A good storyteller never tells the ending of a story without exposition or a climax. A good comedian never tells the punchline of the joke without the setup. Therefore, one can expect Rodgers and Hammerstein, two extraordinary partners, playwrights, and composers, would not simply state their opinions outright in their musicals, but instead impress their thoughts in little ways in a variety of their musicals. During this unsettling time of the American 1940s and 50s, people were confused. Life changing events occured within and outside of the country of America and people moved from place to place, bringing new backgrounds, new cultures, and new ideas. Media as a distraction, both in movies and on stage, became increasingly popular, and Rodgers …show more content…
One of Hammerstein’s personal doctrines was to only work with one issue at a time, even in his own life. He once stated when asked about his opinion on communism, “‘My interest now is to do all I can to stamp out Nazism, which I think is the greatest threat to our culture and our safety. If there are Communists in this organization, and if they are willing to help me do this, I can work with them without becoming a Communist myself. If there were a forest fire outside of Los Angeles and we all ran out with buckets to pour water on it, I would not ask the man at my shoulder what his philosophy was...’” (Fordin 143). Hammerstein likely felt a strong attachment to The Sound of Music, because he saw in Georg what he saw in himself: a man who loathed Nazism more than anything else in the world, but still forced to choose between values. Hammerstein had to choose between Nazism and Communism; Georg is forced to choose between his anti-Nazi values and the safety and comfort of his family when faced with the decision to join the German navy. Like Hammerstein, he places his value on not becoming a Nazi over everything else, and jeopardizes the safety and comfort of his family (Rodgers, Sound). Hammerstein even included lyrics about this, showing the worldly side of what people would have one believe, giving Georg's fiancée the lyric: “Today you have to learn to be a realist... Be wise, compromise” (Rodgers, Sound 75). Georg says in return, “I will not bow my head to the men I despise” (Rodgers, Sound 76). This shows the values of both Hammerstein and his characters and the beliefs they
Even before our team met to go over our ideas on what direction we were going with South Pacific I decided to sit down and read the libretto. I was already decently familiar with South Pacific, but I decided to watch the 1949 musical as well. I felt comfortable with the material and I sat down to start some background on the play. I quickly found information that the play had been based off of a book by James Michener called Tales of the South Pacific, so I picked it up and decided to skim through it and see the stories behind the musical. Pursuing the internet a little bit more I found the story behind how Rodgers and Hammerstein came to know Tales of the South Pacific. Based off of this and the background from reading the novel I wrote a background paragraph with this information and included the production history. While I found a decent amount on the history, I could not find any specific
In Dialogue: Theatre of America, Harold Clurman said, “we make theatre out of life” (27), and it was precisely this view that motivated him to help create a uniquely American theatre. Clurman, considered one of the most influential directors of the modern American theatre, had a unique vision of what the American theatre could become. One of the founders of the quintessentially American troupe, the Group Theatre, Clurman was a contemporary of Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg, and even married to Stella Adler for twenty years. At a ceremony honoring Clurman, Elia Kazan stated that Clurman’s “greatest achievement [was] himself” (Harold Clurman: A Life of Theatre). An important figure in our theatrical past, Clurman’s theories on theatre and directing require close attention. In this paper, I will first provide a brief biography of Clurman, second, examine his theories of theatre and directing, and lastly, I will explore his criticisms of the then-contemporary theatre, and draw conclusions to the current state of the Broadway theatre.
Music in the 1950’s was a lot different than it is now. The things I will be showing you are the Political events, what was popular, and the influence 1950’s music had on this decade
The 1950’s was a time in history when America began to flourish, through its advancements in music, technology, and its emphasis on the individual. The emergence of Rock and Roll contributed to the birth of the ‘rebel’ by giving teenagers an excuse to disobey their parents through the expression of music. Adults of the 1950’s insisted that Rock and Roll corrupted the minds of the youth. This revolution in music not only affected the decade from an entertainment standpoint, but also from a fashion perspective. Teenagers wore leather jackets, poodle skirts, slicked back hair, and beehive hairdos. Through sports and the civil rights act, blacks began to be more accepted into the 1950’s society. Although segregation was still alive, many blacks swore they could see freedom in the near future. Black athletes, like Jackie Robinson, proved that talent outweighed skin color. Existentialism became a popular philosophy during the 1950’s, which emphasized the individual. The true meaning of this movement was vague, but followers believed that society was trying to control their every action. Many authors and philosophers of this decade wrote on the subject of existentialism, including Flannery O’Connor. Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “Good Country People,” was published in 1955 and demonstrates the 1950’s view of existentialism through the use of symbolism and irony.
