The American Musical

According to a variety of sources, it is clear that no ONE person can take credit for the creation of the musical. It is a complex combination of various art forms that have evolved from a melting pot of cultural influence. It involves the skill of dance, acting and song.
A PBS tribute to broadway explains that "Minstrel songs and the cakewalk; Irish ballads and patriotic jingles; ragtime marches and stirring blues; poignant torch songs and jazz ditties; totemic anthems and rock opera -- the musical has captured every idiom of American expression. Then, there are the lyrics, the words that go with the music. They can be rhapsodic, witty, risqué, or patriotic."

Before the 1930's
In America, musicals werent what they are today. The actual broadway district was focused on Operretta's or as we know them, Operas. Opera Houses hosted the skill of the french and english, showing of the european style. The actors and dancers had to perform based on the way that the music was written, and follow the direction of the musical composition. Often times, the productions were lead by the composer.

After the 1930's
BROADWAY began to take the shape and meaning that it gives today.
A story or narrative became more frequently the spine of the musical,
and the songs followed the plot and the characters, rather than the other way around.
The once known opera houses hosted productions that reflected the controversial, revolutionary, and nostalgic issues of an evolving American culture. The musical then became quite the influencial artistic force.


A tribute in the Musical Movie Chicago for the dance brilliance of Fosse in the 1940's! Contraversy arose for his very EROTIC style which was a taboo back then.

Some of the most popular musicals have developed from
• Political Satire
• Wars
• Racial Contraversy

As the musical grew more complex, dance was placed in as a way to express emotions, opinions and ideas through choreography.
It became almost mandantory for a broadway actor to be able to sing, act and dance.


When participating in a musical on broadway, the story of the musical is also the story of its creators and performers, men and women from every aspect of American -- and foreign -- society, who came together, often under the most invidious circumstances, to create something that transcended their differences. Refugees came together with native sons and daughters; task masters worked with dissipated alcoholics; white producers championed black performers -- and black performers turned right around and made fortunes for those producers; artists fled financial failure for the blandishments of the lucrative worlds of film and television -- then fled right back to the stage; gay artists created enduring models of heterosexual romance and heterosexual artists became icons within the gay world; songwriters lost fortunes in the Depression, only to regain them by writing about the Depression itself -- the list of ironies and strong compelling biography is endless, each story replete with illuminations about our culture. (PBS)


BROADWAY REVIEW
Between the two world wars, the revue became highly popular for nightly entertainment. It always included multiple songs and scenes from the most popular musicals and gave chances for new songwriters to get their music out on stage before a major production.

BROADWAY ON RADIO AND FILM
America responded to the musicals so positivley that eventually, the songs were played over the radio to entice listeners and get the word out, which only increased revenue.
When the idea came for Broadway to meet Hollywood, the producers of that time hit the jackpot. The shows sold to film companys and went national and eventually worldwide spreading the love for musicals even more. Of course, the experience wasnt the same, as there are many technical limitations when filming such a complex piece of art. Therefor, alot of the WOW affect of the stage presentation was lost.
An example of a film that uses a combination of musical and film would be Moulin Rouge, as it combines many famous big hits, oldies and popular musical themes and structures to develop into a film.

POPULAR MUSICALS:
One of the first hit musicals was Showboat



Following that was hits such as
Oklahoma
Carousel
South Pacific
My Fair Lady
West Side Story
The Sound of Music
The Wizard of Oz

Hits in the US today include many American productions, but several european productions too!
Les Meserable
Phantom of The Opera
Cats
Wicked
Chicago
The Lion King
Mary Poppins
Avenue Q
Hairspray
Hair
Jersey Boys
Mamma Mia
And the list goes on and on!

A clip from the TONY AWARDS for Ave. Q


CITATION
"Broadway: The American Musical |." PBS. Web. 28 Oct. 2009. .

Felner, Mira. World of theatre tradition and innovation / Mira Felner, Claudia Orenstein. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, 2006. Print.