Survey of Musical Theatre Final

Bob Fosse

• Angular and turned in

• Sexually suggestive hip thrusts

• Vaudeville humor - hunched shoulders, double takes and falls, canes and props

• Body isolations

Gwen Verdon

First triple threat - sing, dance, act

The Pajama Game

Fosse’s First Gig

Damn Yankees (1955)

• Where Verdon and Fosse meet

• Fosse choreographer/Verdon “Lola”

• Washington Senators would eventually become the Texas Rangers

• Damn Yankees Film

  • Bob Fosse performs with Verdon

Ann Reinking

• Became his muse and romantic partner

• Fosse still married to Gwen Verdon

• Keeper of Fosse’s legacy and dances

Sweet Charity - 1966

• Dark visually and in the storyline

• Sweet Charity film (1969)

  • first film director gig

Pippin (1972)

• Played for five years

• First Broadway musical to air TV commercial

  • Fosse’s idea

  • Changed Broadway marketing forever

• Began as student project when Stephen Schwartz was in college

“Leprechaun Song #2” - “All that Jazz” and Chicago

• Gwen Verdon (her final role)

• A “Musical Vaudeville”

• Each number introduced by MC as in variety show

“Doorwat to Where” = “Corner of the Sky” - Pippin

• Both are “I Want” songs

• Convery a quest for self-discovery and purpose in life

• Both characters are seeking their place in the world and hoping to find a sense of purpose and identity

Stephen Sondheim

• Lyrics too intellectual

• Music too diffcult

• Characters too unpleasant

• Worldview too cynical

• Relationships never last

• Shows almost always lose $$

• Yet audiences can’t wait for Sondheim

• His mentor - Oscar Hammerstein

Harol Prince

• Directed and/ or Produced 64 Broadway shows

• 21 Tony Awards - Most Tony Awards

“Bustin Out” - Company

• 1970’s - The Age of Sondheim

• Stephen Sondheim is “…the greatest and perhaps best-known artist in the American musical theater.”

Sondheim and Prince

• Most influential/ daring team of 1970s Broadway

• Six shows together

• Began with Company

Company (1st Note)

• A Game Changer!!!

• New Format on Broadway (Concept musical that doesn’t follow a plot, but a concept)

• Truth of life, relationships and sex in 1970s New York City

• “Deconstructed” script - non linear vignettes

• No plot - only concept

Company Revival (2020/2021)

• Most characters are gender-swapped

Rent (1996) - Rock Opera

• Based on Puccini Opera La Boheme (Miss Saigon is alos based on Puccini opera)

• Workshopped seven years

• Book, Music, and Lyrics by Johnathan Larson

• Pulitzer Prize - Posthumously

• Larson died dress rehersal night of aortic aneurysm

Rent and AIDS

• AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

  • 1980s early 1990s - almost no chance of survival from HIV/AIDS

• First since Hair (1968) to deal with concerns of younger generation

• Best known song - “Seasons of Love”

• Ticket lottery system established

Company (2nd Note)

• Complexity of relationships

• Characters’ stories more important than plot

• In Sondheim’s world - you lose things

• Music is dense and restless, Music too difficult, Worldview too cynical, Relationships nver last, Lyrics too intellectual, Characters too unpleasant

“Bells and Whistles” - “Razzle Dazzle”, Chicago etc.

Similar to “Razzle Dazzle” - Chicago sung by lawyer Billy Flynn`

Hair (1968) - American Tribal Love Rock Musical

• First Bdway musical with all Rock Music

• First musical to directly address all problems of 1960s America

• Little plot - excpet Vietnam War (Concept Musical)

• About: Group of politically-active hippies living Bohemian life in NYC

• Cast in audience / Breaking the Fourth Wall

• Producer - Joe Papp (The Public Theatre)

• Several songs became anthems for the anti-war peace movement

• “Let the Sun Shine In” - stop killing, hatred, discrimination

Follies (1971)

• Runs year and a half and STILL loses $$$

• Reunion of former Follies Show Girls in a crumbling Broadway theatre

• Loock back on youth (ghosts)

A Little Night Music (1973)

• ONLY Sondheim Musical to Make Bank Investment on Broadway!

