Mrs. AbbottTheater Production and Drama

Oak Park High School

What is a Musical? A play, where music and

dance are used to tell the story.

Intro to Musical Theater

Take Notes: Write down 6

good facts from the video

on musical theater.

Why I Love Musical Theater

Give it a chance! I don’t care if you end up loving or hating

musical theater (although I hope you love it)

Give it a chance… Which means, open your heart and your

mind up to the possibility that musical theater might be awesome!

Musical TheaterWhere did musical theatre come from?

Musical theatre has been around since the beginning of theatre in Greece more than 2000 years ago.

The musicals that we think of today, first became popular with the development of television. When television was created a number of people who went to the movies declined…why go to a movie when you can watch the same thing on television at home…enter musicals.

Movie Studios decided that they needed to come up with a type of movie that people couldn’t see at home on television, they came up with the musical.

Take Notes!

Musical Theater

How are musical’s different from television?

Big Budget: Television shows have a limited budget. Musicals also have large casts, and elaborate costumes and sets.

Musical Numbers: The characters occasionally burst into song…TV didn’t have that…until Glee…now we have Glee, Smash, Nashville, and more!

Take Notes!

Music

“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” --Victor Hugo

“Music is the international language of mankind.” --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Talk to the Text

Origins of Musical Theatre in the United

States Factors leading to the birth of Musical

Theatre:› The large amounts of immigrants

making up the U.S. in late 19th & early 20th centuries and their respective music & dance traditions.

› The Minstrel shows, musical revues, and vaudeville paved the way.

Take Notes!

Three important things that make an Integrated Musical

Acting Singing Dancing

All of these three things have to come together to form a story, and they all

must match and make sense.Take

Notes!

Birth of Musical Theatre Producer Florenz Ziegfeld’s

SHOWBOAT (1927) establishes the American Musical Theatre. › A book musical based on Edna Ferber’s novel and told with text, music & dance.

› Focused in New York City.

Showboat

What was the clip about? What are your thoughts/feelings about the clip? What is the difference between the original and revival and why?

Can’t help loving that man of mineRevival

Who was Hattie

McDaniel?

The Broadway Theatre The heart of musical theatre

production. Close to Broadway & Times

Square, between 41st & 50th Streets.

BroadwayNew York City

Take Notes!

Rodgers and Hammerstei

n The most successful and influential

musical duos of their time! (1940-1950’s) Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The

King and I and The Sound of Music, were outstanding successes.

Among the many accolades their shows (and film versions) garnered were thirty-four Tony Awards, fifteen Academy Awards, the Pulitzer Prize, and two Grammy Awards

Oklahoma (1943) Musical about farmers and cowboys

reinforcing traditional American values. Created by Richard Rodgers (music)& Oscar

Hammerstein II (book & lyrics) during WWII. Dance used to develop character in

“Laurie’s Dream Ballet” with Choreography by Agnes de Mille

Oklahoma Laurie’s Dream Ballet

What was the clip about?

How is the story told without talking OR singing?

What are your feelings about the Laurie’s Dream Ballet?

Stephen Sondheim Most influential presence on

musical theatre of late 20th century.

The musical of untidy endings.

Earliest collaborations are West Side Story, Gypsy.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Into the Woods, Assassins.

West Side Story (1957)

West Side Story (1957) Based on the feuding families that

doomed the lovers Romeo & Juliet, but set in urban NYC dramatizing gang conflict.

Creators are Leonard Bernstein (music), Jerome Robbins (director/choreographer), Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), Arthur Laurents (book).

Entire story told through songs & dances, very little dialogue.

West Side Story

America

What was the clip about?

What does it say about America?

What are your thoughts/feelings about the clip?

My Fair Lady (1956) Brilliant language to the

musical stage provided by the work of George Bernard Shaw’s play, Pygmallion.

Created by Alan Lerner (music) & Frederick Loewe (lyrics), directed by Moss Hart.

Casting of Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins & Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle.

Julie Andrews

My Fair Lady (1956)

Wouldn’t it be Loverly

What was the clip about?

What are your thoughts/feelings about the clip?

Not Julie

Andrews!

Why?

The Lion King The Lion King (1997) conceived, designed &

directed by Julie Taymor

How do you turn people into animals?

The Lion King

Opening Number

The Lion King

What was the clip about? What are your thoughts/feelings about the clip?

Julie Taymor Director (movies

and theater), Artist, Designer

Revolutionized theater

Creator of: The Lion King, Spiderman, turn off the dark, The Tempest

Modern Musical Theater

Wicked The back-story of The

Wizard of Oz

Defying Gravity

What was the clip about? What are your thoughts/feelings about the clip?

Jesus Christ Superstar The Bible story of

Jesus, as told with rock music.

What was the clip about? What are your thoughts/feelings about the clip?

Jesus Christ Superstar

Once The actors and the

musicians are the same people!

What was the clip about? What are your thoughts/feelings about the clip?

Once

Porgy and Bess A folk opera about

African American life in South Carolina in the 1920s.

What was the clip about? What are your thoughts/feelings about the clip?

Medley

The Book of Mormon The story of

Mormon missionaries in Africa, made by the creators of South Park.

I Believe

What was the clip about? What are your thoughts/feelings about the clip?

Spiderman: Turn off the Dark

The Spiderman comic book, brought to life on stage…with LOTS of special effects.

Spiderman What was the clip about? What are your thoughts/feelings about the clip?

Shrek The musical

version of the cartoon hit, Shrek!

What’s up Dulac?

What was the clip about? What are your thoughts/feelings about the clip?

Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beat

What was the clip about?

What are your thoughts/feelings about the clip?

Which clip do you like better? Why?

What is Beauty and the Beat trying to say?

Musical Questions What is the name of the musical? Where did this story take place? (20 words or more) Is this story from present day (now)? Why or why not? (30 words or more) What is the plot of the story? Using a flow map summarize what happened

first, second and so on…(This should be a large flow map, with lots and lots of detail, it should take up an entire page or more!)

List and describe the leading characters in the story, what is their relationship to each other? (60 words or more)

Who is (are) the main character(s) of the story? Why do you say that he/she/they are the main character(s)? (60 words or more)

Who is (are) the protagonist(s)? Describe him/her/them. (60 words or more) Who is (are) the antagonist(s)? Describe him/her/them. (60 words or more) What happens to the antagonist(s) at the end of the story? (30 words or more) What happens to the protagonist(s) at the end of the story? (30 words or

more)