Musical Theatre Test 2

“Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?”

E.Y. (Yip) Harburg

Guys and Dolls (1950)

Frank Lesser (writer), “Sit Down, You’re Rockin The Boat” - Micheal Kidd (choreographer)

The Most Happy Fella (1956)

Frank Loesser, has more than 30 songs

How to Succeed in Business without really Trying (1961)

Frank Loesser (writer) and Bob Fosse (choreographer/director)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Harold Arlen (music), Arthur Freed (producer), E.Y. (Yip) Harburg (lyrics), Judy Garland (Dorthy)

Finian’s Rainbow (1947)

Burton Lane (music), Fred Astaire (his last), E.Y (Yip) Harburg (lyrics)

The Threepenny Opera (1928)

Kurt Weill, a play with music, unsuccessful till it’s revival

West Side Story

Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), Harold Prince (producer), Leonard Bernstein (composer), Jerome Robbins (choreographer/director), Arthur Laurance (book), originally called East Side Story and Gang Way

Singin in the Rain

Arthur Freed (producer), Gene Kelly (choreographer/performer), Betty Comden and Aldoph Green (lyrics), Donald O’Connor (dancer), The Best Golden Age Musical Movie

The Band Wagon

Arthur Freed (producer), Fred Astaire (performer), Betty Corden and Aldoph Green (lyrics), The Best Golden Age Musical Movie

Bye Bye Birdie (1960)

Gower Champion (director/chorographer), Lee Adams (lyrics) and Charles Stouse (music)

Hello, Dolly! (1964)

Gower Champion (director/choreographer), Jerry Herman (composer), Gene Kelly (movie director), David Merrick (producer), Barbra Streisand (movie-Dolly)

The Fantastics (1960)

Harvey Schmidt (composer) and Tom Jones (lyrics), Jerry Orbach (performer), Only used Piano and Harp

I Do! I Do! (1966)

Gower Champion (director/choreographer), David Merrick (producer), Harvey Schmidt (composer) and Tom Jones (lyrics), Mary Martin (performer)

The Fiddler On The Roof (1964)

Harold Prince (producer), Jerome Robbins (choreographer/director), Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick (composers), Zero Mostel (performer)

Gypsy

Stephen Sondheim (lyrics), Jerome Robbins(choreographer), Arthur Laurents (director), Jule Styne (music), David Merrick (producer)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Stephen Sondheim (composer), Jerome Robbins (choreographer) and he saved the show, Zero Mostel (performer), Harold Prince (director), Jack Gilford (performer)

Company (1970)

Stephen Sondheim (composer), Harold Prince (director), Michael Bonnet (choreographer), had a non-linear plot

Follies (1971)

Stephen Sondheim (composer), Harold Prince (director), Michael Bonnet (choreographer), Sondheim’s last show with a choreographer

Sweeney Todd (1979)

Stephen Sondheim (composer), Harold Prince (director)

Sunday in the Park with George

James Lapine (director/librettist), Stephen Sondheim (composer)

Cabaret (1998)

Harold Prince (producer/director), Bob Fosse (choreographer/director) OF THE FILM, Jack Gilford (performer), John Kander and Fred Ebb (composers)

A Chorus Line

Michael Bennet (choreographer/director), Edward Kleban (lyrics), Marvin Hamlick (music), First broadway show with profanity, had 17 main characters

A Class Act

Edward Kleban

The Cradle Will Rock

Marc Blilstein , stared Pattie Lapone, shut down and changed theatres opening night, actors performed from audience because they were banned from performing on stage

Little Shop Of Horrors (1982)

Howard Ashman and Allen Mencken (composers), Off-broadway

Beauty and the Beast (1994)

corporate musical, Tim Rice (lyrics), Howard Ashman and Alan Mencken

Evita (1979)

stared Pattie Capone, Harold Prince (director), Andrew Loyd Webber and Tim Rice (composers) and they split after the show

Phantom of the Opera (1986)

Harold Prince (director), Andrew Loyd Webber and Tim Rice (composers)

Cats (1981)

Gillian Lynne (choreographer), Andrew Loyd Webber and Tim Rice (composer), First Mega Musical and First Marketing Strat

Rent (1996)

Jonathan Larson (composer), Most Successful Rock Musical

Hamilton

Lin Manuel Miranda, biggest hit of the last 10 years, “You’ll Be Back”

Golden Age of musical theatre (1940s-1960s)

