Musical Theatre

Musical Theatre

The Main components for a Musical are:

• ·         Song
• ·         Dance
• ·         Dialogue

Musical emerged from opera’s via operettas (mini opera’s), which were invented by Gilbert and Sullivan. Their works included ‘The Mikado’, ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ and ‘HMS pinafore’. These are still popular performances of today.

The Mikado: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U92t8XO-L4w

The Pirates of Penzance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp1BL0Gb6Ok

HMS Pinafore at BBC Proms 2005: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odBDjYK1gz4

Gilbert and Sullivan:

·         Sir William Gilbert (1836-1911) was the dramatist and Lyricist.

·         Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900) was the composer.

Their works became known as the Savoy operas.

In the 1920’s:

Most shows in urban areas were revues, Combing vaudeville, variety, music hall and other disciplines.

The first proper musical as we know it was ‘Showboat’ (1927)

Showboat Broadway Revival (1994): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdkWyH7qGdE

Showboat integrated book and score and was put together by P.G Wodehouse and Oscar Hammerstein II.

1930’s:

Inspired by the success of Showboat, creative teams began following the same format.

·         Comedy

·         A story

·         Music

·         Visuals

Broadway:

Broadway became the centre for the genre. Shows were notably written by

• ·         Ira and George Gershwin.
• ·         Cole Porter
• ·         Irving Berlin

Major Musicals, 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s:

It began with Oklahoma! In 1943, it was the first blockbuster musical, giving 2212 performances. 

Rodgers and Hammerstein:

·         Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) wrote the music.

·         Oscar Hammerstein II (1895-1960) wrote the words.

The duo wrote: Oklahoma! (Including ‘oh what a beautiful morning’), Carousel (including ‘you’ll never walk alone’), South pacific, The King and I (including ‘Getting to know you’) and The Sound of Music.

Later Blockbusters:

By this time, musicals were big money. They also produced stars. By the late 1950’s musicals was the mainstream of theatre.

·         My Fair Lady (Frederick Loewe 1956)

National Broadway Tour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TCBzjkAryE

·         West Side Story (Bernstein, Sondheim 1957)

Highlights of the Broadway production: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoE5Y6peV9E

·         Gypsy (Steven Sondheim 1959)

Original Theatrical Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5175bV18MM

Steven Sondheim:

Steven was a childhood friend of Jimmy Hammerstein (son of Oscar)

Hammerstein was a major influence on him, creating a remarkable ‘apprenticeship’. Hammerstein advised Sondheim as to how to construct a musical. West Side Story was his first project.

Some Practitioners went onto experiment with creating musicals around other styles:

Jesus Christ Superstar (1970) = Rock

Broadway Montage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGGjgT6fKns

·         Hair (1967)=Rock

Musical Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_BgFSy0M4E

·         God Spell (1971)= Rock

Broadway Trailer Preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgof_tXWtJs

·         The Wiz (1975)=Gospel

'He's a wizard': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3LF-852F_I

Chorus line (Michael Bennet 1976) was about people auditioning for a musical.

Official London Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmg1sYwn3Us

·         Cabaret (Kander/Ebb) 1966) was about Nazi Germany.

fUK Tour Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQyQOIX8wEE

·         Chicago (Kander/Fosse/Ebb 1975) was set during prohibition.

Broadway Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyL_izT4Rgc

The other major Broadway musical of the 70’s was ‘Annie’ (but less controversial).

80’s and 90’s:

Boubil and Schonberg (france) were important writers in this period.

They brought us:

Miss Saigon

Broadway Musical: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dIZlkMbgnE

·         Les Miserables

Official Tour Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgnf_zC8lag

Now a Major Movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuEFm84s4oI

02 Arena 25th Anniversy (2010): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq36ieYP9YU

·         Martin Guerre

Royal Variety Peformance 1996: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40i4SAoBqto

Andrew Lloyd Webber:

Lloyd Webber’s first success was ‘Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ with Tim Rice when he was 19 in 1968.

