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Music Department Cover Work MUSICALS

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MUSICALS

Read the passage and answer the questions on the back. PART 1

The structure of a musical is similar to . A musical is a type of play that tells a story through a mixture of spoken dialogue, song, choruses and dance. However, musicals use much more spoken dialogue than . Also, their musical style is rooted in forms of popular music such as jazz, rock and Latin American music rather than the classical music of opera. Whilst musicals do sometimes deal with serious subjects, their style is more lighthearted than opera.

Today, musicals are the most popular form of theatrical entertainment and attract audiences from all parts of society. The music usually consists of both instrumental and vocal pieces. This will include some powerful, catchy songs which may be successful enough to enter the Top 20 Charts. Thus Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, from reached No 1 in 1976. However, the music is not just there for entertainment. It is used to heighten the tension of events. The musical as we know it today is a blend of light opera and the less refined tradition of the music halls from the late 19th century. The light operas of British writers such as Gilbert and Sullivan and continental composers like Sigmund Bomberg and Franz Lehar were to have considerable influence on the early development of the musical in both Britain and America.

From the 1920s until the 1970s the most popular musicals on both sides of the Atlantic were American productions. In the 1920s these generally had rather unrealistic, thin story lines. Often, the songs did not fit particularly well into the story. However, they were an exciting mixture of good singing, lavish scenery and exotic locations. The Desert Song (1926) was a typical example of this kind of musical.

All this was changed in 1927 by ’s production, . The songs, such as Ol’ Man River helped to tell the story. This was the first musical in which the songs were an important part of the story, rather than being thrown in to give the show a bit of a lift with a few catchy numbers! The plot covered the more serious and dramatic theme of racial discrimination and the characters seemed more real than earlier productions. 1. Finish this sentence, ‘A musical is ______

2. Is the following sentence true or false: The structure of a musical is similar to opera. TRUE FALSE

3. Write out 3 differences between musicals and opera.

i) ______

ii) ______

iii) ______

4. Which musical did the song, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina come from?

Desert Song Show Boat Evita

5. Fill in the missing letters of the following writers and composers: G_ _B_ _T _U_L_V_N

S_ _M_ _D B_ M _ _ _G F_ _ _ Z L _ _ _R

6. Were the most successful musicals between 1920-1970 American British Australian

7. Write a few sentences describing the musicals of the 1920s.

8. Describe the musical Show Boat in a few sentences.

PART 2

The 1930s saw some exhilarating productions in new musical styles such as Cole Porter’s (1934) and George Gershwin’s (1935). However, it was Rogers’ and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! of 1943 which extended the boundaries of what was possible in the musical. Oklahoma! was a dramatic story of life on the American prairies. It had catchy songs, elaborate dance scenes and some excellent singing and acting. Rogers and Hammerstein blended these elements tightly together so that the finished result was a more powerful and polished production than anything which had been seen before.

Oklahoma! was followed by a string of Rogers and Hammerstein hits such as (1949), (1951) and (1959), all of which were afterwards made into very successful films. Realism in the musical reached new heights in 1957 with Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. Bernstein took Shakespeare’s love story, Romeo and Juliet and transferred it to the streets of New York. Its portrayal of street life, and fights to the death was grimly realistic. Bernstein mixed ballet, jive, and Latin American dance to create a thrilling musical full of movement and spectacle.

During the 1960s the musical was adapted to rock music. Examples are (1968), Jesus Christ, Superstar (1972), Evita (1978) and Grease (1978). Although these were hits at the time, most of them have not been successfully revived since. In recent years, there has been a spate of musicals shaped around the lives and hit songs of rock ‘n’ roll stars such as Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley. They consist of the live performance of the hit songs of the star, padded out with some brief references to the story of his or her life. Although, these musicals may lack depth, they are very popular as audiences seek to relive the heady days of their youth!

From the 1970s onwards, British musicals came to rival the popularity of American productions on both sides of the Atlantic. Many of these such as Cats (1981) Phantom of the Opera (1986) and Starlight Express (1984) were created by Andrew Lloyd Weber. Indeed, Cats has been the longest running show in the history of both the stage and Broadway in America.

1. Match up these musicals with their composers:

Anything Goes George Gershwin

Porgy and Bess Cole Porter

2. Why was Oklahoma considered to be such a good musical?

3. Which Shakespeare play was West Side Story based on?

4. Why has West Side Story been described as a very realistic musical?

5. Which of these was a rock musical? West Side Story The Sound of Music Hair

7. Who created Starlight Express? Lionel Bart Julian Lloyd Weber Andrew Lloyd Webber

8. Which was longest running show in both America and Britain?

MUSICALS

Annie Calamity Jane Chess Evita Grease Hello Dolly Les Miserables Lion King Matilda Oklahoma Oliver Show Boat Sound of Music We Will Rock You