HISTORY OF

MUSICAL THEATRE
WHAT IS A MUSICAL?

• A stage, film, or television presentation that tells a

story using song and movement. Dialogue is not
necessarily present, and the movement is often in
dance form.
GENRES WITHIN MUSICAL THEATRE
• Book Musical – traditional musical. Tells a story.
• Revue – not a story. Used to showcase talents of writers/composers
• Song Cycles – this is not limited to Musical Theatre, but is essentially a
group of songs that together tell a story. They are not staged
traditionally.
• Concept Albums – Musicals that are not necessarily brought to life on
stage. The album tells a complete story in and of itself. May become a full
Book Musical later. (e.g. Jesus Christ Superstar, The Color Purple, Chess)
• Stand-alone songs – Songs written in the style of Musical Theatre that
do not belong to a larger work.
 WHERE DOES MUSICAL THEATRE
COME FROM?
Way WAY back: Ancient Greece. They sang & danced and it was fun.

Opera! (La Boheme, Barber of Seville,

Operetta (Light Opera)  e.g. Gilbert & Sullivan, blurs line between Opera & M.T.

Musical Theatre!

Distant Relatives (Controversial Cousins?):Vaudeville, Burlesque, Minstrel Shows

OPERA
O P E R A B U F FA & O P E R A S E R I A
 OPERA BUFFA
• Italian for “Comic Opera”
• Everyday settings
• Local Dialects
• Simple Vocal Writing
• Created “Basso Buffo”

• Sometimes “Intermezzi”
(like an intermission act
“Stizzoso, mio stizzoso” sung by Serpina for Opera Seria)
(rough translation: shush, shush, Mr. Irritable. Listen to
Serpina’s command)
 OPERA SERIA
• Italian for “Serious Opera”
• Created the “da capo
Aria” (A-B-A form)
• Corresponded with
popularity of Castrati
singers  heroic roles
• Features recitative
(repeated notes to
advance plot)
• Rather than everyday
“O mio babbino caro” from scenarios, it reflected the
nobility of its audience
Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi
BONUS:

Dianna Damrau
singing
“Der Hölle Rache”
a.k.a
The Queen of the Night aria
from Mozart’s
The Magic Flute
OPERETTA
( B A S I C A L LY J U S T
G I L B E R T & S U L L I VA N )
 OPERETTA
(LIGHT OPERA)
• Extension of Opera Buffa
• W.S. Gilbert (librettist)
• Arthur Sullivan (composer)
• “absurdity taken to its logical
conclusion”
• GVC has done some of G & S’
work (Pirates of Penzance, The
Mikado)

“I am the very model of a Modern Major General”

from Pirates of Penzance
MUSICAL
THEATRE
1 9 0 0 & O N WA R D
 PRE-1970S

( E V E RY T H I N G T H AT I S P O S T- O P E R A A N D P R E - 1 9 7 0 )
 1900-1930
• Gilbert & Sullivan continue
to reign supreme
• Broadway Revues became
popular (lots of flash, little
plot)
• Drama found its way back
onto the stage
 1930 S
• Jazz Musicals
• Naturalistic dialogue
• Theatres are trying to
compete with cinemas
• Actually dealt with issues
such as poverty, racism,
times changing in general
“GOLDEN AGE”
1940 S - 1960 S
• More inclusive
• Consistently features plots
• “Oklahoma” is credited
with ushering in this era
• Composers became
enthralled with the idea of
“high drama” and intense
action
CONTEMPORARY

( E V E RY T H I N G P O S T- 1 9 7 0 )
 1970 S
• Rock Musicals/Rock
Operas: (Jesus Christ
Superstar, Godspell)
• Dance Musicals: (A Chorus
Line, Chicago)
• African-American Musicals
(The Wiz, Dreamgirls)
 1980 S
• “Mega-Musicals”  lots of
special effects, high
production value
• “Pop Operas” (Phantom)
• Les Mis, Cats, Miss Saigon
• Extravagant.
• Big Budget
 1990 S
• Jukebox Musicals
• Revivals (Enough time had
passed for nostalgia)
• Disney musicals found
their way to the stage
• Major independent
composers (Jonathan
Larson, Jason Robert
Brown)
 2000 S /2010 S
• “The New Golden Age?”
• Movies  Stage Musicals
(Hairspray, Billy Elliot, Newsies)
• Reality TV shows to cast
• Growing diversity:
• On stage
• On Composition/Writing
teams
• In production
• Recognize the need for
representation, especially of
LGBTQ and POC
demographics
ASSIGNMENT #1:
F O R M U L AT E A N O P I N I O N :
A R E W E I N A N E W G O L D E N AG E O F M U S I C A L
T H E AT R E ?

D O S O M E R E S E A R C H O N T H E PA S T, G I V E A
L I S T E N TO D I F F E R E N T S O N G S , S T U DY T H E P L O T
OF A FEW DIFFERENT MUSICALS.

B E P R E PA R E D TO D E F E N D YO U R S TA N C E !