History of Musical Theatre

• History of Musical Theatre

Origins of Musical Theatre

• Both Greek theatre and Roman comedies incorporated song and dance
• Travelling minstrel shows and musical morality plays gained popularity during the Middle Ages
• Operettas in France and Italy became popular up through the early 1800s, setting the stage for modern musicals

Differences Between Opera and Musicals

• Musicals have a greater focus on spoken dialogue, although singing can dominate
• Musicals incorporate more dance
• Musical performers are balanced in combining both acting and musician skills
• Amplification via microphones is often used by actors in musicals
• Operas primarily focus on music and singing
• Opera performers are generally musicians first and actors second
• Using a microphone in opera is frowned upon

Musical Theatre Formula

• Musicals generally follow a formula of meeting the main character(s)
• Then the main character sings an "I want" song, like "Maybe" from Annie or "The Wizard and I" from Wicked
• The story unfolds as they journey to discover their dream, through song, dialogue, and dance

Sources for Musicals

• Novels such as Wicked and Man of La Mancha have been adapted into musicals
• Straight plays like Hello, Dolly! and Carousel have been turned into musicals
• Myths and Legends like Camelot
• Historical events, such as Evita and Come From Away (9/11) have musical adaptions
• Films like The Producers, Newsies, and many Disney movies are sources for musicals
• Operas like Rent and Pirates of Penzance have been adapted into musicals

The Road to Broadway

• Broadway is a street in New York full of theatres
• The first theatre built in New York was on Nassau Street, called The New Theatre, in December 1732
• Nassau Street started with straight plays before musicals
• Theater attendance gained popularity in the 1750s, then a decline due to the Revolutionary War
• From 1775-1783 all theater was suspended due to the Revolutionary War
• The Bowery Theater opened in 1826 with 3500 seats
• By the 1840s, the theatre scene was established but many still went bankrupt or burnt down

Broadway Defined

• In order to be considered “on Broadway,” a venue must have at least 500 seats
• It must be located in the Theater District in New York and not the street of Broadway
• There are currently 41 professional theaters on Broadway
• Smaller theaters or those too far from the Theater District are considered “off-Broadway”
• Plays and musicals are included on Broadway
• Almost 15 million people attended a Broadway show during the 2018-2019 season
• Broadway made $1,829,312,140 in 2018-2019 or nearly two trillion dollars

Mid-1800s: The Beginning

• In the 1840s, P.T. Barnum started an entertainment complex including performance, circus, and a "freak show"
• The film musical The Greatest Showman is based on the story of P.T. Barnum's entertainment complex
• Music and opera halls became popular, accessible to the masses
• Shows like The Black Crook and The Seven Sisters opened in the 1860s, incorporating dance and music into storytelling
• By the 1880s, poverty lessened in New York and London, and shows moved towards more "family friendly" ideals

1871-1896: Gilbert and Sullivan

• Gilbert and Sullivan were an early and famous theatre partnership and wrote 14 comic operas
• Today, some of their works are performed as musicals, including H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance
• "I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General” is still well-known

1927: The First Real Musical - Show Boat

• Gilbert and Sullivan wrote operas that were later adapted into musicals.
• Show Boat was the first true musical
• Show Boat was adapted from a book
• Show Boat was a serious musical
• Show Boat included a real plot and characters
• Show Boat was the first time black and white performers were together

1900-1940s: A Time of Transition

• The world was plunged into its first World War and people flocked to the theaters for lightheartedness
• The Gershwin brothers were known for their show Porgy and Bess and Funny Face
• Fred Astaire became a well-known star
• Later in the 50s, Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire starred in the movie version of Funny Face
• Musicals took a hit when the Great Depression hit in 1929
• Ethel Merman established herself as “the first lady" of Broadway during this era

1940s-1960s: The Golden Age

• Musicals changed in 1943 when Rodgers and Hammerstein created Oklahoma!
• Oklahoma! integrated song, dance, and storytelling was integrated together, won a Pulitzer prize, and inspired other composers
• Rodgers and Hammerstein followed with Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music
• The above song from Sound of Music was the last song Hammerstein wrote

1940s-1960s: The Golden Age Continued

• This time period is the Golden Age of musical theater
• Prominent musicals from this time period include Annie Get Your Gun, Guys and Dolls, The Fantasticks, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, The Music Man, and Hello, Dolly!
• Key figures on Broadway during this era: Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Julie Andrews, and Rex Harrison

The Decline on Broadway in the 1960s

• The beginning of live sports led to people staying home to watch games instead
• New York was considered dangerous, especially at night, when shows were happening
• Social upheaval with the US Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War also contributed
• Owning a TV had become more affordable for families
• The film industry had started making everything in color, so films were more fun to watch at home

1970s: Enter the Rock Musicals

• Rock musicals were based around rock music
• These musicals had a much harsher and dramatic sound than most classic musicals
• Popular musicals included Jesus Christ Superstar, Godspell, The Rocky Horror Show, Evita, Dreamgirls, The Wiz, and Chicago
• Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret, and Grease were successful films.

1980s: Megamusicals/Spectacle Musical

• Megamusicals came to Broadway
• Megamusicals were influenced by pop-music
• Large casts and Big sets
• Megamusicals included special effects lighting, props, and chandeliers, helicopter landing on stage, sound effects
• Hits at this time included Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, and Cats

1990s: A Mix...and Disney Enters the Scene

• Broadway musicals were getting expensive for the average household
• A smaller off-Broadway theatre created a cheaper musical that would appeal to a younger crowd...and Rent was born
• Rent was based on the Opera La Boheme
• Corporations took note and Disney turned their movies into Broadway shows
• The Lion King is the highest grossing musical ever, and beasts out Phantom by 2 billions dollars for a total of 8 billion in ticket sales
• Also Beauty and the beast

2000s: Trending and "Hip"

• The 2000s embraced edgy and quirky musicals, following the success of others like Rocky Horror Show and Rent
• Spring Awakening became popular
• In the Heights was one of the first rap musicals
• Wicked follows the witch's point of view.
• Urinetown is a Satire
• Very successful rap musical: Hamilton
• Avenue Q features puppets and humans and deals with taboo themes

2000s: Jukebox Musical

• Jukebox musicals are based on a collection of songs from a specific artist or music group(s)
• Examples are Mama Mia, Jersey Boys, We Will Rock You, Rock of Ages, Ring of Fire, and MJ the Musical

Fun Facts About Broadway

• Phantom of the Opera is the longest running show on Broadway, opened in 1988 and closed on April 16, 2023
• Chicago is the 2nd longest running show
• The Lion King has over 232 puppets that took 37,000 hours to build
• The Lion King has grossed $1.09 billion in ticket sales
• The first Tony Awards were in 1947
• The first Tony Awards' prize was a cigarette lighter
• Most theaters use letters to count the rows of seats
• Broadway theatres skip over the letter “I”
• Hamilton was nominated for 16 Tony categories and won 11