• BOTH 1973 Original and 2008 Revival

• Soundheim’s best know song

  • “Send in the Clowns”

Sweeny Todd (1979)

• Throughout the ‘70s, Sondheim and Prince defied the optimistic convention of the musical

• At the time, the most grisly musical ever presnted for commercial Broadway

Merrily We Roll Along (1981)

• 16 performances

• BIG flop

Annie (1976)

• 1st musical with a child as THE lead

• “Tomorrow” most often parodied

Billy Elliott (2008)

• 10 Tonys - Best Musical - First time shared Tony Award

• Music - Elton John

Maltida (2013)

• 4 Tony Awards plus Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre for the 4 Maltidas

Children on Broadway

• Different schedule than “normal” kids

• Usually a rotation for each child role

• Professional Children’s School or online school, tutors on tour

Theatre Parents

• Broadway schedule = 8 shows/week

• Usually have Mondays as DARK days

Robert Lopez

• EGOT

  • Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony

• Robert (Bobby) Lopez - DOUBLE EGOT

• Youngest

• Won all four within 10 years

PEGOT

• Pulitzer, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony

• Only 2 people in history:

  • Richard Rodgers

  • Marvin Hamlisch

Avenue Q (2004)

• Subversive puppets - actors in plain sight

• Themes - racism, pornography and homosexuality

• Composer Robert Lopez

• Beat Wicked for Best Musical

Book of Mormon (2011)

• From creators of “South Park” (Trey Parker and Matt Stone)

• R-rated dialogue, politically incorrect storylines

• Follows 2 Mormon missionaries who go to minister in Uganda

• Music and lyrics also by Robert Lopez

‘Talk to Daddy” - “Rhythm of Life” and “Rich Man’s Frug” from Sweet Charity

• “Rhythm of Life” and Rich Man’s Frug” (Bob Fosse)

• “Rich Man’s Frug” - Fosee + Hip-Hop - ‘Get Me Bodied” Beyonce

Bye Bye Birdie (1960)

• Earliest musical about rock ‘n roll phenomenon

• And to adress youth culture

• But - the clean cut side of the 1960s

• Dangers of rock ‘n roll

Bring Back Birdie (1981)

• Sequels NEVER work in musical theatre

Godspell (1976)

• Series of biblical parables from Gospel of St. Matthew

• Began as Grad School thesis in 1970 - at the beginning of the Jesus Movement in America

• Stephen Schwartz took over the project after Off-Off-Broadway

• Intermission - cast mingled with audience sharing bread and wine

Grease (1972)

• Original very raw and raunchy

• Revivals sanitized show after successful movie

• 2007 - Reality Show = Laura Osnes and Max Crumm

Disney takes a Chance

• 1993 - Renovates The New Amsterdan Theatre

• Restoration sends important message to coporate America … Invest in Broadway!

Beauty and the Beast (1994)

• Hit!

• Importance: 1st successful Disney show on Broadway

The Lion King (1997)

• Hit!

• Highest grossing show on Broadway

Disney’s Broadway Hits

• Beauty and the Beast (1994), The Lion King (1997), Mary Poppins (2006), Newsies (2012), Aladdin (2014), Frozen (2018)

Disney’s Broadway Failures

• Tarzan (2006), Sherk (2008), The Little Mermaid (2008), Sister Act (2011)

High School Musical (2006)

• Message of inclusiveness along with musical numbers - new for Disney

• Highest grossing DCOM of all time, triology, inspired HSMTMTS

Spiderman Turn off the Dark (2010)

• Lost $75 Million - Biggest Broadway Flop!

Spongebob Sqaurepants the Musical (2017)

Various Artists wrote the music - Lady Antebellum, John Legend, Flaming Lips, etc.

