1. American Musical Theater

2. Terminology Overture Entre Acte Prologue Libretto Soliloquy
Book Musical
Reprise
Synopsis/Overview
Finale (Ultimo)
Review/Critique
Solo, Duet, Trio, etc…
Ensemble

3. Rodgers & Hammerstein
Ricard Rodgers (music) & Oscar Hammerstein II (lyricist)
prove “lyrics 1st” approach easier to integrate songs and book of the show
Integrated/book musicals: music MUST fit character & dramatic moment. (ie - develop character and advance the action)
Great story telling, made everyday characters & situations compelling. Capture human condition as no one ever had

4. OKLAHOMA! 1st book musical (written by R&H) 1943
Everything in show advances storyline
Dance important for same reason
1st Original Cast Album Recording
Longest running musical (at its time)

5. On The Town 1944 - 1st integrated musical
3 sailors “on the town” looking for love in NYC during wartime (creates empathy)
Women in command (more aggressive)
Symphonic score (1st time orchestra, dance all take part in telling story)
Music written by Leonard Bernstein (1st “serious” classical composer to write for Broadway)

6. Carousel 1945 - Rodgers & Hammerstein
within 3 weeks of opening WWII ends
Takes place in N.E., based on Lilliom
“conditional ballad” - People Will Say We’re in Love & If I Loved You
Soliloquoy

7. Annie Get Your Gun 1946 - Music by Irving Berlin features 8 hit songs
“Shows Berlin’s talent as a composer
& that this medium could be wonderfully funny

8. Finian’s Rainbow 1947 - Rodgers & Hammerstein
tries tackling racism with laughter
“When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich”

9. Kiss Me Kate 1948 - Music & lyrics by Cole Porter
Taken from Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew
Adult songs (re: love & sex)
Effected openness that we now have in lyrics
Received the 1st Tony Award for “Best Musical”

10. South Pacific 1949 - Music & lyrics by R&H
Looks at racial & cultural relationships (war brides)
“You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught” [to Hate]
“cashes in” on emotional feeling about WWII
typical ‘decent’ Americans are forced to confront bigotry they’re raised with
Unusual show: almost no dance, multiple love stories, dramatic tension not provided by “bad guy”
Wins Tony for Best Musical, 2nd musical to receive Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Establishes “The RH Factor”

11. core of Musical Theater Repertory (1950’s)
The King and I (R&H)
Flower Drum Song (R&H)
The Sound of Music (R&H)
Oscar Hammerstein II dies a few months after The Sound of Music opened, ending a career that spanned the Golden Age of Musical Theater & Film.
Finest work with Richard Rodgers, later coached Stephen Sondheim
Last song written “Edelweiss”

12. Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Lowe
Brigadoon
Paint Your Wagon
My Fair Lady (based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion)
Stars Rex Harrison, Julie Andrews
Longest running musical to date
wins every major award, revived several times & translated all over the world
They surpass R&H!
Camelot

13. West Side Story 1957 - Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim
Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet
Originally dramatic tension was between religions, but thought too much for the time and was switched to race
difficult orchestra music: Dance at the Gym
Quintet

14. Guys & Dolls 1950 - Frank Lesser “down to earth”, likable characters
flawed, but definitely human
Fugue for Tinhorn

15. Sunset of the Golden Age
6 shows from ’64-’66 ran for over 1,000 performances:
Hello Dolly!
Funny Girl
Fiddler on the Roof
Man of La Mancha
Mame
Cabaret

16. shows in the ‘70s Rock Musicals Concept shows
Conventional Post-Oklahoma! musicals

17. Rock Musicals Hair Rock musicals was the one hope for Broadway…
1st Full Rock Opera: Jesus Christ Superstar (1971) - Andrew Lloyd Weber, music & Tim Rice, librettist
Godspell (1971) - Stephen Schwartz

18. Concept Musicals Built around a concept rather than traditional plot
once subject is raised (marriage, love…) only then can characters comment/illustrate aspects on subject
Storyline exists only to illustrate central concept
songs provide commentary for characters
Company (1970) - moral: Life keeps going; situations don’t end…”
No storyline, non-linear story
Conventional Post-Oklahoma! musicals

