TCU Survey of Musical Theatre Final Exam + Quiz Questions Humphrey

Bob Fosse

• dance style:

  • angular and turned in

  • sexually suggestive hip thrusts

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

  • body isolations

  • used white gloves to make hands stand out in an all black costume

Gwen Verdon

1st triple threat - sing, dance, and act

The Pajama Game

Fosse’s 1st gig

Damn Yankees (1955)

• where Verdon and Fosse meet

• Washington Senators would eventually become TX Rangers

• (film) Bob Fosse performs w/ Verdon

Ann Reinking

• became Fosse’s 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

• (1969 film) - Fosse’s 1st film director gig

Pippin (1972)

• played for 5 years

• 1st Bdwy musical to air TV commercial (Fosse’s idea)

  • chaned Bdwy marketing forever

• began as a student project when Stephen Schwartz was in college

“Leprechaun Song #2”

• similar to “All that Jazz” and Chicago

  • Gwen Verdon (final role)

  • a “Musical Vaudeville”

Cabaret (1966)

• ominous hidden significance in the seedy club’s name - (Kit Kat Klub)

• movie version significantly affected revivals

• 1972 film: directed by Bob Fosse

  • post-film revivals darker, more decadent and brutally disturbing

“Kaput” = ?

“Mein Herr”

Carrie (1988)

• $8 million FLOP

• from Stephen King novel

The Wild Party (2000)

two versions of The Wild Party - LaChuisa and Lippa play at same time

Spring Awakening (2006)

• characters pick up microphones - when the songs go inside their thoughts and fantasies

• 2015 revival

  • Deaf West Theatre - Los Angeles

    • had both hearing and deaf actors onstage

    • 1st show w/ performer in a wheelchair

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

both are “I Want” songs

Stephen Sondheim

• lyrics too intellectual

• music too difficult, dense and restless

• shows almost always lose $$

• his mentor - Oscar Hammerstein

• characters too unpleasant

• worldview too cynical

• relationships never last

Harold Prince

directed and/or produced 64 Bdwy shows

“I Need to Eat” - “God I Hope I Get It” and a Chorus Line

• 5th musical to win the Pulitzer Prize

• success helps save Bdwy!

• workshopped 1.5 years (not a set show/constantly reviving/putting show together in real time)

• pros @ an audition - Bare Stage

• director/choreographer - Michael Bennett

• stories of REAL dancers lives

• 1st Bdwy musical to tour internationally

Chicago (1975)

• musical attacks American fascination w/ celebrity culture

• REVIVAL - 26 years - 10,000+ performances

Jerry Orbach

more Bdwy appearances than any other actor in history

Sondheim and Prince

• most influential/daring team of 1970s Bdwy

• 6 shows together

Company

• concept musical: doesn’t follow linear plot, focuses on concept

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

• “deconstructed” script - non-linear vignettes

• no plot - only a concept

• characters’ stories more important than plot

• in Sondheim’s world - you lose things

• 2020/2021 revival: most characters are gender-swapped

Rent (1996)

• rock opera

• based on Puccini Opera La Boheme (Miss Saigon also based on Puccini opera)

• Pulitzer Prize - posthumously

  • Larson died dress rehearsal night of aortic aneurysm

• AIDS - Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

• 1st since Hair (1968) to deal w/ concerns of younger generation

• best known song - “Seasons of Love” (ex. Commercials, and the Office)

• ticket lottery system established

“Bells and Whistles” = ?

“Razzle Dazzle”, Chicago etc.

Hair (1968)

• 1st Bdwy musical to directly address all problems of 1960s America

• little plot - except Vietnam War (concept musical)

• about: group of politically-active hippies living Bohemian life in NYC

• cast in audience/breaking the 4th Wall

• producer - Joe Papp (the Public Theatre)

Follies (1971)

reunion of former Follies Show Girls in a crumbling Bdwy theatre

A Little Night Music (1973)

• only Sondheim Musical to make back investment on Bdwy

• BOTH 1973 original and 2008 revival

• Sondheim’s best known song - “Send in the Clowns”

Sweeney Todd (1979)

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

• @ the time, the most grisly musical ever presented for commercial Bdwy

Merrily We Roll Along (1981)

• huge flop

• goes in reverse chronological order

Annie (1976)

• 1st musical w/ child as THE lead

• “Tomorrow” most often parodied

Oliver (1962)

nominated for 10 Tonys/won 3 (Tony Award shared b/t 3 boys that played Oliver)

Bdwy schedule

• 8 shows/week

• usually have Mondays as DARK days

Robert Lopez

• EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony)

• youngest EGOT

PEGOT

• Pulitzer, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony

• only 2 people in history: Richard Rodgers and Marvin Hamlisch

Avenue Q (2004)

• subversive puppets - actors in plain sight

• themes - racism, porn, 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

“Rick Man’s Frug” = ?