·         Jesus Christ superstar (1970)

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGGjgT6fKns

·         Evita (1976)

Broadway Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m68iXHKF6c

·         Cats (1981)

Musical Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H2WvG3J2FQ

·         Starlight Express (1984)

Promo Video (Germany): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1WRYoM6vRM

UK Tour Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWiBbsJtpZ0

·         Phantom of the Opera (1986)

West End Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6eiO01unps

Royal Albert Hall, Sarah Brightman & Antonio Banderas (1998): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiYRASDlq-0

·         Aspects of love (1990)

Royal Variety Performance (1989): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psXg3T7rMeY

·         Sunset Boulevard (1993)

Production Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qcr4h3JpNQY

·         Whistle Down the Wind (1996)

·         The Beautiful Game (2001)

·         The Woman in White (2004)

Preview Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDebiGIXQxA

Disney:

Saw the potential to move into the musicals market after it had small scale successes with shows in their theme parks.

Beauty and the Beast (1994) was written by Tim Rice.

Tour Montage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uizVpwvlNRI + http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sES2o2Vy8RM

Northen Ballet's version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLthkAt3hiw

The Lion King (1997) was a collaboration between Tim Rice and Elton John.

Disney Presents The Lion King on Broadway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pgZtzDj_7o

West End Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FwkGDEOTwM

Disney has since then produced:

·         The Little Mermaid

·         Tarzan

·         High School Musical 1,2&3

·         Mary Poppins

And are currently working on:

·         Dumbo

·         Aladdin

·         Alice in Wonderland

·         The hunchback of Notre dame

Modern Musicals:

‘Rent’ was the most successful musical of the 90’s.

A trend of the noughties was musicals based upon the music of popular recording artists- Queen, Boy George, Elvis, The Beach Boys, Buddy Holly, Rod Stewart- an most notably ‘Mamma Mia’.

New Successes-

No one expected musical theatre to be such a success in the current economic climate, but there have been a number of successes and popular shows.

·         The producers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA4tvn0WGwA

·         Hairspray: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8xgINPB4MM

·         Avenue Q: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi_lveRFdwI

·         The Witches of Eastwick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDJG4Wp-TNU

·         Sweet charity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BaUET2ma8Y

·         Billy Elliot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a_kJbRylYQ

·         The Lord of the Rings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbF88CUeyYQ

·         Dirty Dancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci0qYbY_cV8

·         Legally Blonde: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txW5FZtp54o

·         Sister Act: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll1gFK7OUFg

·         

There are several Major projects currently in production such as:

·         The Moulin Rouge

·         Spiderman-now showing

·         Nine

·         American Idiot

·         Shrek-Now showing

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdulPHjKSz4

·         Sweeny Todd-Now showing

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKkSMI4f4rA

·         Karen

·         Rasputin

·         Dream Girls

PINTER (1930-2008)

PINTER (1930-2008)

It was his early plays that made his reputation such as ‘The Homecoming’ (1964) and his middle-period work such as ‘No man’s land’ (1976) that have been called ‘Comedies of Menace’. Typically, they all use what a first seems like an Innocent Situation and develop into an absurd and threatening environment through actions that usually are inexplicable to the audience and sometimes even to the other characters in the play. Typically a PINTER drama is dark and claustrophobic. His language is full of menacing pauses. The lives of Pinter’s characters usually are revealed to be stunted by guilt and horror. The duality and absurdity of Pinter’s theatrical world-view gave rise to the adjective ‘Pinteresque’ 

His works:

·         The Birthday Party (1958)

Steppenwolf Theatre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p6v6mGGtSI

·         The Caretaker (1960)

·         The Homecoming (1965)

Standard Deviation Theatre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imeo3wZgcdA

·         Old times (1971)

·         No Man’s Land (1975)

·         The Hothouse

National Theatre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmjU5YZVnac

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS (1911-1983)

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS (1911-1983)

As a Playwright, it was HENRIK LBSEN who had the greatest impact on Tennessee Williams. Williams learned Scandinavian literary dialect used by Lbsen to better understand his plays. He suffered from depression, and feared ging mad. He was briefly institutionalised in 1969 after a severe nervous breakdown, and never forgave his younger brother for allowing his to be put into a madhouse.

His works:

·         The Glass Menagerie (1945)

Chorn Theatre Greece: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5tPoZ8xnT0

·         A Streetcar Named Desire (1947)

Dr Challoner's Grammer School: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROITJKWK3P4

Dr Challoner's Grammar School have contextualized A Streetcar Named Desire by putting a Young  Cast in the roles that had adult play, they also brought a tiny bit of modern day aspects to the production, Another thing that they did was that Students Produced and Directed the play which added it's very own twist to the production.

