Analysis Of Broadway: The American Theater

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Broadway: The American Musical is a film documentary, highlighting the evolution of musical theater, and how it has related and impacted modern day American life. Starting from the very beginning, the series documents the unfolding of this present day, entertainment medium- Broadway. We Americans, have taken musical theater, ran with it, ultimately creating what we know today as the Great White Way.
Episode 1: Give My Regards to Broadway Dating back to 1893, this episode highlights Florenz Ziegfeld. Ziegfeld, individually, demonstrates the evolution of musical theater. His creation of the Ziegfeld Follies introduced a new aura to the New York City scene. Featuring many proclaimed performers, Ziegfeld shows were stage spectaculars - from costume …show more content…

When studying musical theater, or any type of theater, you cannot just expect to start at Wicked, without understanding how shows of that magnitude came to be. We look at musical theater today, and sit in the theater seats, in awe at the spectacle that we were so fortunate to get orchestra tickets to. Yet, when studying, we need to begin somewhere. This episode is that somewhere. It highlights an individual crucial to the creation of the modern day production. Through his work, other directors and producers have been able to bring their ideas to the stage. Florenz Ziegfeld is an inspiration to any student, artist, or anyone with a passion for musical theater. Miles Krueger said, “The history of Musical Theater is divided into two eras- everything before Showboat and everything …show more content…

It exemplifies how musicals often glamourized the time period, or even created parodies of political and social dilemmas, at hand. The episode speaks of the film, The Cradle Will Rock - our most recent assignment. This film is just one example of how political, economic, and social crises were depicted. Shows such as Porgy and Bess, directed by George Gershwin came upon us, truly identifying with the American stereotype. This episode not only highlighted material we have reviewed in class, but elaborated on how and why it was

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