Reference
- Musical (comedy)A popular form of 20th-century musical theater. Related to operetta, comic opera, revue, and other earlier forms of staged musical entertainment, its main development has taken place in England and the U.S. In structure the musical comedy resembles the European operetta, with spoken dialogue developing dramatic situations that call for song, ensemble numbers, and dance. Musical styles and subjects vary in their connections with the popular music and social concerns of the day.
In the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, England in the latter half of the 19th century could boast a body of indigenous comic opera to stand beside the operettas of Offenbach in Paris and Johann Strauss in Vienna. It also could claim a corps of well-trained composers, and from their ranks came Sidney Jones, who wrote the music for George Edwardes's production of A Gaiety Girl (1893), the first stage work to be labeled musical comedy. Its female glamour, matrimonial plot, fashionable costumes, and lively tunes proved a successful blend, and for years to come these ingredients were remixed and combined with others on the London stage.
New York could also claim by the 1890s a busy musical stage stocked chiefly from overseas. In 1904, however, Little Johnny Jones by Rhode Island–born George M. Cohan (1878–1942), with its patriotic entrance song, "The Yankee Doodle Boy," served notice that a vein of American expression less elaborate than the operettas of Victor Herbert and John Philip Sousa was there to be tapped. As author of the show's book, lyrics, and songs, as well as its director and singing and dancing star, Cohan was more a performer-songwriter than a composer. In the next decade Jerome Kern (1885–1945) emerged as a full-fledged American-born theater composer whose works—or shows —made a mark in both London and NewYork...
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Perspectives
Hamilton
A backstage pass to the groundbreaking, hit musical Hamilton, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, including the award-winning libretto, behind-the-scenes photos and interviews, and exclusive footnotes from composer-lyricist-star Lin-Manuel Miranda, now streaming on Disney+ with the original cast. Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical Hamilton is as revolutionary as its subject, the poor kid from the Caribbean who fought the British, defended the Constitution, and helped to found the United States. Fusing hip-hop, pop, R&B, and the best traditions of theater, this once-in-a-generation show broadens the sound of Broadway, reveals the storytelling power of rap, and claims our country's origins for a diverse new generation. Hamilton: The Revolution gives readers an unprecedented view of both revolutions, from the only two writers able to provide it. Miranda, along with Jeremy McCarter, a cultural critic and theater artist who was involved in the project from its earliest stages -- "since before this was even a show," according to Miranda -- traces its development from an improbable performance at the White House to its landmark opening night on Broadway six years later
Razzle Dazzle
Broadway's most respected (and feared) commentator pulls back the curtain on its stars, its producers, and its mega-hits to reveal all the shocking drama, intrigue, and power plays that happened off stage. Razzle Dazzle is a provocative, no-holds-barred narrative account of the people and the money and the power that re-invented an iconic quarter of New York City, turning its gritty back alleys and sex-shops into the glitzy, dazzling Great White Way--and bringing a crippled New York from the brink of bankruptcy to its glittering glory. In the mid-1970s Times Square was the seedy symbol of New York's economic decline. Its once shining star, the renowned Shubert Organization, was losing theaters to make way for parking lots. Bernard Jacobs and Jerry Schoenfeld, two ambitious board members, saw the crumbling company was ripe for takeover and staged a coup amidst corporate intrigue, personal betrayals, and criminal investigations.
Words with Music
The dean of Broadway musical directors examines the dynamics of how the book, music and lyrics work together to create such hits as My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, Hair, Pal Joey, West Side Story, Company, South Pacific, Threepenny Opera and Porgy and Bess. Howard Kissel, chief theater critic for the New York Daily News, extends the reach of Engel's subjects by bringing them up to date with commentary on such shows as A Chorus Line, Nine, Sunday in the Park with George, Rent, Working and Falsettos. Kissel offers a thoughtful history on how musical theater has evolved in the three decades since Engel wrote Words with Music (1972) and how Engel's classic work remains vital and illuminating today.
Something Wonderful
A revelatory portrait of the creative partnership that transformed musical theater and provided the soundtrack to the American Century They stand at the apex of the great age of songwriting, the creators of the classic Broadway musicalsOklahoma!,Carousel, South Pacific,The King and I, andThe Sound of Music, whose songs have never lost their popularity or emotional power. Even before they joined forces, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II had written dozens of Broadway shows, but together they pioneered a new art form: the serious musical play. Their songs and dance numbers served to advance the drama and reveal character, a sharp break from the past and the template on which all future musicals would be built. Though different in personality and often emotionally distant from each other, Rodgers and Hammerstein presented an unbroken front to the world and forged much more than a songwriting team; their partnership was also one of the most profitable and powerful entertainment businesses of their era. They were cultural powerhouses whose work came to define postwar America on stage, screen, television, and radio. But they also had their failures and flops, and more than once they feared they had lost their touch. Todd S. Purdum's portrait of these two men, their creative process, and their groundbreaking innovations will captivate lovers of musical theater, lovers of the classic American songbook, and young lovers wherever they are. He shows that what Rodgers and Hammerstein wrought was truly something wonderful.
