History of Musical Theatre

Emily Lane, Myfanwy Tranmer, Harry Lambert, Cristian Zaccarini, Henry

Shine, Jake Samson, Sophie Hutchinson
Rodgers & Hammerstein:

- Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II are a renowned musical writing

duo who are remembered for their influence on the musical theatre industry.
Rodgers, the musical composer, and Hammerstein, the librettist, were the
most successful musical writing collaboration in American Musical Theatre
history.
- Their first musical collaboration, Oklahoma!, premiered in 1943, which was
the first of its kind, the musical play, which differed to the operetta, its
predecessor. It was revolutionary because it tied together dance, singing and
acting in a way that wasn’t seen before. The famous ballet ‘dream’ sequence
in this musical was the first use of dance to advance the plot, which was a
dramatic shift in the staging of musicals.
- Between them, the pair received 2 Tony Awards, 15 Academy Awards, 2
Pultizer Prizes, 2 Grammy’s and Emmy Awards, showing their popularity
among the general theatre-going public.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC

- ‘The Sound of Music’ was the last musical written by this iconic collaboration
and was destined to become one of the best loved and well received musicals
of all time.
- Rodgers and Hammerstein began writing this musical in 1958, which
premiered in 1959. The musical had a successful three year run with 1443
performances, and five Tony awards.

WEST SIDE STORY:

- West Side Story us a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by

Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and conception and
choreography by Jerome Robbins. It was inspired by Shakespeare’s play
Romeo and Juliet. The fued between the houses of the Capulets and the
Montagues is re-created in one involved tow teenage gangs, the Jets and the
Sharks. The famous balcony scene from the Shakespeare drama transpires
on a fire-escape of an ugly New York tenement.
- Such dramatic material, realistic, grim and alive with social problems. In West
Side Story, dance has been elevated to new importance by being required to
carry on much of the dramatic action in a way that had never been attempted
on Broadway.
 - When ‘West Side Story’ opened to critical acclaim and enthusiastic
audiences, it changed the nature of the American musical and challenged the
country’s view of itself. The show dealt seriously with violence, adolescent
gangs and racial prejudice - themes rarely addressed in musicals, often
thought of as a form of ‘light-hearted’ entertainment.
- The musical premiered in 1957, and the vibrant and energetic choreography
compliments the hard-hitting story line and memorable characters.

Andrew Lloyd Webber:

- Andrew Lloyd Webber is a British composer who met lyricist Tim Rice in 1965.
They began their collaboration in 1968, and Lloyd Webber later became one
of the most successful composers of this generation.
- Lloyd Webber’s style has been constantly evolving since the 1960’s when he
began writing in order to stay in touch with the popular styles of the time,
which has resulted in his style being an eclectic mix of classical, rock, pop and
jazz.
- ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ was the musical that catapulted Lloyd Webber into
fame in 1971. The Rock Opera was written in collaboration with Tim Rice.
- Andrew Lloyd Webber’s main influences were Rodgers, Loewe and Bart, but
none of them were as successful as Webber turned out to be.
- Lloyd Webber’s impact on the musical theatre, particularly on the West End, is
great. He was the first composer to have three musicals play simultaneously
on West End and Broadway in 1983.

Stephen Sondheim:

- Sondheim went on from writing lyrics to West Side Story to becoming one of
the best known musical composers.
- Hammerstein was a great influence on Sondheim’s work, and later became a
mentor to him.
- Sondheim won several Tony awards, and was recognized for his
collaborations with the director Harold Prince. Some of his most recognized
works are ‘A Little Night Music,’ ‘Follies’ and ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon
Barber of Fleet Street.’

SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

- The 1979 musical is known for the dark themes which juxtapose many of the
earlier musicals which are known for very simple plots. The complex musical
 score compliments the dramatic characterisations and are echoed with
thematic motifs that run throughout.

WICKED:

- Wicked is a musical written by Stephen Schwartz and is one of the most

commercially successful musicals of all time.
- Stephen Schwartz studied piano and composition in the Julliard school of
Music. Similarly to Andrew Lloyd Webber, he is known for his eclectic
composition style, drawing influence from from a wide range of other
composers’ work, such as Handel, Bach and Beethoven.
- Wicked the Musical is widely known in popular culture, with its
groundbreaking ‘pop’ style seeing it referenced in famous TV shows such as
South Park, Doctor Who and The Simpsons.
- Wicked is arguably Stephen Schwartz’ best known musical, and his impact on
musical theatre in America is so great that he was given a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame.