Fosse + hip hop = “Get Me Bodied”

Bye Bye Birdie (1960)

• earliest musical about rock n’ roll phenomenon

• and to address youth culture

Godspell (1976)

• series of biblical parables from Gospel of St. Matthew

• began as Grad School thesis in 1970 - @ the beginning of the Jesus Movement in America

Grease (1972)

• original very raw and raunchy

• revivals sanitized show after successful movie

• 2007 - reality show = Laura Osnes and Max Crumm (Legally Blonde not the only reality show on Bdwy

Disney takes a Chance

• 1993 - renovates the New Amsterdam Theatre

• restoration send important message to corporate America … invest in Bdwy!

Beauty and the Beast (1994)

1st successful Disney show on Bdwy

The Lion King (1997)

highest grossing show on Bdwy

Disney Hits

Beauty and the Beast, the Lion King, Mary Poppins, Newsies, Aladdin, Frozen

Disney Failures

Tarzan, Shrek, the Little Mermaid, Sister Act

High School Musical (2006)

• message of inclusiveness along w/ musical numbers - new for Disney

• highest grossing DCOM of all time, trilogy, inspired HSMTMTS

Spiderman Turn off the Dark

BIGGEST FLOP IN BDWY

Spongebob Squarepants the Musical (2017)

various artists wrote the music - Lady Antebellum, John Legend, Flaming Lips, etc.

Cabaret film (1972)

one of the only times the audience hears Sally’s unspoken thoughts

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 Bdwy after doing show

Jesus Christ Superstar (1971)

• Sir Tim Rice and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber

• concept album

• rock opera

• controversial reactions worldwide

  • propelled show’s success

• about last 7 days of Christ

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1973/1982)

1st collaboration for Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice

Evita (1979)

• British big hit

• collaboration b/t Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice

• another pop opera

• like JC Superstar - started as concept album

• Eva Peron - most powerful woman in South America

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

School of Rock (2016)

kids really play the instruments

Bad Cinderella (2023)

called “costly mistake” by ALW

mega musicals

• a fully or an almost entirely sung-through musical drama

• staging, spectacle and specific special effects are equally important as (if not more so than) the plot, characters, book and sore

• typified by musicals in British invasion - Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon

Cats (1982)

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

• Betty Buckley - from FTW/TCU alum

• new song added by ALW and Taylor Swift: “Beautiful Ghosts”

Les Miserables (1987)

• based on Victor Hugo’s historical novel

• critics didn’t like

• audiences did - critic proof

The Phantom of the Opera (1988)

• longest running musical in Bdwy history

• the largest single generator of income and jobs in Bdwy history

Miss Saigon (1991)

• based on: Puccini opera, Madama Butterfly

• about: ultimate sacrifice

• misunderstanding b/t people of 2 very different cultures

• Kim = Lea Salonga

  • 1st Asian woman to win a Tony Award

  • 1st Filipino artist to sing w/ international record label

“My Fishnets” = ?

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

musical much more popular in London than US, but eventually became popular when theaters started doing midnight screenings and people began to do “shadow casts” of the show

Dreamgirls (1981)

• Bdwy’s 1st computerized set

• Michael Bennett’s farewell

Sunday in the Park with George (1984)

• artistic struggle and undeterred drive

• creative process

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

  • artist Georges Seurat

  • pointilism

• wins Pulitzer - only 604 performances

Into the Woods (1986)

Brothers Grimm plots intertwined

Passion (1994)

shortest run for a musical that won Best Musical

Assassins (2004)

• 9 assassins/attempted assassins of Presidents

• schedule for Bdwy 2001

• canceled after 9/11

• finally hits Bdwy 2004

last Sondheim show?

