Study Guide for Parents and Educators
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Study Guide for Parents and Educators -53)#!, 4(%!42% WHAT IS MUSICAL !N INTRODUCTION TO ALL THINGS THEATRE RELATED THEATRE? Musical theatre’s history begins much earlier than Musical theatre establishes 1866, the year the first musical was performed in New York. In fact, evidence suggests elements of this art form were itself as the only genre used over 2,500 years ago! During the 5th century B.C.E., of performance that fully plays in Greece were composed of one to three actors and utilizes acting, singing, and a chorus that responded to the characters’ actions. Both the actors and the chorus sang throughout the play, and the dancing together to further actors incorporated not only dialogue and song into their the development of the plot. role, but dance as well. Grecian theatre can be divided into three main genres, all employing distinct types of music and This differs from traditional dance: tragedy, which required a slow and graceful dance theatre because the story is called the emmeleia; comedy, which used a more fast-paced dance known as the kordax; and enhanced by the addition satyr plays (which poked fun at of singing and dancing, a common belief) used a dance not merely supplemented called the sikinnis that mocked the emmeleia. as in ‘straight’ plays. To After the Greeks were better understand musical conquered by the Romans in the Peloponnesian War, the popularity theatre as a whole, an of theatre declined. The Romans, audience member must known for their military genius understand the importance and stoic nature, didn’t place as much cultural emphasis on the of these three elements. A arts or religion. In fact, because musical theatre performer, the audience at Roman theatre performances was usually loud, talented at acting, singing, the performers mimed the actions and dancing, is sometimes and invented visual codes that were incorporated into their called a triple threat due to costumes to let someone know their mastery of that triad. what kind of a person their Actors in other areas of character was even if no one could hear the dialogue. A red performance do not usually wig, for example, meant that the have these talents. When character was a slave, whereas a yellow tassel indicated that it comes to understanding character was a god. Most of the director’s vision of the the Roman plays were comedies piece, careful attention involving cases of mistaken identity, such as gods disguised must be paid to all aspects as mortals, and these costuming of the production. aids helped in constructing these possible situations. Molière During the Middle Ages, theatre was no longer entrenched in culture and relegated to one particular location. Actors, singers, and dancers went from city to city performing for anyone who would watch. However, they were not always well received. A good example of this is the misconception that such performers carried the plague, and no one would allow them into the city. Musical theatre was not doomed, though – the Catholic Church took theater and transformed it to its own needs. Although the history between Western religions and theatre is not always amicable, the Church used theatre to transmit its messages to the illiterate masses. Most people did not know Latin, the official language of the Church, so clever monks started incorporating music and art to spread their faith using cycle plays. A cycle play is a biblical story that has its scenes divided between different groups of actors. Each group would have a pageant wagon (a stage on wheels), and they would move about the city depicting biblical stories. Once one group was done, the next part of the story started. This allowed religion not only to spread, but also to entertain. The cycle plays helped increase the popularity of theatre, and propel it as an art form into the Renaissance. West Side Story The Renaissance, which in French literally means “rebirth,” reawakened the public to ! the arts. Throughout Europe, technological, literary, and stylistic advances appeased the audience of the day. One of the most famous Oklahoma playwrights of all time, Molière, shows this. King Louis XIV demanded a further-reaching entertainment, and called on Molière to reformat his plays to do this. Molière added music and dance to his shows fitting his farcical style, song, and dance to the king’s taste during the 1600s. This style grew and by the 1700s there were two main styles: the ballad opera and comic opera. The ballad opera used popular songs of the day with new lyrics, whereas the comic operas had original scores and a more romantic plot development. Both these styles flourished, and the idea of incorporating music into plays stuck. The birth of musical theatre as we know it did not occur until 1866 in New York City. William Wheatley, a theatre manager and producer, was worried about his upcoming show, described as a “boring melodrama.” Looking for something to add excitement (and sell tickets), Wheatley jumped when he saw that the Academy of Music burnt down in a fire, leaving their performers unemployed. Wheatley and the Academy of Music collaborators came together to join Wheatley’s play and the ballet that was scheduled to perform at the Academy. Combining the two in a performance called The Black Crook, audiences were pleasantly astounded at the integration of music, dance, Hello, Dolly! and theatre. In the 1920s, musical theatre faced its first big test. Film had just begun and was already starting to gain popularity. What was theatre going to do with this new entertainment medium stealing their audience? They filled seats by emphasizing theatre’s stars, bigger dance routines, and adding popular songs, increasing the spectacle of the performances. This, however, caused the budget to increase and when the Great Depression hit in 1929 very few former patrons could still afford the theatre. During the Depression, shows which focused on satire and political commentary flourished as patrons wanted “smarter” shows rather than the chorus girls common to the follies of earlier years. The theatre lived on, however, and in the 1940s the Golden Age of musical theatre began with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!. This was the first show to wholly incorporate dance into the plot line The Drowsy Chaperone of the musical – which happened almost by accident. The Theatre Guild went bankrupt, so Rodgers and Hammerstein received full artistic control. The pair took many chances, including hiring the modern dance choreographer, Agnes de Mille. Since the characters were cowboys and farm girls, the idea of them expressing their emotions through lengthy soliloquies seemed out of character. de Mille used everyday motions to express their ideas, including butter churning, rather than traditional showgirl dancing. Opening night proved the musical was a success, and it is now thought of as a quintessential musical theatre piece. Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Between 1943 and 1967, dozens of wildly successful shows, such as Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), and The Sound of Music (1959), as well as Irving Berlin’s Annie Get your Gun (1946) and Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate (1948) were produced. Drawing off of history and classical literature (Kiss Me, Kate was based on William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew), those creating new shows catered to the desire Legally Blonde: The Musical for deeper, edgier shows rather than the tamer plotlines found in the turn of the century musicals. The hit musical My Fair Lady (1956) was based off of George Bernard Shaw’s play Pygmalion, and shows continued to explore different periods of history as West Side Story (1957), Fiddler on the Roof (1964), Hello, Dolly! (1964), and Cabaret (1966) became successful. Musicals still continued to evolve with the culture of the era. After the success of Hair (1967), the 1970s continued to use rock influence music in their production. Many Broadway productions have been so successful that they have been made into feature films, including Paint Your Wagon (1951), The Music Man (1957), and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1962). The counterculture and civil rights movements created an increase in the appearance of socially pertinent issues and themes. Dreamgirls (1981), A Chorus Line (1975), and Evita Seven Brides for Brothers (1979) are known for reflecting the changing social climate. The 1980s and 1990s brought along the rise of the “mega musicals.” These incorporated larger casts, pop-influenced scores, and an increase in the value placed upon special effects. Audiences were wowed with Phantom of the Opera’s falling chandelier in 1986, and the elaborate and numerous costumes in The Lion King (1997) and Beauty and the Beast (1994) awed theatergoers. Avenue Q The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee The increase in spectacle had many implications, however. It is now impossible for a single individual to fund shows, so more and more corporations are getting involved. The increased cost also means that ticket prices increased. The price increase changed the status of theatre to a more upper class activity, whereas it historically had been available to all classes, as shown by the cycle plays of the Middle Ages or the groundlings (lowest class of patrons) in the Globe Theater, where all of Shakespeare’s productions were held. Jonathon Larson’s Rent (1996) tried to change this when he added heavily stylized rock music and a young cast, on top of implementing measures to ensure the possibility of acquiring affordable tickets for those who wanted them. The 21st century has brought on a unique combination of revivals and new styles to musical theatre. The revivals of shows provide an almost guarantee to producers that people will see the show, but new shows stretch the limits of artistic expression.