IN THE HEIGHTS:

- In the Heights is a musical written by Lin Manuel Miranda in first performed in

2005. The musical incorporates popular music with rap.
- The musical had its first success off-broadway which was followed by a very
successful run at a broadway theatre. The show was nominated for 13 Tony
awards, and came away with four prizes.
- Lin Manuel Miranda is also the composer of prize winning musical ‘Hamilton’
which is thought to be one of the most important musicals of the 21st century
so far.
Your bibliography
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THE SOUND OF MUSIC

In-text: (Rnh.com, 2017)

Your Bibliography: Rnh.com. (2017). ​The Sound of Music.​ [online] Available at:

http://www.rnh.com/show/95/The-Sound-of-Music [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

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RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN :: SHOWS COLLECTIONS

In-text: (Rnh.com, 2017)

Your Bibliography: Rnh.com. (2017). ​Rodgers & Hammerstein :: Shows Collections​. [online] Available

at: http://www.rnh.com/rodgersandhammerstein [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

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RIGSBEE, V.

Broadway Musical Home - Oklahoma!

In-text: (Rigsbee, 2017)

Your Bibliography: Rigsbee, V. (2017). ​Broadway Musical Home - Oklahoma!​. [online]

Broadwaymusicalhome.com. Available at: http://broadwaymusicalhome.com/shows/oklahoma.htm

[Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

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BROADWAY MUSICAL

In-text: (The Sound of Music Salzburg, 2017)

Your Bibliography: The Sound of Music Salzburg. (2017). ​Broadway Musical​. [online] Available at:

https://www.sound-of-music.com/sound-of-music/broadway-musical/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

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BROADWAY, W.

West Side Story premieres on Broadway - Sep 26, 1957 - HISTORY.com

In-text: (Broadway, 2017)

Your Bibliography: Broadway, W. (2017). ​West Side Story premieres on Broadway - Sep 26, 1957 -

HISTORY.com​. [online] HISTORY.com. Available at:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/west-side-story-premieres-on-broadway [Accessed 6 Dec.
2017].

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STEPHEN SONDHEIM

In-text: (Biography.com, 2017)

Your Bibliography: Biography.com. (2017). ​Stephen Sondheim.​ [online] Available at:

https://www.biography.com/people/stephen-sondheim-9488709 [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

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WEBBER, A.

Andrew Lloyd Webber

In-text: (Webber, 2017)

Your Bibliography: Webber, A. (2017). ​Andrew Lloyd Webber​. [online] IMDb. Available at:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0515908/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

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JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

In-text: (Broadway.com, 2017)

Your Bibliography: Broadway.com. (2017). ​Jesus Christ Superstar.​ [online] Available at:

https://www.broadway.com/shows/jesus-christ-superstar/story/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

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ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S IMPACT ON BROADWAY AND MUSICAL THE

In-text: (prezi.com, 2017)

Your Bibliography: prezi.com. (2017). ​Andrew Lloyd Webber's impact on Broadway and Musical The​.

[online] Available at:

https://prezi.com/xcum_gh4vyzn/andrew-lloyd-webbers-impact-on-broadway-and-musical-the/
[Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

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HOW WICKED HAS INFLUENCED MUSICAL THEATRE!

In-text: (prezi.com, 2017)

Your Bibliography: prezi.com. (2017). ​How Wicked has influenced Musical Theatre!​. [online] Available

at: https://prezi.com/fid_i-rqaopz/how-wicked-has-influenced-musical-theatre/ [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

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WICKED'S GROUNDBREAKING SCORE

In-text: (Musicalwriters.com, 2017)

Your Bibliography: Musicalwriters.com. (2017). ​Wicked's Groundbreaking Score​. [online] Available at:

http://www.musicalwriters.com/musicals/s-z/wicked-1.htm [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017].

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FULL BIO – STEPHEN SCHWARTZ

In-text: (Stephenschwartz.com, 2017)

Your Bibliography: Stephenschwartz.com. (2017). ​Full Bio – Stephen Schwartz​. [online] Available at:

http://www.stephenschwartz.com/about/full-bio/ [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017].

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LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA

In-text: (En.wikipedia.org, 2017)

Your Bibliography: En.wikipedia.org. (2017). ​Lin-Manuel Miranda​. [online] Available at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin-Manuel_Miranda [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017].