Stacy Wolf, a Professor of Theatre in the Lewis Centre for the Arts wrote the book ‘Changed for Good’. This book observes the roles of women in Broadway and how musical theatre’s history has changed massively from the 1950’s to the twenty first century by analysing, inspecting and listening to what women actually did on the Broadway stage through every chapter. It argues that ‘gender and genre are inseparable’ (Wolf. S. 2011. P. 20) the representations and performances by women radically changed in the musical from the 1950’s; from Anita in West Side Story to Adalaide in Guys and Dolls, Wolf demonstrates a centrality toward women in the form of ‘friends, girlfriends and wives as journalists, students and maids, and also as singers and dancers’ (Wolf. S. 2011. P. 4)
The book then goes on to ask ‘How have Broadway musicals, typically considered too commercial and too mainstream, contributed to a feminist performance history?’ (Wolf. S. 2011. P. 4) ‘Changed for Good’ answers this question by exploring the difference in female characters, what the women who perform these characters actually do on the Broadway musical stage, how their musicals portray a women’s changing role in society since 1950, and how they break down the boundaries of the presentation of ‘the musical’ itself. Through Each Chapter Wolf explores a few shows in each decade in relation to gender issues and what each woman means in the narrative. ‘A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical’ is an argument as well as a story and there will continue to be history on musicals as long as they are created.
Dr Susan Smith is a senior lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Sunderland and her book ‘The Musical, Race, Gender and Performance’ provides a valuable backgrou...
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...touching display of insecurity, and about the ‘female performers own susceptibility to internalising societies assumptions about what constitute the expected norms and ideals of female beauty’ (Smith. S. 2005. P. 57)
A modern look at this interpretation of Funny Girl is through the hit TV show Glee. With guest stars like Broadway’s own Idina Menzel, it is more accessible to see modern “musicals” ‘We’re raising a generation of Broadway Babies’ (Kamp. D in Wolf. S, 2011, P. 238) – musical theatre nerd is cool and acceptable and the ‘Glee Generation’ (2010) ultimately attracted new musical theatre spectators; with strong female roles for young children to aspire to, this TV show relates to the convention of the musical because Lea Michelle who plays Rachel Berry (glee’s diva) is seen to pose a threat by gaining the lead role in Funny Girl at a young age of nineteen.
If there is truly tradition to be found among the great theatres both on and off Broadway, then certainly the Sullivan Street Playhouse and its long running production of The Fantasticks rates as one of the most celebrated of New York theatrical traditions. Maintaining its place as the longest running production Off Broadway, The Fantasticks remains an enchanting and insightful tale of both young love and bitter disillusionment. It also reminds one, in this age of spectacle and the mega-musical, how powerful and truly inspiring theatre itself can be. Clearly, one of the great strengths of this production and a large part of its appeal for audiences over the last four decades lies in the fact that both the story and the style of presentation compliment each other so completely. Here we find the non-essentials are stripped away, and we are left to rely simply on the imagination of both the audience and the performers to create a magical evening.
Kislan, Richard. The Musical: A Look at the American Musical Theater. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1980. 84, 110, 116-121, 125-127, 128, 134, 163, 195, 201, 209. Print.
Ever heard of a story that sings of the “Angel of Music” and the “Phantom of the Opera”? A tale that once you have listened to the sweet melody that you will realized that you've pasted the “Point of No Return”? This love triangle has captivated multitudes ever since the 1910 original Phantom of the Opera was published in France by Monsieur Leroux, although most story lovers recall the musical of the same name by Andrew Lloyd Webber or the motion picture adaption. Although this story has been entertaining people for over a century, in this new era have prerecorded voices and movements begun to overshadow the talented performers of live theater? Although “The lavish screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera (2005) only deepened the damage” of the dislike of musicals made into film “with non-stars in the leads and an unimaginative production,”(Musical),which version, the live performance or the film, makes the story more attractive? To answer these questions, permit this essay to analyze two methods of storytelling: 2011 live performance Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall and the 2005 film, and decide if music and story lovers everywhere have too “turned from true beauty”.
Butler, Judith. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory." Theatre Journal 40.4 (1988): 519-31. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. 11 May 2011.
Throughout the plays, the reader can visualize how men dismiss women as trivial and treat them like property, even though the lifestyles they are living in are very much in contrast. The playwrights, each in their own way, are addressing the issues that have negatively impacted the identity of women in society.