19. Late 70’s
Deep recession, theater district filled with pornography & crime
Dancers become important! (reinvigorate Broadway)
Michael Bennett (dancer turned choreographer/writer)
A Chorus Line (1973) - records actions of dancers at workshop
15 year run! Breaks all records! Saved Shubert Theater from financial ruin
shows bittersweet life of a dancer, kick-line and all

20. Bob Fosse wins triple crown of theater: Emmy (Liza With a Z),
Tony ( Pippen) & Oscar ( Cabaret)
Offers series of dance centered musicals where concept rather than plot drives show
Chicago (revival in 1996) - most enduring work
opened 5 days after A Chorus Line

21. Flops and trouble
Pacific Overtures — all male cast (Kabuki style)
set in 19th century Japan… FLOPS!
By late 70’s, most Americans not aware of musical theater… Rock & Disco predominant sounds
sales of cast albums so low, some labels stop recording/carrying them
Musicals have become sub-culture
Production costs, (’79) shows cost 1million+, profit??

22. late 70’s shows 1979 - Sweeney Todd written by Stephen Sondheim
tries to scare modern audiences
play is about revenge
1st to bring dark side of humanity on stage
(cannibalism and murder)
Evita (Weber & Rice)
End of ’70’s, Broadway centerpiece of NY tourism “I Love NY” campaign

23. 1980’s British Mega-Musicals
Producer David Merrick, “The Abominable Showman”
40 yr career teamed up w/ Dir. Gower Champion
6 productions including Hello Dolly & 42nd Street
1st movie musical adapted to stage
forced critics to come opening night, no preview
Gower dies opening night, Merrick uses it as publicity

24. Cats 18 yr run (longest running show in history!)
Produced by Cameron MacIntosh & Andrew Lloyd Webber, music
almost no storyline, “it’s about…Cats..”
Allows whole families to enjoy theater
Memory
Merchandizing HUGE!

25. Cameron MacIntosh produces 4 top musicals of 1980’s: Cats
Phantom of the Opera
Les Miserables
Miss Saigon
Grosses $8 Billion+ around the world
Uses highly identifiable logos for advertising

26. Other ’80’s shows 1987 - Into the Woods (Sondheim)
Wins Tony for Best Musical Score
Merrily We Roll Along (Flops!) Last collaboration between Prince & Sondheim
Sunday in the Park with George - Sondheim w/o Prince
Inspiration taken from impressionistic painting
“Putting It Together”

27. 1990’s Less than 5% of US public attending regularly
CORPORATE Musicals take over
shows produced/managed by multi-functional entertainment corporations (ie- Disney)
Beauty & the Beast (1994)
The Lion King (1997)

28. Off-Broadway Shows Rent (1996)
Bring in Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk (1996)
Jekyll & Hyde (1997)
Titanic (1997)
Ragtime (1998)

29. 2000’s The Producers (2001) Produced by Mel Brooks Scalp the scalpers
Urinetown (2001)
Mama Mia (2001)
featuring the music of ABBA
Movin’ Out (2002)
featuring the music of Billy Joel

30. 2000’s Wicked (2003) Avenue Q (2003) Assassins (2004)
Monty Python’s SPAMALOT (2005)
Jersey Boys (2005)
Young Frankenstein (2007)
Shrek (2008)
Next to Normal (2009)

31. 2010’s The Addams Family (2010) The Book of Mormon (2011)
Kinky Boots (2013) - music/lyrics by Cyndi Lauper
Beautiful: The Carol King Musical (2014)
Finding Neverland (2015)
Hamilton (2015)
School of Rock (2015)

32. Films/Movies Evita (1996) - feat. Madonna & Antonio Banderas
Beauty & the Beast (1991)
Newsies (1992) - flops guaranteeing Disney sticks to animation films
The Lion King (1994)
Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Hercules (1997)*
Mulan (1998)*
Tarzan (1999)* - music by Phil Collins

33. Beyond Disney The last big screen musical of the 20th Century:
SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER, UNCUT (’99)
Proves animated shows are not just for kids!
Moulin Rouge (2001)
8 Mile (2002) - starring Eminem (Marshall Mathers)
Chicago (2002) - Revival