·         Cat on a hot tin Roof (1955)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0MYTrWMAA0

·         Orpheus Descending (1557)

·         Suddenly last Summer (1958)

·         Sweet Bird of Youth (1959)

Old Vic Theatre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X12x1DwcQBc

SAMUEL BECKET (1906-1996)

SAMUEL BECKET (1906-1996)

He was one of the twentieth century’s most important writers, winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1969. Samuel becket was the author of ‘Waiting for Godot’ (1952) one of the few plays in theatrical history to redefine the possibilities of the medium long fascinated by the cinema (especially silent comedies, which was a huge influence on much of his work including ‘Godot’) 

Waiting for Gobot (2010): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm96MZS48lA

WYPlayhouse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHJslbN8dpg

Other works:

·         Krapp’s last tape (1958)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpZ9MnUGfU4

·         Endgame (1957)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfvp2rsWasM

·         Happy Days (1961)

National Theatre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0e-ulwCL5U

·         Not 1 (1973)

CONTEMPORAY THEATRE: IBSEN (1828-1906)

CONTEMPORAY THEATRE (Usually Plays After 1930’s)

IBSEN (1828-1906)

Ibsen was a playwright in the late 1800’s, he wrote many plays but two in particular caused some controversy.

A Dolls’ House:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOuFocD10hU

a Short film responding to a Doll's House: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CY8s2MqPyM

This Short Film is a Contextualized version of A Doll's House, Nora the main character is the same as the original play, it shows a hectic day in her life from the morning to the evening, but then we see Nora leave the children in the garden for the dad to find when he got home, the whole 9 minutes is a modernized twist on the original but keeping on the same plot line.

A Doll’s House explores the oppression of women.  The female character Nora leaves her husband and children because she wants a life of her own. To 19^th Century Europe the idea of a woman not only forsaking her marriage vows but also displaying a mind of her own and renouncing her duty of unquestioning obedience to her husband was considered indecent and scandalous.

Ghosts 1882:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FcxIyC5Dy8

Ghosts touched on subjects that were completely forbidden, dealing with Syphilis, Adultery, Free Love, Incest and Euthanasia. It caused a violent uproar and none of the theatres staged it.

Biography's: 

http://www.biography.com/people/henrik-ibsen-37014

http://www.mnc.net/norway/Ibsen.htm

ANTONIN ARTAUD (1896-1948)

ANTONIN ARTAUD (1896-1948)

·          French Actor/Director/Playwright/Poet
·         His Dramatic theories have inspired others
·         Believed theatre must break away from literary connections and become an exorcism in which the audience is frightened/bewitched/spiritually overwhelmed
·         He saw theatre as an instrument of devastating power to free people from moral restraint
·         Believed drama is inside man himself
·         That drama transcends the need to understand language.

ARTAUD and Design:

·         Symbolic
·         ‘other than’
·         ‘Stands for’
·         Mind over matter
·         Things can become completely something else

YouTube Links:

Theatre of Cruelty, Antonin Artaud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZAYe1HMIYU

BERTOLT BRECHT (1896-1956)

BERTOLT BRECHT (1896-1956)

An Introduction to Brechtian Theatre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-828KqtTkA

·         German Playwright/Theorist/director

·         Wanted to use plays to engage the audience in political debate

·         He developed the alienation effect to remind the audience that they were watching a play.

The Alienation effect:

·         This Alienation method uses very specific devices to distance the audience so that they can debate themes within the piece/meaning of the play.
·         This follows the idea theatre can never be real.
·         Less attention paid to set and costume
·         Epic Theatre.

Political Themes:

·         BRECHT wanted his audience to be entertained, but detached/critical
·         This aim was for the audience to be rational/learn social lessons
·         He used songs to tell the audience what was gunna happen next
·         In order to disengage their emotions
·         His alienating devices: -Interruptions –No Theatrical Illusions –Not realistic scenery –props

BRECHT and Design:

·         Design is expressionistic
·         Items are ‘more than’, ‘Longer than life’, ‘Inside out’
·         Things can be used in a representative way

YouTube Links:

Memories of Bertolt Brecht: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbD_Frmga2E

Five Truths: Bertolt Brecht: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62-gYcO6jrY