“Maybe It’s My Turn Now” - “Maybe this Time” - Cabaret

Cabaret film (1972)

• Song: “Maybe This Time”

  • One of the only times the audience hears Sally’s unspoken thoughts

“There’s Always a Twist” - “A Fact Can Be a Beautiful Thing” - Promises Promises

Promises Promises (1969)

• New sound / style of music - Pop Music

• Pit singers to enhance sound

• Engineered / Amplified sound

• Hugely successful Pop Music Composer / Lyricist - Burt Bacharach and Hal David - quit Broadway after doing show

“My Fishnets” - Rocky Horror Picture Show

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

• Musical more popular in London than U.S., but eventually became popular when theaters started doing midnight screenings and people began to do “shadow casts” of the show

“Over and Done”- Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls (1981)

• Broadway’s first computerized set

• Michael Bennett’s farewell

• “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”

Finale (Schmicago and Schmigadoon) - Sondheim Part 3

Sunday in the Park with George (1984)

• Creative Process

• “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of la Grande Jatte”

  • Artist Georges Seurat

  • Pointillism

• “Sunday” = “How We Change” Schmigadoon

• Wins Pulitzer - Only 604 Performances

Into the Woods (1986)

Brothers Grimm plot intertwined

Passion (1994)

Shortest run for a musical that won Best Musical

Assassins (2004)

• 9 assassins or attempted assassins of Presidents

• Schedule for Broady 2001

• Canceled after 9/11

• Finally hits Broadway 2004

Country Broadway Musicals

• Trend: Country Music is NOT successful on Broadway (includes financial and critical success) - but there are exceptions

• The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1978)

  • Creators - four Texans

  • Beat the odds - a success with a country music score

The Producers (2001)

• 12 wins - Most in history (Hamilton = 11)

• FIRST Broadway show with Premium Seating $480

• With Disney and New 42 - The kick start

Hairspray (2002)

• Significance = Typical of fun Broadway is once again having

• Based on actual TV show - “The Buddy Deane Show”

  • Canceled because wouldn’t integrate

Next to Normal (2009)

• Mother who is Bipolar

• TWO Time Pulitzer Price Winning Director - Michael Greif

Waitress (2016)

• Broadway’s very first ALL female creative team

• Music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles

Dear Evan Hansen (2016)

• Teen suicide and being an outsider

• String of lies - Mental health

• Directed by Michael Greif

• Composer and lyricist both only 31

  • Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

    • Winners of Johnathan Larson Grant in 2007

• Starred Ben Platt

Beetlejuice (2019)

Contract “Stop Clause”

• If Box Office gross falls below a pre-set figure (generally 70%) two weeks in a row, theatre can evict the show

Fell below “stop clause” in Spring then improved, but still evicted

A Strange Loop (2022)

• Most recent Pultizer Prize Winning Musical - 2020

• The show follows Usher, a Black queer man writing a musical about a Black queer man writing a musical

How to Dance in Ohio

All seven principal actors are openly autistic and made Bway debut

Suffs

Book, music and lyrics by Shaina Taub who also stars

The Lion King

$2.01 billion on Broadway - Highest Grossing Musical

The Book of Mormon

Written by writers of South Park

Hadestown

• Based on Greek myth- Orpheus and Eurydice

• Started as concept album

• Set in post-apocalyptic / Depression Era World

• Orpheus travels to bring back Eurydice from Hades. Sings a song so beautiful Persephone lets them go. But, Orpheus looks back

& Juliet

M/L: Max Martin

Chicago

• Revival - over 28 years

• Current longest running show on Broadway

Floyd Collins

Adam Guettel - Music and lyrics - Grandson of Richard Rodgers

The Great Gatsby

Book and All MT

Buena Vista Social Club

Music all in Spanish

Lion King …

Highest Grossing

Chicago (Revival) …

Longest currently running musical

Phantom of the Opera …

Longest running musical ever

Season 1

Golden Age Musicals

Season 2

Post-Golden Age Musicals (60’s/70’s)

