Shannon+Brent+-+Musical+Theatre

Musical Theatre combines elements of song, dance, spoken word and a musical score to communicate a story to the audience. Some of the most famous musical theatre productions of all time include Oklahoma!, Hair, The Phantom of the Opera, Rent, and Les Miserables. This wiki page will guide you through the world of musical theatre, (more commonly known as “musicals”) exploring the evolution of musical theatre since the 1800’s.
 * __ What is musical theatre? __**

__**What Goes into a Musical Theatre Production?**__ To give one an idea of what goes into a musical, The Phantom of The Opera is a grandiose but expository example of all the contributing factors of a musical. The orchestra for The Phantom of the Opera is much bigger than most musical productions, but shows the variety in style/set up of an orchestra or instrumental ensemble that accompanies a musical. The instrumental score of The Phantom of the Opera has 27 parts for flute, piccolo, clarinet, oboe, bass clarinet, bassoon, horns, trumpets, trombone, percussion, key boards, violins, violas, cellos, double bass and harp. There are 12 named roles, and the musical is split into two acts with 26 musical numbers total; 16 in the first act and 10 in the second. This is just one example - musicals display a variety in length, cast, instrumental ensemble, set design, and many more factors.



So where did it all start? In New York City, September 12th 1866, the first ‘real’ musical of all time had its debut. Falling in line with the modern idea of a musical, The Black Crook was the first theatrical production that included music and dancing to convey the plot line. This production ran for 474 performances, a record breaking run! From the 1800’s through to the early 1900’s, operatic comedies (different from modern musical theatre) became extremely popular, running for hundreds of performances. Some examples of comic opera include Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S Pinafore (1878) and Alfred Cellier & B.C. Stephenson’s //Dorothy// (which ran for 931 performances) (1886).
 * __ The Origin of Musical Theatre __**



Musical Theatre and Opera are two very similar styles of theatrical productions. While an opera is traditionally sung throughout, most musicals incorporate singing and speaking to convey a story. Opera also focuses mostly on the music – both the singing and the accompaniment often provided by an orchestra. While operas are often written and performed in various languages, musicals – more often than not – are performed in the language spoken by the audience. **Operetta,** however, is a type of ‘light’ opera that explores less serious themes than traditional opera. English-language works of operetta are considered very similar to modern musical theatre. Though operetta was the precursor to modern musical theatre, there are many defining factors between the two. Operettas are comparable to operas with acting, with a cast that is classically trained and sung in an operatic style. Musical theatre, on the other hand, is often considered a play with singing (but not operatic style singing). Jacques Offenbach is often considered the pioneer of operettas, writing in the mid-1800’s. Some of his most famous and successful operettes include Les Deux Aveugles, and Orphee aux Enfers (1858) Modern operettas include //Candide,// and //Trouble in Tahiti//. The cross over of operetta and musical theatre is apparent in productions such as //[|The Phantom of the Opera], Les Miserables,// and //[|The Fantastiks].//
 * __ Opera, Operetta, and Musical Theatre… What’s the Difference? __**

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 * __ Musical Theatre in the Early 1900’s __**

//__ The 1920’s/1930’s and the Great Depression: __// Though the evolution of films did indeed impact the success of the theatre, especially during the depression, theatre did indeed survive. Productions in the 20’s were humorous and lighthearted (for example, //Lady be Good,// and //Funny Face//), appealing to audiences experiencing woeful financial times. In 1927, //Show Boat// premiered in New York, showing a new side to musical theatre with a thoughtfully developed musical score, choreography, spoken dialogue, music and plot. Musical theatre had finally evolved from a musical comedy to a real play with musical elements.

As the 30’s arrived, people had less and less money to spend on leisure activities, such as theatre. Operatic musicals, such as //West Side Story,// and //Sweeny Todd,// were extremely prominent in the 30’s, and moved away from the modern idea of musical theatre that //Show Boat// defined in the 1920’s.



A Snapshot from Showboat.

