Musical Theatre A Brief History Part 1 Early

Musical Theatre A Brief History – Part 1 Early Influences

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 revues

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 Musical 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

The Beggar’s Opera – 1728 by John Gay & John Christopher Pepusch Video Clip "Fill Every Glass"

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 show

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 plantation

Blackface performer The Cakewalk 1929 audio recording that follows the classic format of a minstrel show Minstrel show clip

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 musicals

Christy Minstrels - 1847 Part 2 – The Olio

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)

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 important

The Black Crook – 1866 Melodrama First American Acting Troupe Using Women - 1893

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 Sullivan

Early Influences - Operetta HMS Pinafore “Captain of the Pinafore” 10: 30

Musical Theatre A Brief History – Part 2 American Influence

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 entertainment

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 another

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)

American Musical Comedy Showed a picture of contemporary America Had a shallow insubstantial look Music and plot were not integrated Had happy endings

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