Here We Are

Country Bdwy Musicals

• trend: country music is NOT successful on Bdwy (includes financial and critical success) - but there are exceptions

  • The Best Little Whorehouse in TX (1978)

    • creators - 4 Texans

    • beat the odds - a success w/ a country music score

The Producers (2001)

• 12 Tony wins - most in history (Hamilton = 11)

• 1st Bdwy show w/ Premium Seating $480

• w/ Disney and New 42 - the kick start

Hairspray (2002)

• significance: typical of fun Bdwy is once again having

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

Next to Normal (2009)

• Pulitzer Prize winning musical - 8th musical to win

• mother who is bipolar

• 2 time Pulitzer Prize Winning Director - Michael Greif

Waitress (2016)

• Bdwy’s very 1st ALL female creative team

• music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles

Dear Evan Hansen (2016)

• teen suicides and being an outsider

• string of lies - mental health (high school perspective)

• directed by Michael Greif

• composer and lyricist both only 31

  • Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

• winners of Jonathan Larson Grant in 2007

• starred Ben Plat (OG star of DEH)

Beetlejuice (2019)

• contract “Stop Clause”: if Box Office gross falls below a pre-set figure (generally 70%) 2 weeks in a row, theatre can evict show

A Strange Loop (2022)

• most recent Pulitzer Prize Winning Musical - 2020

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

How to Dance in Ohio

all 7 principal actors are openly autistic and made Bdwy debut

Suffs

book, music, and lyrics by Shaina Taub who also stars

Hadestown

• based on Greek myth - Orpheus and Eurydice

• started as concept album

& Juliet

new beginning for Juliet after Romeo’s “death” (Juliet doesn’t die after Romeo’s death)

Chicago

current longest running show on Bdwy

The Last 5 Years

being revived in Bdwy

Floyd Collins

Adam Guettel - music and lyrics - grandson of Richard Rodgers

Buena Vista Social Club

completely in Spanish

Biggest Bdwy Hits

• #1 - The Lion King (highest grossing)

• #2 - Chicago (revival) (longest currently on Bdwy)

• #1 - Phantom of the Opera (longest running of all time)

Pulitzer Prize Winning Musicals

• Of Thee I Sing (1931) - folly of politics

• South Pacific (1949) - social issues and folly of racism

• Fiorello! (1959) - politics and strong drive

  • about the rise to power of NYC’s favorite mayor - 3 terms

• How to Succeed in Business w/out Really Trying (1961) - big business politics and strong individual drive

• A Chorus Line (1976) - artistic struggle and drive

• Sunday in the Park w/ George (1984) - artistic struggle and drive

• Rent (1996) - artistic struggle and social issues

• Next to Normal (2009) - social issues and mental health

• Hamilton (2016) - politics and strong individual drive

• A Strange Loop (2020) - creative process and issues of identity, race, and sexuality

  • 1st musical to win Pulitzer w/out Bdwy run

Bdwy numbers (2022-2023 season - healthy season)

• attendance - 12.28 million

  • topping the 10 pro NY and NJ sports teams combined (Mets, Yankees, Rangers, Islanders, Knicks, Liberty, Giants, Jets, Devils, and Nets)

average theatre goer

rich white woman who is middle aged

reasons why shows close

• can’t find right audience

• in the wrong theatre

• no word of mouth/bad reviews

• limited run

• big TV/film stars - leave

• no big Tony Award wins

• losing money (operating costs more than investment/current income)

union negotiated contracts…?

stipulate the number of people and minimum wages of: crew (technical) members, musicians, and others (ushers, ticket sellers, concessions, etc.) expected to work on Bdwy show in each of the 41 individual theatres whether needed or not

The opening number of Season 2 (Schmicago) is called “Welcome to Chicago” and is a play on the song “Magic to Do” from Pippin. This number is floating hands in white gloves reminiscent of the light curtain from Pippin’s television commercial. Who’s idea was this?

Bob Fosse

Which of the following is NOT an indication that a dance might’ve been choreographed by Bob Fosse?

the dancers feet are turned out and there are lots of balletic arm motions

It is the year 2000 and I notice 2 billboards that have the same title of a musical, but look to be unconnected otherwise. It turns out they are both based on the same poem fro 1928, but the stores are different. What musical is on the billboard?

The Wild Party

I’m watching the coming-of-age musical Spring Awakening. How do I know when the characters are sharing their inner thoughts and fantasies?

they pick up a microphone

How did the 1972 movie version of Cabaret affect the later revivals?

it allowed the revivals to be darker, more decadent and disturbing

The song “Whatever Lola Wants” was featured in a famous Bdwy power couple’s 1st show together. It is a musical that is centered around the baseball team the Washington Senators (who eventually became the Texas Rangers)

Damn Yankees

The Kit Kat Klub held an ominous meaning and was an integral part in the storytelling of the themes of racism, prejudice, evil, and self-centeredness in this musical.

Cabaret

While Bob Fosse was still married, he met and started dating his muse and later partner, Ann Reinking. Why is she important?

she would be the keeper of Bob Fosse’s legacy and dances after his death

In a Stephen Sondheim show, relationships never last. His show Company has an ambivalent ending where life just goes on. T/F

true