One of the Musical theatre’s greatest songwriters, Tom Jones once wrote, “It is clear that musical theatre is changing. No one knows where it is going. Perhaps it is not going to one place but to many.” (Making Musicals: An informal introduction to the World of Musical
Theatre) Musical theatre, from its modest beginnings to the Great Broadway known to many today has affected a wide array of people and places. While it may have not always been labeled as such, the art of interspersing acting with singing and dancing has been a part of many cultures and *word.* Musical theatre. From Vaudeville and opera, to comedic and Broadway, musical theatre has become a mainstay in American society. Growing far beyond a simple amusement, musicals
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From the mid 17th-mid 19th century, many theatres were built and the majority of these theatres had proscenium –picture frame–stages. The *word* that the stages were built depended on the extent of the production program. Theatre companies often hired itinerant artists to build and paint scenery for them. As time went on, stock scenery became popular.
“Stock sets” were pre-made sets that depicted common scenes such as A Noblemen’s library, a courtyard, or even a forest. If something was needed to help create a certain scene, such as a particular street, theatres could order from a catalogue that contained specially made sets.
After the production, the sets were stored away, until needed again. Today, set design has become exclusive to production studios. All the scenery is privately built and painted by the theatre-hired studio. Specialty items that require engineering or need special fabrication are “frequently subcontracted” for the theatre. From its modest beginning of planks and fabric, to the grand, larger than life scenery we see today, set design has
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His work introduced disturbing plots, ironic and cynical themes, and bore skepticism about conventional morality. His pieces also contained adult themes and lyrics such as those in
Sweeney Todd. Sondheim presented the grittier side of life both present and past. Musical theatre was in a time of transition from the light and romantic to the harsher realities of life. Musicals had changed from the “relatively narrow confines of the 1950’s. After the wide success of Showboat, more and more musicals were created to promote religious tolerance and racial harmony. During the early years of the Golden Age musicals such as The King and I and
South Pacific featured racial issues. Towards the end of the Golden Age musical theatre dealt with Jewish issues and subjects with musicals like The Fiddler on the Roof, Rags, and Blitz. Rock musicals were also popular in the 1960’s. Controversially, the musical Hair contained elements of nudity, and highly debated views on the Vietnam War. Homosexuality was also introduced in
Hair and later, more overtly promoted in La Cage Aux Folles. Rock musicals flourished in the 1970’s, and prevalent musicals of the time were Jesus
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 an interview, Oscar Hammerstein II stated, “at the time I wrote the song, I was perfectly conscious of the risks, but if you know the deal about the technique of songs, one of the pleasures of working is breaking those rules every once in a while”. Rodgers and Hammerstein had many achievements with their shows and songs that resulted in fifteen Academy Awards, thirty-four Tony Awards, two Grammys, and the Pulitzer Prize through their compositions. Musical productions from this pair sparked controversy and interest making them to find it difficult in communicating their perspectives. In an interview, when asked about viewers’ conformity in reference to the musicals, Rogers explained that “the best way to project these things and to get a response from an audience is to do them in a way they were done originally after we got finished correcting them ourselves”. Rodgers and Hammerstein became the most successful partnership of the 20th century through this type of defiance and their
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.
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre A History. New York: The Continuum International Publishing Group, 2008. Print.
As in all genres, the musicals have had its share of failures. Some worthy dramas have been pressed into service and musicalized and sometimes butchered in the process, and audiences have had to watch a fine play diluted into a mediocre musical. But the successes have been many and spectacular and they have left a long lasting effect on the American art and culture.
thesis of how the musical brought our inner child out to realize our true struggles in life.
In this essay I will address racial issues in Musical theatre, specifically the black and white divide. I have chosen this subject because I find it interesting how racism used to be so accepted in society, and although it’s decreasing presence it is still an issue today. I will be looking at two similar yet contrasting musicals written at different times. Both these musicals have racial issues through their storyline. I will look at the similarities and differences between these two musicals and how racial issues are expressed. Additionally I will consider when the shows were written; what impact these musicals had on society and vice versa.
Ostlere, Hilary. “Taming The Musical.” Dance Magazine 73.12 (1999): 84. Expanded Academic ASAP. Westfield State College Library, MA. 15 April 2005.
Enslaved Africans have always brought music, dancing, and singing to the plantation life. It has always been apart of African-American culture to resemble theatre with traditions. Theatre traditions are a great way to be able to express yourself and given the history of African-Americans they always loved the rituals of music, dancing, and singing. It was a great way to be able to keep their mind off dealing with slavery and the lack of rights they were given within America at that time. In 1820 William B...
Theatre Journal 37.4 (1985): 426-439. Print. Wheeler, Kip. " Literary Terms and Definitions M." Literary Terms and Definitions "M" Carson-Newman University, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.
Miller, D. A. Place for Us: Essay on the Broadway Musical. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1998. Print.
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
A mere mention of the term theatre acts as a relief to many people. It is in this place that a m...
In the seventies, we could do anything. It was the rainbow coalition, anti-Vietnam, all of those elements. And then we morphed over to where it became extremely straight-laced and non-risk taking. I think we are beginning to take risks again but within those societal norms.” Theatre only goes so far as society will allow it, as showcased by the Conservatory and it being influenced by the culture surrounding it.
Theatre will always survive in our changing society. It provides us with a mirror of the society within which we live, and where conflicts we experience are acted out on stage before us. It provides us with characters with which we identify with. The audience observes the emotions and actions as they happen and share the experience with the characters in real time.