Motion pictures from Hollywood had taken Broadway’s place as the king of entertainment. The main reason behind this was that because it was culturally relevant and coming out with new flashy techniques such as Todd-AO and Cinerama.
In this essay I will talk about the music in the 60's, noteworthy that in some cases I will compare some situations with the Latino-American situation, I know is has nothing to do with the topic, but who is the guy who is writing in this sheet of paper? ME, Is my essay and I will write what I want (This is an example of Freedom Of Expression, we will see it more on that later)
As World War Two came to a close, a new American culture was developing all across the United States. Families were moving away from crowded cities into spacious suburban towns to help create a better life for them during and after the baby boom of the post-war era. Teenagers were starting to become independent by listing to their own music and not wearing the same style of clothing as their parents. Aside from the progress of society that was made during this time period, many people still did not discuss controversial issues such as divorce and sexual relations between young people. While many historians regard the 1950s as a time of true conservatism at its finest, it could really be considered a time of true progression in the American way of life.
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.
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre A History. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. Print.
Oscar Hammerstein II, born July 12, 1895, came from a family of theater people. His grandfather, Oscar Hammerstein I, built theatres and loved opera. Following him, would be a generation of theatre managers and Vaudeville presenters. But the true love of theatrical storytelling was in Hammerstein II. From an earlier age, Hammerstein was a quick worker and very productive when it came to his work. Unlike all lyricists at the time, he wrote the libretto to most of the musicals for which he contributed the lyrics. Therefore, the scenes in which his lyrics are place stemmed from the same creative mind. Much of his early career was with many different composers like Herbert Stothart, Otto Harbach, and Jerome Kern. Yet, his name was often
...e time and has paved the way for so many more musicals in the past fifty years. W.S.S. established a new gritty style, which inspired later shows like Cabaret and Les Miserables. It showed how a strong plot offers more dramatic and musical potential than a dependence upon the bright and cheerful themes of the preceding era dominated by composers such as Rogers & Hammerstein and Gilbert & Sullivan. In my opinion too many shows have tried to follow in the footsteps of West Side Story, such as Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat but lack the detail of composition. It tries to incorporate too many different styles of music from 50s rock to French song to typical 90s pop. Leonard Bernstein was able to form a balance in his music; a superb adaptation of one of Shakespeare's finest plays applying modern day ethics and cultures, something that had never been created before.
Musical theatre is a type of theatrical performance combining music, dance, acting and spoken dialogue. West Side Story is a classic American musical based on the classic story "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. However, we should inspect how the musical film through its music, its dances, its romantic melodrama, and its exoticism of cultural differences distracts from the racism in it. How does it attract, interpellate, and position ideologically the perceiving spectator — whose social construction of reality and racial differences belong to the U.S.A. — by spatially dividing
I experienced Chicago, the Broadway musical, and because I had seen the movie many times before, I knew all the songs and dances by heart. I loved it, but it was actually the movie that influenced me to become a “Chicago fan.” The movie is based on the 1996 Chicago revival of the original musical version of 1975. It was thrilling knowing that the making of the musical into a mainstream production would increase its accessibility and widen its distribution into all the corners of the world; now there is no excuse for people not to experience Chicago, and though not everyone can go to Broadway to see it, just about anyone can indulge themselves in this dazzling movie in the comfort of their homes. In addition to a fantasy world of singing, dancing and Vaudeville, the film also provides a narrative that is explicitly presented through Roxie’s point of view, creating a counter-human side to Roxie’s fantasy world so that the audience can easily identify and engage.
thesis of how the musical brought our inner child out to realize our true struggles in life.
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