES
1880: $1.50
1920: $7.70
1930: $3.85 (Depression)
1970: $30.00
1984: $45.00 and up
1990: $65.00 and up
1991: MISS SAIGON charges first $100 B’way ticket
Current prices: $55-$100, best seats $80 and up