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MUSICAL THEATRE

MUSICAL THEATRE. TYPES OF MUSICAL THEATERE. OPERA OPERETTA BALLET VAUDEVILLE MINSTREL SHOWS MUSICAL REVUE BOOK MUSICAL CONCEPT MUSICAL. OPERA. GRAND OPERA: originates in Italian Renaissance (1200-1600), usually tragic, sung-through, high spectacle

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MUSICAL THEATRE

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  1. MUSICAL THEATRE

  2. TYPES OF MUSICAL THEATERE • OPERA • OPERETTA • BALLET • VAUDEVILLE • MINSTREL SHOWS • MUSICAL REVUE • BOOK MUSICAL • CONCEPT MUSICAL

  3. OPERA • GRAND OPERA: originates in Italian Renaissance (1200-1600), usually tragic, sung-through, high spectacle • COMIC OPERA: Opera Comique; sung-through, lighter in tone • Music-driven, elitist

  4. OPERETTA • 1800’s, Not entirely sung-through • Light in tone • Romantic; happy ending, often ends in marriage • Exotic locales • Music-driven

  5. BALLET • Origins in Court Masques of the 17th Century (1600’s) • Tells story through music and dance, no words • Movement-driven, elitist

  6. ORIGINS OF MODERN MUSICAL THEATRE

  7. THE BLACK CROOK-1866 • Second-rate Melodrama • NY Producer hires stranded 100-member French ballet company • Bare-limbed “spirits” and “demons” are highly popular; introduces concept of “chorus line” • Runs for 16 months, tours for 40 years • Use of dance to help tell story in popular entertainment

  8. William GILBERT and Sir Arthur SULLIVAN • Wrote comic, satiric operettas • Story and Words important • HMS PINAFORE- 1878 • THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE- 1879 • THE MIKADO- 1885 • Popular in England and America

  9. VAUDEVILLE • Variety show popular later 1800’s through 1930’s • Includes singers, dancers, musicians, animal acts, jugglers, comedians • Training ground for future musical theatre stars, composers, choreographers

  10. MINSTREL SHOWS • Popular from 1850’s to 1950’s; introduces African-based melodies and rhythms to popular American culture • Introduces syncopation, gives birth to ragtime, jazz, blues • Originally presented by white performers in “blackface”, black troupes organize in 1870’s; segregated theatres prevented Blacks from performing in “White” theatres.

  11. BERT WILLIAMS • First African-American “star” • Began in minstrel shows, went on to vaudeville in early 1900’s; became well-known, popular performer

  12. GEORGE M. COHAN1878-1942 • Performer, writer, composer, producer, director • Performed in vaudeville with his family • Played in orchestra at age 8 • Published first song at age 16 • Family’s business manager, commanding $1000 per week

  13. GEORGE M. COHAN • 1901-wrote and directed first musical, The Governor’s Son, age 22 • 1904- “Give My Regards to Broadway”, “Yankee Doodle Boy”

  14. GEORGE M. COHAN • Developed strong, American stories about “everyday” people, immigrants • Patriotic, celebrated American spirit; flag-waving; red, white, and blue • Songs supported story, characters • James Cagney movie portrays Cohan’s life • George M.!- musical about Cohan’s life

  15. FLORENZ ZIEGFELD • 1867-1931:Producer/Director • Best known for producing the Follies series from 1907 to 1927, as well as plays and musicals • Lived and spent grandly, known for spectacle • Made many composers, lyricists, performers famous: Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II, Fanny Brice, Barbara Stanwyck, Billie Burke (his wife), Anna Held, Fred Astaire, Will Rogers, Eddie Cantor, Bob Hope, Marion Davies

  16. ZIEGFELD FOLLIES • Spectacle/ Extravaganza, huge, opulent, fantastic • Introduced concept of “showgirl”, living scenery

  17. The ZIEGFELD “Showgirl” • Hired most beautiful women • Costumed lavishly , often revealingly, and always with great style and taste • Motto: “Glorifying the American Girl”

  18. BERT WILLIAMS • Hired by Florenz Ziegfeld for his Follies in 1912, first African-American to “headline” in a major “White” production • Continued to star in the Follies until his death in 1922

  19. SHOWBOAT-1927 • Produced by F. Ziegfeld • Jerome Kern, composer • Oscar Hammerstein, lyricist • Serious storyline • All American, life on riverboat • Combined operetta with native American music • Integration of Black and White performers

  20. SHOWBOAT • 1ST musical to show interracial love story • Deals with unlikely themes of racism, alcoholism, spousal abuse/neglect, gambling addiction • Integrates songs into story, dance is organic to action • Eliminates line of chorus girls

  21. 1930’s: Experimentation • The Depression begins the demise of the big stage extravaganzas, puts more emphasis on innovation • Franklin Delano Roosevelt creates the Federal Theatre Project in 1935 to aid unemployment among theatre artists • Development of African-American artists and material

  22. 1931: OF THEE I SING • Direction and Book by George Kaufman, music by GEORGE GERSHWIN, lyrics by IRA GERSHWIN • Political Satire • First musical to win Pulitzer Prize

  23. 1935: PORGY AND BESS • music by GEORGE GERSHWIN, lyrics by IRA GERSHWIN • Folk opera, uses indigenous musical style: “Summertime”, “Bess, You Is My Woman Now”, “It Ain’t Necessarily So” • African-Americans as central, sympathetic, realistic characters

  24. 1940’s-early 60’s: GOLDEN AGE OF “BOOK” MUSICAL • “Book” musicals and their presentation develop in maturity • Competing with Television • Prolific period of American creativity in the genre • Wide range and depth of material

