Musical Theatre Research Notes [summer work]
Musical Theatre Research Notes [summer work]
History of Musical Theatre
- > Song, dance, comedy (came a
tradition due to show called The Ziegfeld follies 1907).
- > April 8th, 1904, centre
district of theatre.
- > Vaudeville classic training ground
used for Broadway.
- > Vaudeville shows best watched in America
in begin of century (cheap prices).
- > Minstrel tradition centre of most
American pop theatre.
> Indahomie first show written and performed
by blacks.
> Ragtime 1910 (seen as scandalous) written by Irving Berlin.
- > Red summer 1919 (Broadway actors on
strike).
- > 1920 – in this media age Broadway
musicals brought to all corners of the world (height of influence for Broadway)
rapid modernisation.
- > January 16th, 1919 (sale
of alcohol was outlawed) everyone became carless – Broadway (classes were
mixing) became a gold of musical comedy, life full of youth (jazz music, music
of a new age).
- > Most musicals became based around
women (around 1920) - American women changing fast.
- > Musicals; funny story, comedy, and
a dance number (1920s) musical review captured a little bit of everything,
musicals like a sequence of skits.
- > Creation of jazz by black artists –
what the country was looking for. (Further used in theatre).
- > In the 20s everyone had permission
to visit each other’s lands and see what they were doing.
- > Fascinating rhythm (song) captured
the jazz age.
- > 1927 – team of rogers and heart had
4 shows on Broadway.
- > Shows about good times became a hit
in Broadway (1927).
- > In 1927 the Broadway shows would
never reach such heights.
- > Crash of stock market brought an
end to Broadway expenses (crash of wall street).
- > Hollywood makes talking pictures of
musicals while Broadway was in a depression. (Hollywood became an only hope).
- > Folk opera and political themes (helped
American in their darkest days / the great depression).
- > Broadway in the 30’s was open to
new themes and reflected life at the time (the struggle of man).
- > In 1932 “of the I sing” first
musical to win the bullet surprise.
- > 1950 rise of theft and gamblers (a
musical created to show this side of New York) “guys and dolls” – became an
instant classic.
- > In the 60’s and 70’s the
traditional musical fell out of step with the times.
- > 1966 civil rights struggles
inspired a musical directed by Hal Prince.
- > Musicals were more expensive to
make in America than in London.
- > Musicals fell off at a point and most musical became movies, but then Disney end up creating a live theatre musical of beauty and the beast and they then re-did up the new Amsterdam theatre – this is where the lion king is performed.
Key Practitioners
-
Ziegfeld – a main theatre producer
-
George M Cohan
-
Irving Berlin (song writer) sold
songs for Ziegfeld follies (2 dozen Broadway shows) wrote the unofficial anthem
of American theatre
-
Fanny Brice (comedy singer / signed
by Ziegfeld for $75 a week)
-
Oscar Hammerstein – marry European
and American operetta
-
Marilynn Miller – made it to the
top when she was featured in the Ziegfeld follies (not best dancer or singer
but special)
-
George white invented the style of
dance called Charleston (he was also a dancer himself)
-
George Gershwin was a pianist (he
wrote songs reviews and for anyone that would perform them) Swanee was his bestselling
song
-
Al Jolson – the jazz singer
-
Larry heart written Manhattan (this
song took off which took him by shock as songs with clever lyricism never took
off)
-
Ethel Merman – a singer that
sounded like a trumpet and was a very good singer of the time and was very
clear to hear
-
Westside story made it ok to be
murdered, raped etc. in musical theatre
-
Stephen Sondheim
-
Bob fosse – choreographer and actor
(had a unique signature style) he liked to use hats a lot because he was losing
his hair and it became something he like to use in most of his dances
-
Andrew Lloyd Webber
-
Jonathan Larson – Creator of
Tik-Tik boom and rent (died before first showing of rent)
Key Styles Seen
-
Comedy
-
Dance
-
Acting
-
Realism
-
Abstract theatre
-
Black face
-
Physical theatre
Key musicals and why you think they were so important
- Ziegfeld follies – based the
traditional use of song, dance and comedy
- Showboat - Ziegfeld’s first sad
musical that featured political themes
- Shuffle along – showed the
representation of black actors and allows them to be seen with romance (allowed
them to be more accepted in the theatre district of the time) created and
performed by black people, helped open the doors of theatre to blacks (for 2
years it was always packed)
- Tip-toes - people performing on
stage with trombones (audience became involved and stomped their feet along
with the songs) new style of performances
- this is the army – cast composed
of real soldiers and proceeded from the show went to the army relief funds.
- West side story – “action in
movement” a new way of a show being performed, the story telling, and movement
were intertwined (a play on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet)
- Hair – represented hippies and the
people at the current time. Parents watched to help understand their children.
Children watched to show their parents what they wanted to be like and to
educate them in a way
- Chicago – an America obsessed with
murder and sex, inspired by an old America (is quite a popular an know musical
still to this day in theatre)
- Sweeny Todd – an eerie musical that
was made to unsettle the audience (a new feel as it shows themes not shown
before like cannibalism)
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