Musical Theatre An Introduction What is a Broadway

+ Musical Theatre An Introduction

+ What is a Broadway Musical? n What do you know about Broadway shows or musicals? n Have you ever seen one? n A Broadway Musical is a dramatic stage form that combines the arts of acting and singing.

+ The Beginning of Broadway n An American invention n Emerged out of Vaudeville n An early staged variety show that included songs, dances, and comedy skills

+ The Classic Broadway Musical n During the 1920’s, Broadway became more refined with the addition of actual drama, including more dialogue. n Dialogue is the spoken lines of a play or musical show. n Major composers at this time were George Gershwin and Cole Porter. n Many shows that are still famous today were created at this time. n This includes Show Boat and Anything Goes.

+ Further Development of the Musical n After WWII, many more musicals were developed such as The Sound of Music and West Side Story. n From these musicals came repertoire (an inventory of compositions mastered and performed by a musician) that many musicians of all ages still learn today. n My Favorite Things is one well known repertoire selection from The Sound of Music.

+ From Broadway to Hollywood n Can you name a movie that is an adaptation of a musical? n Some titles include: n West Side Story n My Fair Lade n The Sound of Music n Cabaret n Chicago n RENT n Into the Woods n The Phantom of the Opera n Hairspray

+ Broadway goes International n Though Broadway was an American invention, it became very popular in other countries. n In the 1970’s, the British and French were making contributions to musical theatre. n Andrew Lloyd Weber, from London, created the famous musicals Cats, Evita, and The Phantom of the Opera. n Elton John (Great Britain) created the musical adaptation of The Lion King.

+ Musical Theatre Today n Musical Theatre remains extremely popular today. n Older, classical musicals are often revived and still play on Broadway. n New musicals continue to be created as well.

+ Wicked n Wicked tells the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. n The plot is set mostly before Dorothy's arrival from Kansas, and includes several references to well-known scenes and dialogue in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz as a backstory. n https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=6 d. Dmcsb. Ie. BY

+ In The Heights n In The Heights takes place in Washington Heights, the northern tip of Manhattan. n The main character is Usnavi who looks after an older woman who lives next door. n Usnavi dreams of falling in love with a woman he knows from the local beauty shop and of winning the lottery to move to his native country of the Dominican Republic. n At the same Nina, Usnavi’s childhood friend, returns home from her first year of college, brining the news that she is dropping out. n https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=r. BR 7 x. PKPUdg