Musical Theatre 3

Golden Age (1943-1964)

Era of the American Book Musical; integration of script+ score is paramount

Book Musical

Emphasis on character + story; realistic dialogue; songs motivated by plot.

Musical Comedy (Silver Age)

1920–1940; entertainment-focused; little integration of script and score.

Why sing?

feelings to big to speak

Why dance?

feelings too big to sing

“I Am” Song

Character explains who they are/how they feel

“I Want” Song

Character’s deep desire that drives the plot

Ballad

Slow, emotional song

Charm Song

Light, pleasant, personality-driven

Comedy Song

Humor from characters/situation

Musical scene

Dialogue+ music blended to move plot

Reprise

Repeat of earlier song with story-driven change

Overture

instrumental opening

Opening number

sets tone; tells us what the show is about

11 o’clock number

Late Act II; emotional climax or revelation

Finale

last impression; often a reprise

Oklahoma!- Rodgers and Hammerstein

1943- First fully integrated book musical; community+ identity; Dream ballet, overnight sensation, 1st true cast album, 1st book musical to run as long as it does

Carousel- Rodgers and Hammerstein

1945- Billy and Julie, outsider, “If I loved you” themes of responsibility and loss

South Pacific- Rodgers and Hammerstein

1945- WWII setting; racism; “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught”

The King and I- Rodgers and Hammerstein

1951- Cultural clash; anti-racism; “Small House of Uncle Thomas” ballet

The Sound of Music- Rodgers and Hammerstein

1959- Von Trapp family vs Nazis; iconic movie musical

Gypsy- Styne and Sondheim

1959- Stage mother Rose; Louise becomes Gypsy Rose Lee; “Rose’s Turn”

Bye Bye Birdie

1960- Elvis-like star drafted; fist Broadway show using rock and roll

The Fantasticks

1960- Reversed Romeo and Juliet; longest-running musical ever

Fiddler on the Roof

1964- “Change is inevitable” first show to run 3000+ performances; end of Golden Age

Rodgers and Hammerstein

Revolutionized book musicals; serious themes; integration of story and song

Stephen Sondheim

Mentored by Hammerstein; early works: West Side Story, Gypsy, Forum

Ethel Merman

Star of Gypsy; major Golden Age performer

Leonard Bernstein

Composer of On the Town, Wonderful Town, West Side Story

Lerner and Loewe

Writers of Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, Camelot

Jule Styne

Composer of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Peter Pan, Gypsy

Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick

Writers of Fiorello! and Fiddler on the Rood

American Theatre Wing

Founded 1917; created the Tony Awards in 1947

Early Golden Age Culture

Baby boom; cold war; rise of TV; seeds of Civil Rights movement

Late Golden Age Culture

Rock music; British Invasion; Vietnam escalation; Civil Rights Act; JFK assassination; counterculture rise

Rose

Driven stage mother; wants to be “seen”

Louise/ Gypsy Rose Lee

Ignored girl who becomes a star

Rose’s Turn

Quintessential 11o’clock number; breakdown/ fantasy; medially of earlier songs

Vaudeville

Old variety entertainment; fading in Gypsy

Burlesque

More adult; replaces vaudeville; where Louise becomes Gypsy Rose Lee

Start of Golden Age

1943- Oklahoma!

End of Golden Age

1964- Fiddler on the Rood

Modern Era Begins

1970- Company (Sondheim)

Operetta Influence

European-style musical storytelling that influenced early American musicals

Princess Theatre Musicals

Early experiments in integrating story and song (Kern, Bolton, Wodehouse)

Show Boat (1927)

Major precursor to the Golden Age; early integration; serious themes

Pal Joey (1940)

Rodgers and Hart; morally complex characters; step toward book musical realism

Lady in the Dark (1941)

Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin; psychological musical; dream sequences

Hammerstein’s Early Work (1920s-1930s)

Worked with Jerome Kern; wrote Show Boat, Music in the Air, Very Warm for May

Rodgers and Hart Era

Huge success; witty lyrics; jazzy scores; Hart’s alcoholism called instability

Transition to Hammerstein

Rodgers needed a stable partner; Theatre Guild suggested Hammerstein

Impact of WW2

Audiences wanted stability, hope, community, Oklahoma! delivered that

Arthur Hammerstein

built Ed Sullivan Theatre, songwriter, produced “Rose-Marie”

William Hammerstein

Ran Victoria, father of Oscar II

Oscar II

Mentored by Otto Harbach, integration of material, wrote “Sally” with Jerome Kern. Show Boat, Music in the Air, Very Warm for May

20s-30s

Rodgers and Hart, Irving Berlin, Gershwins, Cole Porter, Kern and Hammerstein

Irving Berlin

popular through the 30s, writes for theatre and Hollywood in the 40s, Annie Get Your Gun

Cole Porter

Ups and downs through the late 30s, horseback-riding accident in 1937, didn’t have great success again until 1948

The Gershwins

Went to Hollywood after failure of Porgy and Bess, George dies of brain tumor, Ira writes for Hollywood

Rodgers and Hart

start the 30s at the top, Harts alcoholism took over, Rodgers branches off with Hammerstein