On a Wednesday night I saw Texas State Theatre and Dance Department's performance of A Chorus Line. The main plot of the musical entails the audition of 17 dancers for several Broadway roles on the chorus line. However, during their auditions the director Zach asks for personal stories of each dancer's life. Though the plot of this musical is seemingly simple in its twist on the traditional audition, it explores themes that reveal the human experience, the search for individuality, and the sense of self.
Musical theatre is a type of theatrical performance combining music, dance, acting and spoken dialogue. Written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, ‘West Side Story’ is a classic American musical based on William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The through-composed score and lyrics are used to portray different characters and their cultures, the rivalry between the Jets and Sharks, and the emotions felt as the story progresses. This essay will be exploring the music and how effective the score is in realising the world and characters of the musical. Furthermore, it will discuss how Bernstein and Sondheim relate characters’ diverse ethnicities to particular musical ideas and motifs.
Hairspray, a John Waters’ musical, demonstrates progressive messages about the expansion of race-based civil rights in the 1960s . Although this is typically the lens through which Hairspray is viewed, this is not the only significant societal shift portrayed in the film. The stories of Edna Turnblad and Velma Von Tussle illustrate the progressive shift of women from “old” gender roles such as being excluded from the workplace to “new” gender roles where women begin taking managerial positions.
Early life and introductions to theater and dance began when Katherine was just a young girl. Katherine’s childhood was neither the easiest nor the best. Grew up as a middle class child, till the loss of her mother whom died and left her brother and herself to their father, later due to financial situations the family had to sell their home (Banes, 1998). With no place to go Katherine’s sibling and her self, went to permanently live with their aunt (O’Connor, 2002). Living with Katherine’s aunt is where she acquired interest in the world of entertainment as she watched her aunt and cousin rehearse for black vaudeville shows. Shortly after that Kather...
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre A History. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. Print.
The period between early 1940s to mid-1960s or so, alternatively, the period between when the musical Oklahoma! (1943) was produced till the time when Hair (1968) was produced, is usually referred to as the Golden Age of the American musical (Kantor, 2010). It is during this period, that most of the noted titles such as “Carousel”, “South Pacific” etc. were produced. 1940s and early 1950s were dominated thoroughly by MGM musicals, while the late 1950s and 1960s belonged to Broadway. Initially, the musicals of this era had simple plots, unchallenging themes, with romantic or comedic characters and lots of singing and dancing. But towards the end of it, the plots were sophisticated, serious with singing, dancing as well as dialogue. In this paper, I choose to elaborate more on the musical – Arthur Laurents’s West Side Story. In the first part of this paper, I discuss the plot, songs and other aspects of the musical such as the awards etc. Later on, I explain how this musical revolutionized the theatre and the cultural effects it had on Americans. Finally, I conclude in the end the historical importance of this musical piece.
In the early 1960’s we saw the rise of American regional theatres with many new professional theatre companies being created across the country. Audiences were drawn to these regional theatre companies who offered a diverse collection of plays. For the first time we had
Theatre has heavily evolved over the past 100 years, particularly Musical Theatre- a subgenre of theatre in which the storyline is conveyed relying on songs and lyrics rather than dialogue. From its origination in Athens, musical theatre has spread across the world and is a popular form of entertainment today. This essay will discuss the evolution and change of musical theatre from 1980-2016, primarily focusing on Broadway (New York) and the West End (London). It will consider in depth, the time periods of: The 1980s: “Brit Hits”- the influence of European mega musicals, the 1990s: “The downfall of musicals”- what failed and what redeemed, and the 2000s/2010s: “The Resurgence of musicals”- including the rise of pop and movie musicals. Concluding
Each time a play is recreated by a direction, it becomes a totally new production than the last time it was performed. There is no exception of this fact for Ramapo College’s fall production of Caryl Churchill’s feminist play, Top Girls. The scenery, lighting, and costumes all play an important role in helping to bring the director’s vision to life. David Gordon’s vision was very specific in that he wanted an all women production and for each character to have many layers, both literally and figuratively. Through very pointed and specific scenery, lighting, and costumes, David Gordon was able to bring his vision to life.
These strong drama and dramedy plots are structured around two strong dramatic women who emphasise the importance of character to act as a vessel through which a drama can be represented in a variety of settings. In both, 1940s New Orleans set A Streetcar Named Desire and the Illyria-based Twelfth Night, the plot is centred around a woman hiding her identity, in A Streetcar Named Desire Blanche is the catalyst for the plot as is Viola for Twelfth Night, though women in very different times, they are similar in their affect on the audience but differ in how they deal with loss.