Of Thee I Sing (1931)

• folly of politics

• Pulitzer Prize Winner

South Pacific (1949)

• social issues (folly of racism)

• Pulitzer Prize Winner

Fiorello! (1959)

• politics and strong drive

• about the rise of power of NYC’s favorite mayor (Fiorello H. LaGuardia)

• Pulitzer Prize Winner

How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying (1961)

• Big Business politics and strong individual drive

• Pulitzer Prize Winner

A Chorus Line (1976)

• artistic struggle and drive

• Pulitzer Prize Winner

Sunday in the Park with George (1984)

• artistic struggle and drive

• Pulitzer Prize Winner

Rent (1996)

• artistic struggle and social issues

• Pulitzer Prize Winner

Next to Normal (2009)

• social issues and mental health

• Pulitzer Prize Winner

Hamilton (2016)

• politics and strong individual drive

• Pulitzer Prize Winner

A Strange Loop (2020)

• creative process + issues of identity, race, and sexuality

• First musical to win Pulitzer without a Broadway run

Broadway numbers

• Attendance - 12.28 million

• Average person: Middle-Aged, white, wealthy, and a woman

Reasons why show close

• Can’t find the right audience

• In the wrong theatre

• No word of mouth

• Bad reviews

• Limited run

• Big TV/Film Stars - Leave

• No Big Tony Awards

• Losing money (Operating costs more than investment / current income)

“Famous as Hell”/”Sour Macaroon” - Jesus Christ Superstar

• Jesus Christ Superstar (1971)

• Sir Time Rice and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber

• Concept album - record that tells story

• Leads the way for British Invasion!!!

• Rock Opera

• Controversial = Propelled show’s success

• About last 7 days of Christ

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1973/1982)

• First collaboration for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Time Rice

• Jospeh … became popular as a follow up of Jesus Christ Superstar

Evita (1979)

• British Big Hit

• Another Pop Opera

• Like JC Superstar - started as Concept Album

• Eva Peron - Most powerful woman in South America

  • Wife of President Juan Peron

Starlight Express (1987)

• Called Cats on wheels

• Began as rock score to British animated TV series “Thomas the Tank Engine”

• Pop / Rock Opera

Sunset Boulevard (1994)

• Importance: Ends British Invasion

• Webber’s last Broadway success … until 2016

School of Rock (2016)

• Kids really play the instruments

Bad Cinderella (2023)

• Called a “costly mistake” by ALW

Mega Musicals

• A fully or almost entirely sung-through musical drama

• Staging, spectable and specific special effects are equally important as the plot, characters, book and score

• Typified by musicals in British Invasion - Cats, Phantom …, les Mis, Miss Saigon

• “Big” shows are not mega-musicals

• Mega-musicals are intended to be mass produced worldwide whioch led to a standardization of musicals that hadn’t existed

• Other examples: The Lion King, Wicked, King Kong, Hamilton

Cats (1982)

• Lyrics drawn from T.S. Eliot’s book of children’s poems

• Plot: a tribe of cats (Jellicles) meet for the Jellicle Ball. They will choose one to ascend to the Heavyside Layer

  • Old Deuteronomy will choose after each cat is introduced

  • Grizabella is eventually chosen

• Most famous song “Memory”

  • Betty Buckley - from Fort Worth / TCU alum

• New movie: Dec. 20, 2019 (film adaptation)

• New song adeed by ALW and Taylor Swift: “Beautiful Ghosts”

Les Miserables (1987)

• Based on Victor Hugo’s historical novel

• Critics didin’t like

• Ran 16 years

The Phantom of the Opera (1988)

• Longest Running Musical in Broadway History

• Longest running musical in Broadway’s History

  • 35 years

• But - NOT Broadway’s most successful show

• The largest single generator of income and jobs in Bway history

• Broadway production to permanently close April 16, 2023 - theories?