  25. 1943: OKLAHOMA! • Simple love story, not ground-breaking, but caught growing sense of nationalism created by war • Music by RICHARD ROGERS, lyrics by OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN II • Choreographed by AGNES de MILLE, used ballet and modern and indigenous dance to tell story; “dream ballet”

  26. Agnes de Mille 1905-1993 • Combined different forms of dance to help create individual characters, advance the plot • Dance was not just for “dance’ sake”; assigned dancers dramatic features, motivation, emotional content • Other shows: BRIGADOON, PAINT YOUR WAGON, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES

  27. “Dream Ballet” • OKLAHOMA!’s “dream ballet”, about 17 minutes long, allowed dance to play an intrinsic part in the psychology of the characters, story • Created a trend: 12 of the next 21 musicals on Broadway included a dream ballet

  28. Richard Rogers 1902-1979Oscar Hammerstein II 1895-1960 • Prolific team, wrote many of the most famous musicals of the 40’s and 50’s • Both had established strong careers with other partners • Interested in serious themes, social issues • Some of their most famous works:

  29. CAROUSEL - 1945 • Set at the turn of the 19th Century in a traveling carnival near a small New England town, deals with life and love on “two sides of the train track” • “If I Loved You” • “You’ll Never Walk Alone”

  30. SOUTH PACIFIC - 1949 • Set during WWII on a south sea island, deals with racism and effects of war on relationships • Wins Pulitzer Prize and 7 Tony Awards • “Some Enchanted Evening” • “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair” • “Bali Hai”

  31. THE KING AND I - 1951 • Set in Siam in 1864, examines clash of eastern and western cultures • “Something Wonderful” • “I Whistle A Happy Tune” • “Hello, Young Lovers” • “Shall We Dance?”

  32. THE SOUND OF MUSIC - 1959 • Set in Austria on the eve of the Nazi invasion, tackles theme of clashing political ideologies • Last show together before Hammerstein dies in 1960 • “Do-Re-Mi” • “Edelwiess” • “Climb Every Mountain” • “The Sound of Music”

  33. OTHER SHOWS OF THE PERIOD • 1946-ANNIE GET YOUR GUN • 1948-KISS ME, KATE • 1950- GUYS AND DOLLS • MY FAIR LADY • GYPSY • DAMN YANKEES • CAMELOT • CAN-CAN

  34. WEST SIDE STORY-1957 • Conceived, directed, and choreographed by JEROME ROBBINS; first “triple-threat” • Music and lyrics by LEONARD BERNSTEIN • “Romeo and Juliet” told in terms of NY street gangs • Integrates dance seamlessly into action

  35. FIDDLER ON THE ROOF - 1964 • Widely considered to mark the end of the “golden era” of book musicals • Story of a Jewish Russian milkman in the small village of Anatevka who wishes to marry off his daughters in the traditional ways; examines themes of tradition vs. modern thought • “If I Were A Rich Man” • “Far From The Home I Love” • “Sunrise, Sunset” • “La Chaim!”

  36. 1960’s • HAIR introduces the “CONCEPT” MUSICAL, no real story line, current themes in youth culture, nudity • Other “concept” musicals: COMPANY (1970), FOLLIES (1971), A CHORUS LINE (1975)

  37. A CHORUS LINE - 1975 • Longest running musical in the world when it closed in 1990 after 6,137 performances; only CATS has surpassed it • Directed and choreographed by MICHAEL BENNETT, music and lyrics by MARVIN HAMLISCH, tells personal stories of dancers at a Broadway audition • Wins Pulitzer prize for drama and 9 Tony Awards

  38. BOB FOSSE – 1927-1987 • Major director/choreographer in 60’s/70’s, started as a stage and film dancer • Hallmarks are use of hats and “turned-in” toes, angled limbs • Directed his own life story as a musical film: “All That Jazz”

  39. SHOWS DIRECTED and/or CHOREOGRAPHED BY BOB FOSSE • PAJAMA GAME • SWEET CHARITY • DAMN YANKEES • PIPPIN • CABARET • CHICAGO • DANCIN’ • FOSSE: a compilation of his work from many shows

  40. 1970’s/80’s: Emergence of British Musicals • ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, most prolific of the British composers, dominates Broadway for over 20 years • With lyricist TIM RICE: JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (1971), EVITA (1979), JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (1982)

  41. OTHER WEBBER SHOWS • 1982-CATS • 1984- STARLIGHT EXPRESS • 1987- PHANTOM OF THE OPERA • 1990- ASPECTS OF LOVE • 1993- SUNSET BLVD.

  42. 1980’S/90’S: RETURN OF THE SPECTACLE • 1985- LA CAGE AUX FOLLES • 1987- LES MISERABLES • 1989- GRAND HOTEL • 1991- WILL ROGERS FOLLIES • 1991- MISS SAIGON • 1992- CRAZY FOR YOU

  43. SPECTACLE MUSICALS • 1999 - THE LION KING • 2001 - 42ND STREET (revival) • 2002 - HAIRSPRAY • 2003 – WICKED • 2003 - GYPSY (revival)

  44. MUSICALS FROM ANIMATION • 1994- BEAUTY AND THE BEAST • 1999- THE LION KING • 2008 – SHREK THE MUSICAL

  45. BROADWAY TICKET PRICES • 1880: $1.50 • 1920: $7.70 • 1930: $3.85 (Depression) • 1970: $30.00 • 1984: $45.00 and up • 1990: $65.00 and up • 1991: MISS SAIGON charges first $100 B’way ticket • Current prices: $55-$100, best seats $80 and up

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