The Early History of Broadway Musicals

Broadway is the street in New York that has come to symbolize live theater entertainment
and musicals throughout the world. Today the area, known to tourists and theater-goers,
stretches from W.41st Street, where the Netherlander Theater is located, up to W. 53rd
Street's Broadway Theater. Only four theaters are located physically on Broadway, the
Marquis at 46th Street, the Palace at 47th Street, the Winter Garden at 50th Street and the
Broadway at 53rd. All the other legitimate houses are located east or west of this twelve
block stretch.
Everybody knows that there is nothing like a real Broadway show. The
theaters and stages that make up the “Great White Way” are located
in a small section of the city between West 41st and 53rd streets and
Sixth and Eighth Avenues. Thus the Nederlander Theatre is at 41st
Street, the Broadway Theatre at 53rd Street, while at 52nd Street you
will see the Virginia and the Neil Simon. The Gershwin Theatre is at
51st Street, the Circle in the Square Theatre at 50th and very close to
them, on Broadway proper, is the Winter Garden.
All in all there are 36 theatres in this vicinity and because at
night it is as light there as in the daytime the place is also
known as the Milky Way.
Particularly Off-Off-Broadway today is what Off-Broadway was
yesterday – but with a difference. It is the place to experiment and for
a new playwright or producer to test himself. But the movement is
much larger than Off-Broadway ever was, since Off-Off-Broadway
theatres nowadays can be found all over New York. One of the most
respected of all the stages there is a Cafe La Mama Experimental
Theatre Club at 74A East 4th Street.Off-Off-Broadway is certainly much
less expensive than Off-Broadway was even in its prime time. Today,
though, Off-Off-Broadway is becoming institutionalized as well, and
theatres are getting grants and planning full seasons.
Why were there so many "adaptations"? It was common for an actor or producer to write
dramatizations of popular works or re-write scenes of plays to show-case the performer
or merely refit the part to the available casting. Along with Miss Davenport's there were
several other "sanitized" versions of Camille being presented during this decade. America
didn't always rate high in world literacy tests, and the stage brought a good part of the
population its introduction to books and authors. The first copyright law protecting
playwrights wasn't passed until 1856. It gave the playwright sole right, "to print, publish,
or perform, or represent the same". It was rather difficult to enforce, though it was a start,
and provided a means for demanding royalties. Still, it was largely ignored, and the
"dramatization" of literature went on.

Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and
dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the
story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects
of the entertainment as an integrated whole. Since the early 20th century, musical theatre
stage works have generally been called simply, "musicals".
Musicals are performed all around the world. They may be presented in large venues,
such as big budget West End and Broadway theatre productions in London and New
York City, or in smaller fringe theatre, Off-Broadway or regional productions, on tour, or
by amateur groups in schools, theatres and other performance spaces. In addition to
Britain and North America, there are vibrant musical theatre scenes in many countries in
Europe, Latin America, Australasia and Asia.
Book musicals
The 20th century "book musical" has been defined as a musical play where the songs and
dances are fully integrated into a well-made story, with serious dramatic goals, that is
able to evoke genuine emotions other than laughter.[2]

THEN 3 MAIN COMPONENTS OF A BOOK MUSICAL

The three main components of a book musical are the music, the lyrics, and the book.
The book of a musical refers to the story, character development, and dramatic structure,
including the spoken dialogue. Book can also refer to the dialogue and lyrics together,
which are sometimes referred to (as in opera) as the libretto (Italian for “little book”).
The music and lyrics together form the score of the musical. The interpretation of the
musical by the creative team of each production heavily influences the way in which the
musical is presented. That team includes a director, a musical director, usually a
choreographer and sometimes an orchestrator. A musical's production is also
creatively characterized by technical aspects, such as set design, costumes, stage
properties (props), lighting and sound, which generally change from the original
production to succeeding productions. Some famous production elements, however, may
be retained from the original production; for example, Bob Fosse's choreography in
Chicago.
There is no fixed length for a musical. It can range from a short one-act entertainment to
several acts and several hours in length (or even a multi-evening presentation); however,
most musicals range from one and a half hours to three hours. Musicals are usually
presented in two acts, with one intermission ten to twenty minutes in length. The first act
is frequently longer than the second act. It generally introduces nearly all of the
characters and most of the music, and often ends with the introduction of a dramatic
conflict or plot complication. The second act may introduce a few new songs but usually
contains reprises of important musical themes and resolves the conflict or complication.
A book musical is usually built around four to six main theme tunes that are reprised later
in the show, although it sometimes consists of a series of songs not directly musically
related. Spoken dialogue is generally interspersed between musical numbers, although
"sung dialogue" or recitative may be used, especially in so-called "sung-through"
musicals such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Misérables, and Evita. Several shorter
musicals on Broadway and in the West End have been presented in one act in recent
decades.

