Early Influences What is Musical Theatre musical theater noun musical theatre is a genre of drama in which singing and dancing play an essential part It is an American creation ID: 696343
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Slide1
Musical Theatre
A Brief History – Part 1 Early InfluencesSlide2
What is Musical Theatre?
mu·si·cal
the·a·ter
noun: musical theatre is a genre of drama in which singing and dancing play an essential part
It is an American creation
Influenced by English ballad opera, ragtime, jazz music, minstrelsy, vaudeville, burlesque, follies and revuesSlide3
Early Influences -
English ballad opera
The Beggar’s Opera
– 1728;
Flora
– 1735
No historical scenery
or
costumes
Spoken
play with preexisting popular songs amid
dialogue
M
usical parody -
Late
18
th
, early
19
th
century
Satire
of famous story or performer
–
burlesques
Pantomime
with songs and dances for entertainment and variety
1828
–
Hamlet
Slide4
The Beggar’s Opera – 1728
by John Gay & John Christopher Pepusch
Video Clip "Fill Every Glass"Slide5
Early Influences -
Minstrel Show
First major contribution to theatre by blacks in America
Product
of black slave culture mingled with white colonial potpourri
Dan
Emmet, composer “Old Dan Tucker”, “Blue-Tail Fly”,1843, brought
Virginia
Minstrels to NY – touring
showSlide6
Three part show - performed in “blackface
1- Fantasia -
The
Walkaround
(Cakewalk) singing & dancing
2 - Olio – snappy banter, jokes, solo musical
(banjo, fiddle, tambourine, singing, bone castanets)
3 - Burlesque (parody) – one-act vignette; satire of plays or carefree life on the plantationSlide7
1929 audio recording that follows the classic format of a minstrel show
Minstrel show clip
Blackface performer The Cakewalk
Slide8
Early Influences -
Minstrel Show
Ed
Christy Minstrel Show
– featured Stephen Foster, composer “My Old
Kentucky
Home” – touring show
Olio grew into variety or vaudeville show
Fantasia became Broadway Revue
Satire became used as themes for later
musicalsSlide9
Christy Minstrels - 1847
Part 2 – The OlioSlide10
Early Influences – New York City
Shift from rural to city life created a demand for permanent theatres and pleasure gardens
1866 –
The Black Crook
– used theatrical effect and sensual pleasures to become a theatre extravaganza
Showed producers and investors that frivolity could substitute for dramatic and musical substance (as in European opera)Slide11
Early Shows in NYC
1874 –
Evangeline
was first to use an original musical score – first musical comedy
1879 –
The Brook
used a common locale or event to interweave stories (like a sitcom/serial) – first desire for meaningful story
Mulligan Shows – 1880’s was a burlesque on the common people of NY – tales of the ordinary became importantSlide12
The Black Crook
– 1866 Melodrama
First
American Acting Troupe Using
Women - 1893Slide13
Early Influences -
Operetta
1890
’s – 1920, European Operetta was an instant success as it toured U.S.
Gilbert & Sullivan’s satirical operetta was especially popular
Gave way to American imitations (Sousa)
W.S. Gilbert &
Arthur SullivanSlide14
Early Influences -
Operetta
HMS Pinafore
“Captain of the Pinafore” 10:30Slide15
Musical Theatre
A Brief History – Part 2
American InfluenceSlide16
American Influences – 1918-1929
U.S. was the economic world leader
U.S. was victorious after WWI
Optimistic society – an American not European culture was developing
Development of American Writers and Performers
Women and Black performers allowed onstage
Revues/Follies were dominant form of entertainmentSlide17
American Songwriters
Wrote for major music publishing houses in New York City (“Tin Pan Alley”) – before the phonograph, people used to purchase sheet music to sing around the piano
Wrote swinging optimistic melodies
Songs were recycled and moved from one revue to anotherSlide18
American Revues – the Follies
Featured stars of the day and a chorus of beautiful women in elaborate costumes and scenery such as in the
Ziegfeld Follies
(1907-1931) and George White’s Scandals (1919-1939)Slide19
American Musical Comedy
Showed a picture of contemporary America
Had a shallow insubstantial look
Music and plot were not integrated
Had happy endingsSlide20
Vincent
Youmans
1898-1946
Influenced by popular music; worked as a rehearsal pianist for many songwriters
Wrote the most produced musical in the 1920’s “Tea for Two” and ” I Want to Be Happy” from
No, No Nannette