Introduction to Musical Theater

1. Introduction to Musical Theater

2. Three main forms of art • Music • Dance • Spoken dialogue

3. Three components of the musical • Book • The dialogue • Written by the librettist • Music • Written by the composer • Lyricist

4. The very beginning… • Opera • Recitative and Aria • What is the difference between opera and musical theater?

5. 18th Century (1700’s) • Opera developed into comic opera. • Original scores • Parody of opera • Ballad operas • Used popular music of the time and incorporated it into a storyline.

6. 19th Century (1800’s) • Vaudeville • Small vignettes of singing, dancing and acting • Separate unrelated acts • Comedians, singers, acrobats • Burlesques • Rhyming couplet dialogue • Popular music with changed lyrics • Audience would recognize the music.

7. The Black Crook • Charles M. Barras, playwright • Guiseppi Operti and George Bickwell, music • Premiered in 1866 • Considered the first show to conform to what we consider the modern musical • Song and dance helped to convey the story.

8. W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan • Gilbert – librettist • Sullivan – composer • VERY famous duo in musical theater • Wrote several comic operas: • H.M.S. Pinafore, The Mikado, The Pirates of Penzance

9. 1920’s • Theater began to have competition with motion picture • Silent movies and movies with sound • Musicals began to pull in big stars of the time to compete with the big screen • Less attention to plot

10. 1920’s cont. • Show Boat • Solidifies musical genre with all aspects • Lady Be Good!; No, No Nanette; Oh! Kay • George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart, Fred and Adele Astaire

11. 1930’s • Great Depression and chap “talkies” presented new challenges • Of Thee I Sing! • 1931 • George and Ira Gershwin • Won Pulitzer Prize

12. 1930’s (cont) • Anything Goes! • Starred Ethel Merman – • first woman of musical theater • Cole Porter • On Your Toes!; Can-Can; The Boys from Syracuse

13. 1940’s • Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein team up for Oklahoma! • Follows in the steps of Show Boat by integrating all aspects of musical theater. • Hypothetical Love Song – People Will Say We’re In Love

14. 1940’s (cont) • Carousel • One of the first to incorporate a tragic plot. • Hypothetical Love Song – “If I Loved You” • South Pacific – Rogers and Hammerstein • Annie Get Your Gun • Kiss Me Kate

15. 1950’s • Rogers and Hammerstein – ended their reign • The King and I, Sound of Music • Leonard Bernsetin • West Side Story

16. 1960’s • Steven Sondheim • Began to emerge in this decade • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum • Anyone Can Whistle • The Fantasticks; Fiddler on the Roof; Man of La Mancha; Hello, Dolly!; Cabaret; Mame

17. 1970’s • Rock Musicals • Jesus Christ Superstar; Godspell; Rocky Horror Show • African-American influence • Dream Girls; The Wiz • Sondheim continued • Sunday in the Park with George; Into the Woods; Sweeney Todd; Company

18. 1980’s and 1990’s • More pop=influenced music • Extravigant sets, casts, effects • Phantom of the Opera; Evita, Miss Saigon; Les Miserables • Beauty and the Beast; Lion King; Little Mermaid • Rent – rock opera based on La Boheme

19. 2000’s • More extreme approaches • Urinetown; Avenue Q; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee • Literature adaptations • Wicked; Little Women; Dracula • Film Adaptations • The Producers; Hairspray; Legally Blonde; Spamalot, Dream Girls

20. The End!