Between 1940 and 1960, musical theatre developed further and continued to approach what we consider to be musical theatre today. Shows still famous today such as //Oklahoma!// (1943) took the stage running for 2,212 performances. This show expressed and weaved together all aspects of musical theatre, using dialogue, dance, songs, and the score to accentuate and develop the plot of the show. Other still popular musicals such as //The Sound of Music// (1959)//, The King and I// (1951)//, and South Pacific// (1949) and many more debuted in the Golden Age, many of which went on to become film adaptations. Throughout the 50’s, Broadway musicals continued to succeed and meanwhile Off-Broadway musicals proved themselves to be profitable as well. Musical Theatre at this point especially established itself from operetta, musical comedy, and opera. Shows started to seamlessly integrate all aspects of musical theatre (outlined above) to convey a plot/story line. Many musicals began to explore serious themes, moving away from frivolous dancing and comedic plots with little or no substance. Plots analyzed social themes also, such as racial tolerance, homosexuality, anti-Semitism and racism.
 * __ Musical Theatre in the Mid 1900’s __**

Recently, rock and pop musicals have become more and more popular on the musical theatre front. Rock musicals like //[|Hair], Jesus Christ Superstar// and //Godspell// became the front running musicals of the 70’s and are still popular today. Musical theatre productions began to move away from conventional style, heading in various directions depending on the content of the show and the factors influencing it. Pop became a huge influence on musical theatre throughout the 80’s and 90’s, and productions were written for larger casts and big-budget sets intended to leave a huge impact on audience members. Many new musical productions during this time were written based on existing novels or plays. Walt Disney began to adapt animated movies such as //Beauty and the Beast// and //The Lion King// for the musical stage. Other mega-success musicals that continued to run on Broadway during this time included //The Phantom of the Opera//. Rock and pop musicals became more and more popular, dominating Broadway as writers attempted to mix modern tastes in pop and rock musical with theatre. Today, musical theatre has become more and more popular. More often today than in earlier times, musical theatre productions are based on plots recycled from recent films such as //Legally Blond// and //Shrek//. Other successful productions on Broadway include revivals of old musical productions such as //Fiddler on the Roof, Hair// and //South Pacific.//
 * __ Recent Musical Theatre (1970-2000) __**
 * __ Musical Theatre Today __**

Also rising on Broadway are new, unconventional and innovated productions that have taken the theatre world by storm, such as the rock musicals [|Spring Awakening] (2006), and [|Next to Normal] (2009). Jukebox musicals are also another type of rising type of musical, where a plot is written to incorporate successful albums and songs from past musicians, such as //Jersey Boys// (2006) and //Mamma Mia// based on the story and music of the Four Seasons.



(A Snapshot From the new Rock Musical 'Spring Awakening' (2006))

The success and popularity of musicals in theatre have made film adaptations more profitable also, thus many musicals have been produced as films and have been mega blockbusters such as //Rent.// Television has taken on musical themes also. For example, many comedy television shows do “musical-episodes” where they stray from their typical format and incorporate music and dancing into their regular plot lines.

So why has musical theatre succeeded? In my opinion, its because it is exciting and captivating. There is something for almost everyone, whether its the beautiful sets, bright lights, singing, dancing, acting or orchestral score. Modern musical theatre incorporates it all and makes for a brilliant music form full of emotional expression and creative innovation. Its constant evolution is what makes it so appealing, as musicals change from decade to decade. From its origin back in the late 1800's to the most recent productions of the 2009 musical //Next to Normal//, it is indisputable that musical theatre has evolved, however productions from all eras continue to be enjoyed by people all over the world, such as //Les Miserables// and //The Phantom of the Opera//, to //Oklahoma!// and the //Sound of Music//, to contemporary musicals such as //Wicked// and //Mamma Mia//. Today, Amature Musical Theatre has even made its way into High Schools, Churches, Community Centers and Youth Theatre Groups. Musical Theatre has a lasting impact, and will continue to leave its mark on the world of music for generations to come.