Without You
The New York Times bestselling memoir of Anthony Rapp, star of Broadway's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent. Anthony Rapp had a special feeling about Jonathan Larson's rock musical Rent as early as his first audition, which won him a starring role as the video artist Mark Cohen. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Rent opened to thunderous acclaim off-Broadway--but even as friends and family were celebrating the show's first success, they were also mourning Jonathan Larson's sudden death from an aortic aneurysm. And when Anthony's mom began to lose her battle with cancer, Anthony found himself struggling to balance his life in the theater with his responsibility to his family. In Without You, Anthony tells of his exhilarating journey with the cast and crew of Rent as well as the intimacies of his personal life behind the curtain. Marked by fledgling love and devastating loss, Without You is an exceptional memoir of the world of theater, the love of a son for his mother, and maturity won far too early.
American Musical Theater
Gerald Bordman's American Musical Theatre has become a landmark book since its original publication in 1978. In this third edition, he offers authoritative summaries on the general artistic trends and developments for each season on musical comedy, operetta, revues, and the one-man andone-woman shows from the first musical to the 1999/2000 season. With detailed show, song, and people indexes, Bordman provides a running commentary and assessment as well as providing the basic facts about each production.
Historians on Hamilton
America has gone Hamilton crazy. Lin-Manuel Miranda's Tony-winning musical has spawned sold-out performances, a triple platinum cast album, and a score so catchy that it is being used to teach U.S. history in classrooms across the country. But just how historically accurate is Hamilton? And how is the show itself making history? Historians on Hamilton brings together a collection of top scholars to explain the Hamilton phenomenon and explore what it might mean for our understanding of America's history. The contributors examine what the musical got right, what it got wrong, and why it matters. Does Hamilton's hip-hop take on the Founding Fathers misrepresent our nation's past, or does it offer a bold positive vision for our nation's future? Can a musical so unabashedly contemporary and deliberately anachronistic still communicate historical truths about American culture and politics? And is Hamilton as revolutionary as its creators and many commentators claim? Perfect for students, teachers, theatre fans, hip-hop heads, and history buffs alike, these short and lively essays examine why Hamilton became an Obama-era sensation and consider its continued relevance in the age of Trump. Whether you are a fan or a skeptic, you will come away from this collection with a new appreciation for the meaning and importance of the Hamilton phenomenon.
Finishing the Hat
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Stephen Sondheim is widely hailed as the greatest modern American musical theater composer. Elisa New speaks with Broadway stage actors and Adam Gopnik to explore Sondheim's singular ability to blend lyrics and music.
Online Resources
- "Immigrants! We get the Job Done!": newcomers remaking America on Broadway.The Broadway musical theatre was largely the creation of the children of immigrants. These newcomers to American culture rarely emphasized their ethnic origins and they had little interest in preserving the musical and dramatic forms of their parent's homelands. Nevertheless, while striving to produce work, they saw as distinctly "American" these artists reimagined and reinvented "American" traditions...
- The Black Broadway voice: calls and responsesBlack musical theatre artists in New York City share and theorize their experiences with industry expectations around racialized vocal performance. Musical director John Bronson, actor/singer Jamal James, composer/music director Dionne McClain-Freeney, composer/writer Khiyon Hursey, actor/singer Rheaume Crenshaw, actor/singer/voice teacher Elijah Caldwell, and actor/singer Zonya Love Johnson comprise the group. The artists grapple with the conundrum of sounding 'Black enough', how the demand for uniform Black vocalization confounds historical accuracy in period shows, and the fantasy of the generic, idealized 'Black Broadway voice'...
- The seventh age on stage: representation of older adults and aging in U.S. Broadway and Off-Broadway theater.Older persons' involvement in theater often focuses on health, educational, and therapeutic benefits. Though less examined, artistic depictions of aging help bridge gerontological and humanities approaches to this topic...
Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowThe remarkable story of how a group of inspired mavericks made an unlikely marriage of hip-hop and history the biggest musical show in America...and are getting ready to conquer the world! Featuring interviews with Lin Manuel Miranda, as well as the cast and crew of Hamilton.
Websites
- BroadwayView the official website for Broadway as well as what shows are currently available.
- Chattanooga Theatre CenterThe Chattanooga Theatre Centre is dedicated to enriching the cultural, intellectual, and emotional development of people of all ages by providing high-quality theatrical experiences and creating opportunities to engage in them.
- The Tivoli TheaterThe Tivoli Theatre Foundation was formed by Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke in 2015 to ensure the sustainability of The Tivoli Theatre, Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium, and Walker Theatre - while promoting them as vibrant attractions that add to the quality of life in Chattanooga.
On Broadway
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowFor anyone who loves theater, this contemporary history of Broadway is a pure joy! As audiences prepare for the return of live theater after an unprecedented absence of 18 months, an all-star cast tells the inside story of the last time Broadway came back from the brink. ON BROADWAY shows how this revival helped save New York City, thanks to innovative work, a new attention to inclusion, and the sometimes uneasy balance between art and commerce. Interviews with legends of the stage and screen...