A book musical's moments of greatest dramatic intensity are often performed in song.
Proverbially, "when the emotion becomes too strong for speech you sing; when it
becomes too strong for song, you dance." In a book musical, a song is ideally crafted to
suit the character (or characters) and their situation within the story; although there have
been times in the history of the musical (e.g. from the 1890s to the 1920s) when this
integration between music and story has been tenuous. As New York Times critic Ben
Brantley described the ideal of song in theatre in reviewing the 2008 revival of Gypsy,
"There is no separation at all between song and character, which is what happens in those
uncommon moments when musicals reach upward to achieve their ideal reasons to be."[3]
Typically, many fewer words are sung in a five-minute song than are spoken in a five-
minute block of dialogue. Therefore there is less time to develop drama in a musical than
in a straight play of equivalent length, since a musical usually devotes more time to music
than to dialogue. Within the compressed nature of the musical, the writers must develop
the characters and the plot.
The material a musical may be original, or it may be adapted from novels (Wicked and
Man of La Mancha), plays (Hello, Dolly!), classic legends (Camelot), historical events
(Evita) or films (The Producers and Hairspray). On the other hand, many successful
musical theatre works have been adapted for musical films, such as The Sound of Music,
West Side Story, My Fair Lady, and Chicago

Distinctions and overlap with opera; other forms

Musical theatre is closely related to another theatrical performance art, opera. These
forms are usually distinguished by weighing a number of factors. Musicals generally
have a greater focus on spoken dialogue (though some musicals are entirely accompanied
and sung through; and on the other hand, some operas, such as Die Zauberflöte, and most
operettas, have some unaccompanied dialogue); on dancing (particularly by the principal
performers as well as the chorus); on the use of various genres of popular music (or at
least popular singing styles); and on the avoidance of certain operatic conventions. In
particular, a musical is almost always performed in the language of its audience. Musicals
produced in London or New York, for instance, are invariably sung in English, even if
they were originally written in another language (Les Misérables, originally written in
French, is a good example). While an opera singer is primarily a singer and only
secondarily an actor (and rarely needs to dance), a musical theatre performer is often an
actor first and then a singer and dancer. Someone who is equally accomplished at all
three is referred to as a "triple threat". Composers of music for musicals often consider
the vocal demands of roles with musical theatre performers in mind. Today, theatres
staging musicals generally use amplification of the actors' singing voices in a way that
would generally be disapproved of in an operatic context.

Some works (e.g. by George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim) have
received both "musical theatre" and "operatic" productions.[4][5] Similarly, some older
operettas or light operas (such as The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan) have
had modern productions or adaptations that treat them as musicals. For some works,
production styles are almost as important as the work's musical or dramatic content in
defining into which art form the piece falls.[6] Sondheim said: "I really think that when
something plays Broadway it's a musical, and when it plays in an opera house it's opera.
That's it. It's the terrain, the countryside, the expectations of the audience that make it one
thing or another."[7] This article primarily concerns musical theatre works that are "non-
operatic", but overlap remains between lighter operatic forms and the more musically
complex or ambitious musicals. In practice, it is often difficult to distinguish among the
various kinds of musical theatre, including "musical play", "musical comedy", "operetta"
and "light opera".

India produces numerous musical films, referred to as "Bollywood" musicals, and in

Japan a based on popular Anime and Manga comics has developed. Other current musical
forms include the revue. Another recent genre of musicals, called "jukebox musicals" (for
instance, Mamma Mia!), weaves songs written by (or introduced by) a popular artist,
group or genre into a story, sometimes based on the life or career of the person/group in
question. Shorter "junior" versions of many musicals are available for schools and youth
groups, and very short works created or adapted for performance by children are
sometimes called minimusicals.[8][

THE DIRECTOR

1. The musical director is a person responsible for the all the vocal
and instrumental components within a musical or play. The duties
of the musical director may vary by musical, but almost always
include several key duties. The musical director auditions
musicians, consults with the theatre director, and is responsible for
all musical components of the musical. This person is responsible
for the overall quality and integrity of all musical aspects.

Auditions

2. A musical director is typically responsible for holding auditions

for parts in a musical. The director recruits musicians for specific
parts if necessary. He also ensures that recruits and musicians are
within the allowable budget for the musical. He works with the vocal
director in hiring musicians for each part. Musical directors
sometimes direct plays in places such as schools, community
centers, universities and private theatres.
 Consulting with Director

3. A theatre director leads and directs the musical itself. One of a

musical director's main duties is consulting and working with the
director. The musical director works individually with the
choreographer and the cast members on vocals. The musical
director must consult the theatre director with questions about the
musical or to work out fine details of the music, such as
interpretations of specific parts of the musical. The musical director
works with the theatre director determining when practices are, what
cast members need to be there, and what they expect to accomplish at each
practice.

