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MUSICAL THEATRE An overview of the history, theory, and key shows! WHAT IS MUSICAL THEATRE? • Musical theatre is theatre that utilizes singing, acting, and dancing to tell a story A BRIEF HISTORY OF MUSICALS HISTORY OF MUSICALS: THE BEGINNING • Music has been used in onstage performances throughout the years – Greek theatre, medieval theatre, Tudor theatre, and Elizabethan theatre all saw the use of music and/or dance in some form to entertain audiences HISTORY OF MUSICALS: THE BEGINNING • The oldest main influences of musical theatre are operas and operettas • Opera: the voice and the orchestra are the only media of performance; “total music” • Conversations are sung, not spoken • Operetta: includes lighter music and the singer/actor speaks lines rather than sings them • Usually have light plots that are used to connect songs HISTORY OF MUSICALS: THE BEGINNING • 18th century: most popular form of musical theatre in Britain was ballad operas • Ballad operas: satirical spoofs; lyrics set to popular tunes of the time • John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera (1728); music by Johann Christoph Pepusch • Satirized Italian opera; story focused on corruption HISTORY OF MUSICALS: THE BEGINNING • In America 18th-20th century, musical theatre-type entertainment included : • Variety – stage entertainment that included circus acts, singers, dancers, comics – not refined • Minstrel shows – variety shows with racist themes; performers donned blackface; unfortunately, the first theatrical form that was distinctly American; a dark spot in our history & history of musical theatre • Vaudeville – variety shows that strove to be inoffensive and appeal to many people (bridge the gap); included specialty acts, such as mind readers and escape artists • Burlesque – comedic work that caricatured subjects; in its decline began using immodestly dressed women to maintain audiences THE BLACK CROOK (1860) • Often considered the be the first piece of musical theatre that conforms to “book musical” • “Book musical:” a musical play where songs and dances are intertwined with a well-planned story with serious dramatic goals – wants to make audience feel range of emotions rather than just laughter • Book by: Charles M. Barras • Music: mostly adaptations, but some new pieces were composed • Opened September 12, 1866 on Broadway; ran for 474 performances • Gave America the claim that we originated the musical – opened way for development of American musicals in 1860s. GILBERT & SULLIVAN • Theatrical Partnership • W.S. Gilbert : wrote librettos • Arthur Sullivan: composed music • Created comic operas • Huge impact on musical theatre – showed how to make musicals where lyrics and dialogue advanced a coherent story G&S: TRIAL BY JURY (1875) • Comic opera in one act • First produced March 25, 1875 at the London’s Royalty Theatre • Ran for 131 performances • Story: satire of legal system; tells the story of a breach of promise of marriage G&S: H.M.S. PINAFORE (1878) • Comic opera in two acts • First produced May 25, 1878 at the Opera Comique in London • Ran for 571 performances • Story: satire of class system; Josephine, the captain’s daughter, falls in love with a low-class sailor – surprise twist at the end (like many G&S stories!) G&S: THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE (1879) • Comic opera in two acts • Premiered December 31, 1879 at Fifth Avenue Theatre in NYC • Story: Frederic falls in love with Mabel, the daughter of a Major-General. Frederic is an indentured servant who must serve until his “twenty-first birthday,” but because he was born on a leap day, that means he must serve for another 63 years. “HOLD MONSTERS”/ “I AM THE VERY MODEL OF A MODERN MAJOR GENERAL ” G&S: THE MIKADO (1885) • A comic opera in two acts • Opened March 14, 1885 in London • Ran for 672 performances • Story: set in Japan, Nanki-Poo wants to marry Yum-Yum – runs away from home to avoid marrying an elderly lady, but there are many obstacles that stand in the way of their marriage! EARLY 1900S • Babes in Toyland • Operetta – composed by Victor Herbert, libretto by Glen MacDonough • Wove together characters from Mother Goose nursery rhymes into a Christmas-themed musical • Opened June 1903 in Chicago; opened in NY in October – ran for 192 performances • Princess Theatre Shows (1915-1918) • Jerome Kern, Guy Boulton, and P.G. Wodehouse • Musicals produced at the Princess Theatre • Believable people and situations – integrated innovative songs with their stories • Considered an artistic step forward for American musicals EARLY 1900S • Babes in Toyland • Operetta – composed by Victor Herbert, libretto by Glen MacDonough • Wove together characters from Mother Goose nursery rhymes into a Christmas-themed musical • Opened June 1903 in Chicago; opened in NY in October – ran for 192 performances • Princess Theatre Shows (1915-1918) • Jerome Kern, Guy Boulton, and P.G. Wodehouse • Musicals produced at the Princess Theatre • Believable people and situations – integrated innovative songs with their stories • Considered an artistic step forward for American musicals EARLY 1900S • WWI: people flocked to theatres for entertainment to escape the sad & scary times of war • Ziegfeld Follies (1907-1931) • Flo Ziegfeld – American Broadway producer, impresario (person who organizes/finances plays/operas) • Follies: a theatrical revue • Revue: combines music, dance, and sketches • Many top entertainers appeared in the shows • Famous for displaying beautiful chorus girls – known as Ziegfeld girls • Later became a radio show ROARING TWENTIES • Musicals of this time emphasized big dance routines and popular songs • Plot was not as strong/emphasized • Many shows were revues • Raised production values – musicals became more expensive SHOW BOAT (1927) • Music: Jerome Kern, Book: Oscar Hammerstein II • Stood out from typical 1920’s musicals – featured a masterful integration of book and score • Dramatic themes told through music, dialogue, setting, and movement • Story: follows the lives of performers, stage hands, and dockworkers on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, over 40 years • Themes: racial prejudice and tragic love THE GREAT DEPRESSION • People had little money to go see theatre public resumed wanting light, escapist entertainment • Of Thee I Sing (1931) • First musical awarded the Pulitzer Prize • Anything Goes (1934) • On Your Toes (1936) • First musical to make dramatic use of classical dance • Babes in Arms (1937) THE EVOLUTION OF FILM & IMPACT ON THEATRE • Development of the motion picture posed a threat to the theatre • By end of the 1920s, “talkie” films were available at low prices • Effectively took vaudeville shows off the market • Musical (and theatre!) survived – continued to evolve thematically (whew!) THE GOLDEN AGE (1940S-1960S) • Oklahoma! (1943) • Composer: Richard Rodgers, Libretto: Oscar Hammerstein II (Rodgers & Hammerstein!) • Opened March 31, 1943 – was a smash! Ran for 2,212 performances • First fully integrated musical theatre piece– cohesive plot, each song and dance developed the plot/characters, featured dream ballets, developed characters • Tells the story of Curly McLain and his romance with a farm girl, Laurey. Had some dark aspects: the villain is a suspected murderer and psychopath • Had had numerous revivals and a film adaptation • Rodgers and Hammerstein won a Pulitzer Prize in 1944 OPENING SCENE OF OKLAHOMA THE GOLDEN AGE (1940S-1960S) • After Oklahoma, Rogers & Hammerstein became some of the most important and influential men on Broadway: • Carousel (1945) • Deals with spousal abuse, thievery, suicide, and the afterlife • South Pacific (1949) • Centers on American nurse stationed on South Pacific island during WWII, falls in love with a French plantation owner • The King and I (1951) • A British schoolteacher is hired by the King of Siam to teach his children & help modernize his country • The hero dies onstage THE GOLDEN AGE (1940S-1960S) • Annie Get Your Gun (1946) • Kiss Me, Kate (1947)