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MUSICAL THEATRE. Where it all began. Athens, Greece - the birthplace of theatre 4 Greek play writes: Sophocles, Aeschylus - composed music Aristophanes - musical comedies Euripides
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Where it all began • Athens, Greece - the birthplace of theatre • 4 Greek play writes: Sophocles, Aeschylus - composed music Aristophanes - musical comedies Euripides • Greek theatre included music and dance into their stage comedies and tragedies
The Romans • The Roman Empire adopted many characteristics of Greek culture but tweaked it to make it their own. • The Romans took out the morals and lessons that Greek theatre was so well known for and left only the scandal that was entertaining to the masses. • What was left was a base form of Burlesque.
Medieval Europe • The Christian church largely ran European society and they went in the complete opposite way from the Romans. • All music was religious and the choirs would sing in Latin • Street performers put on morality plays based on the bible. • Dance was considered evil and if there was any dancing in these plays it would have to be by the performer portraying the devil.
Renaissance (14th-17th Century) • A time of “rebirth” in Italy. • The Italians loved the Greeks and imitated aspects of their culture much like the Romans. • Renaissance version of Greek plays evolved into what we know as Opera. • A monologue became an “aria” which was one person singing alone. • Dialogue between 2 people a “duet” • The conversation or chorus parts became known as “recitative”
Commedia Dell’Arte • Italian tradition where clowns performed improvisation (stage comedy). • Famous Clowns: Harlequin, Pulcinella, Scaramouche
1700’s • Two forms of Musical Theatre in Europe • Ballad Operas - borrowed popular songs of the day and rewrote the lyrics • Comic Operas - specially composed scores and romantic plot lines
Pre-Civil War • The slaves in the South were from Africa. • Music, dance & theatre were an integral part of their culture. • They would entertain themselves by singing and dancing. • One artistic form that came out of this era was Tap dancing. • Their songs acted as a way for them to vent their sorrows. • This was the beginning of Blues music
Ministrel Shows • The South developed a new concept of entertainment. • Slaves were encouraged by their masters to compete in contests where they would impersonate their masters. • This was called a cake-walk because the winner was awarded with a cake. • Inspired by the cake-walks of the slaves, white artists began writing skits and song that made fun of the slaves. White actors would paint their faces black and perform “stock characters” which became beloved characters by white audiences.
Vaudeville • In the early 20th century, variety shows expanded into Vaudeville. • Vaudeville shows were variety shows much like Saturday Night Live and presented a wide variety of acts from songs and dances to pet tricks etc. • They would travel around to different venues to perform.
The Mocking Continues... • During this time in England, there was a team of two men who were doing their own style of mocking. • W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan created shows that mocked the dramatic operas of the day. • Famous work is Pirates of Penzance.
The Musical Hits America • Showboat is considered to be the first well-known American made musical. (1927) • It started what was known as the musical theatre “Golden Age”. • It integrated dialogue with the music further distinguishing the musical theatre genre from opera and straight theatre. • It also dealt with difficult issues of the day such as broken marriages, abandonment, class issues, racism, alcoholism etc.
Rogers & Hammerstein • Oklahoma! was the first and most well known show done by these two famous collaborators. • It was a landmark musical because of it’s legendary Dream Ballet. The dance is used to show us the hidden fears of the main character. • It was also known for how real it was. It did not start with a chorus of pretty dancing girls or a big musical number but with an old woman sitting on stage churning her butter. • Other shows include: The King and I, South Pacific, Cinderella, State Fair, The Sound of Music
Landmark Musicals • West Side Story (1957) based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. • Dealt with serious issues such as youth delinquency, gang violence, racial violence and murder. • It dared to say that musicals didn’t have to end happily to be great. • It was considered a landmark because of how it integrated dance into everyday movements of the characters.
Landmark Musicals Continued... • Hair was the first “rock musical” and much of the music was integrated into popular culture. • It mirrored the social unrest that marked the 1960’s with drugs, anti-war protests, free love etc. • It portrayed social revolution and decay. • This musical ended the “Golden Age” of musical theatre.
Foreign invasion • During the 1970’s and 1980’s the Europeans came on the scene and stole the show from the Americans. • Andrew Lloyd Weber: Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Starlight Express • Boublil & Schonberg: Les Miserables, Miss Saigon • A characteristic of this period was the use of large spectacle ex. chandelier falls from ceiling and crashes on stage in Phantom, a helicopter lands on stage in Miss Saigon.
Dichotomy on Broadway Today • The 90’s & 2000’s are marked by a division on Broadway. • Disney cleaned up Broadway and made it more family friendly to show a cleaner side to musical theatre. They promoted traditional family values. ex. Lion King, Beauty and the Beast • Rent, did the opposite. It presented opposing views and highlighted alternative lifestyles. It talks about difficult issues and promotes tolerance for those with alternative lifestyles.