Started with Oklahoma, book musicals became the norm, ended in 1964

Concept Musicals

A book musical built around a central concept, allowing the audience to focus on multiple characters and plots, Songs comment on the scene, but aren’t actually part of them, created by Stephen Sondheim, Harold Prince, and Bob Fosse

rock and Broadway

Godspell, Jesus Christ Superstar, Pippin, Grease, The Wiz, Rent; A change in the back beat

the “second British Invasion”

Several UK shows coming to America

“megamusicals”

Cats (the first), Phantom of the Opera, lots of special effects

“corporate” musicals

Disney

Jukebox musicals

new musicals built around existing popular songs, ex: Mamma Mia

Frank Loesser (1950)

Guys and Dolls, The Most Happy Fella, How to Succeed in Business without Trying

E.Y. (Yip) Garland

“Brother Can You Spare a Dime”, The Wizard of Oz, Finians Rainbow

Harold Arlen (1939)

The Wizard of Oz, worked with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland

Burtan Lane (1947)

Finian’s Rainbow

Kurt Weill (1938)

The Three Penny Opera, One Touch of Venus (with Mary Martin)

Leonard Bernstein (1936)

West Side Story, known for wildly theatrical conducting

Betty Comden & Adolph Green

The Band Wagon, Singing in the Rain, Both wrote lyrics

Arthur Laurents

West Side Story(book/director), Gypsy (book/director)

Jule Styne

Gypsy, wrote for Frank Sinatra, last composer to write music that didn’t sound like Pop

Lee Adams and Charles Strouse (1960)

Bye Bye Birdie, Adams=lyrics, Strouse=music

Jerry Herman (1964)

Hello, Dolly!

Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt (1960)

The Fantastics, I Do! I Do!, Jones=lyrics, Schmidt=music

Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick

Fiddler on the Roof, Bock=music, Harnick=lyrics

Stephen Sondheim (1964)

Do I hear a Waltz (with Richard Rodgers), West Side Story (lyrics), Gypsy (lyrics), A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, Sweeny Todd, Sunday in the Park with George

John Kander and Fred Ebb (1966)

Cabaret, Edd=lyrics, Kander=music

Marvin Hamlisch

A Chorus Line (music)

Edward Kleban

A Chorus Line (lyrics), A Class Act, Greatest Forgettable

Howard Ashman and Alan Menken

Little Shop of Horrors, Beaty and the Beast

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice

The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita, Webber=Luckiest Writer in History, Tim Rice= Beauty and the Beast

Micheal Kidd

choreographer; Guys and Dolls

Jerome Robbins

Choreographer; Gypsy, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof “Bottle Dance”, became the most hated man on Broadway

Mary Martin (1943)

Performer; I Do! I Do!, Kurt Weill’s One Touch of Venus

Arthur Freed (1921)

Movie Producer; The Wizard of Oz, Singing in the Rain, The Band Wagon

Judy Garland (1960s)

Performer; The Wizard of Oz, Harold Arlen’s A Star is Born, was fired from Annie Get Your Gun, A true triple threat

Gene Kelly

Singin in the Rain, directed Hello, Dolly! movie, mostly did solos

Donald O’Connor

Dancer, Acrobate, Singer; Singin in the Rain

Fred Astaire

Performer; The Band Wagon, Finian’s Rainbow (his last movie musical), Harold Arlen’s “One For My Baby”, Performed the Hat Rack Dance, and the Ceiling Dance

Barbra Streisand

Performer; Hello, Dolly! movie (Dolly), Funny Girl (Fanny)

Jack Cole

Choreographer; Father of American Jazz, influenced Bob Fosse and Jerome Robins

Gower Champion

Director/Choreographer; Bye-Bye Birdie, Hello, Dolly!, I do! I Do!

Robert Preston (1957)

The Music Man

Bob Fosse

Director/Choreographer; Cabaret (both), How to Succeed in Business without Trying (choreographer), won a directors trifecta

Gwen Verdon (1953)

Performer; Can-Can, Married to Bob Fosse

David Merrick (1954)

Producer; Gypsy, Hello, Dolly!, I Do! I Do!, pulled lots of publicity stunts

Jerry Orbach (1960)

Performer; The Fantastics

Zero Mostel

Performer; Fiddler on the Roof, A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum, Was know for being annoying, Butted heads with Jerome Robbins

Jack Gilford

Performer; Cabaret, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Harold Prince

Director/Producer: West Side Story (Producer), Cabaret (both), Fiddler On the Roof (producer), A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum (produced), Company (both), Follies (both), Sweeny Todd (directed), Evita (both), Phantom of the Opera (direct), know as “Boy Wonder”

Michael Bennet (1970)

Choreographer; Company, A Chorus Line, Follies