Music

4. A musical director is ultimately responsible for the vocals and

instrumental parts of the musical. The musical director is
responsible for studying music prior to the start of practices. He
must know the music in detail himself before he teaches it to the
cast. This includes rehearsing music with singers and instrument
cast members. This also includes changing the score if necessary to
accommodate the ranges and talents of cast members. The musical
director teaches the cast the songs, coaches cast members, and
directs the orchestra or band. He also meets individually with cast
members for private coaching sessions. The director coordinates
these private lessons to assist cast members in learning their parts
correctly.

MUSICALS

1.Les Misérables (literally "The Miserable Ones"; usually pronounced /leɪ ˌmɪzəˈrɑːbl/; French
pronunciation: [le mizeʁabl(ə)]), translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The
Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims) , is an 1862 French novel by
author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century

LONGEST RUNNING MUSICAL IN west end:London

2.Le Fantôme de l'Opéra (translated into English as The Phantom of the Opera) is a
novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialization in "Le
Gaulois" from September 23, 1909 to January 8, 1910. Initially, the story sold very
poorly upon publication in book form and was even out of print several times during the
twentieth century, despite the success of its various film and stage adaptations.[citation needed]
The most notable of these were the 1925 film depiction and Andrew Lloyd Webber's
1986 musical. Originally produced for the West End, The Phantom of the Opera musical
is now the longest running Broadway show in history, and one of the most lucrative
entertainment enterprises of all time.[citation needed]

3.Evita is a musical production, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim
Rice. It concentrates on the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón, the second wife
of Argentinian president Juan Perón. The story follows Evita's early life, rise to power,
charity work, and eventual death.

Evita began as a rock opera concept album released in 1976. Its success led to
productions in London's West End in 1978, and on Broadway a year later, both of which
enjoyed considerable success. A major 1996 film of the musical was made, starring
Madonna and Antonio Banderas. The musical was revived in London in 2006. Evita has
been given numerous professional tours and worldwide productions, and numerous cast
albums have been recorded. Madonna is Evita in the movie

4.A Chorus Line is a musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus
line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were
written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch.

With nineteen main characters, it is set on the bare stage of a Broadway theatre during an
audition for a musical. The show provides a glimpse into the personalities of the
performers and the choreographer as they describe the events that have shaped their lives
and their decisions to become dancers.

The original Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Buffalo, N.Y. native
Michael Bennett, was an unprecedented box office and critical hit, receiving 12 Tony
Award nominations and winning nine of them, in addition to the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for
Drama. It ran for 6,137 performances, becoming the longest-running production in
Broadway history up to that time. It remains the longest running Broadway musical
originally produced in the United States, and the fourth longest-running Broadway show
ever. The show has enjoyed many successful productions worldwide and was revived on
Broadway in 2006.

5. Jesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. It
highlights political and interpersonal struggles between Judas Iscariot and Jesus. The
opera is based on the Gospels' account of the last week of Jesus' life, beginning with the
preparation for the arrival of Jesus and his disciples in Jerusalem, and ending with the
Crucifixion. The resurrection is not included.

The work's depiction offers a free interpretation of the psychology of Jesus and the other
characters. A large part of the plot focuses on the character of Judas, who is depicted as a
tragic figure who is dissatisfied with the direction Jesus steers his disciples. Twentieth-
century attitudes and sensibilities as well as contemporary slang pervade the lyrics, and
ironic allusions to modern life are scattered throughout the depiction of political events.
Stage and film productions accordingly feature many intentional anachronisms.

6. Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on
Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's musical, of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s
high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and
Jeff Conaway. It was successful both critically and at the box office. The soundtrack
album became one of the best-selling in pop movie history, and provided several chart
hits for the original artists and others.

7. Footloose is a 1998 musical based on the 1984 film of the same name. The music is by
Tom Snow (among others), the lyrics by Dean Pitchford (with additional lyrics by Kenny
Loggins), and the book is by Pitchford and Walter Bobbie.

7.Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little
Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by
Thomas Meehan. The musical ran for nearly six years on Broadway, setting a record for
the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre).[1] It spawned numerous productions in
many countries, as well as national tours, and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The
musical's songs "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard-Knock Life" are its more popular pieces.
It will return to Broadway in 2012.[2]

8.The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical film directed by Robert Wise and
starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the Broadway
musical The Sound of Music, with songs written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar
Hammerstein II, and with the musical book written by the writing team of Howard
Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Ernest Lehman wrote the screenplay.