Concise Introduction to Musical Theatre
INTRODUCTION
This guide provides a comprehensive introduction to Musical Theatre.
It includes a detailed analysis of Musical Theatre in an essay written by Joe Deer, a Distinguished Professor of Musical Theatre at Wright State University, along with a list of references.
It offers guidance on related resources available on Digital Theatre+, such as information on key productions, essays, and interviews.
It provides materials suitable for student-led research and classroom discussions.
MUSICAL THEATRE by Joe Deer
Musical Theatre has become the world’s most popular live theatre form and the dominant lyric theatre form since the mid-19th century.
It encompasses a range of styles and genres, including Operetta, Opera Comique, Musical Comedy, Musical Drama, Music Theatre, and 'a Musical'.
All these terms refer to a dramatic stage work that alternates spoken dialogue with songs and dances to convey a story.
Musical Theatre typically favors working-class characters and accessible stories with romance, comedy, entertainment, and spectacle, unlike Opera, which often features tragic stories of gods and aristocrats.
Its close relationship to popular music and entertainment makes it highly accessible to audiences.
Every song and dance is tailored to serve a specific character in a particular dramatic moment, communicating the character's struggles and actions.
For almost two centuries, Musical Theatre was dominantly an English language form but now includes successful productions of both translated Broadway/West End works, and nationally specific, original musicals globally.
HISTORY
The term ‘Musical Theatre’ is relatively recent, dating to the mid-20th century.
The term replaced ‘Musical Comedy’ during what is now called the ‘Golden Age of Musical Theatre’.
Today, ‘Musical Theatre’ refers to the many variations of the form.
Terms are often marketing tools or are devised later by scholars to organize similar works of art.
The broad term ‘Musical Theatre’ now refers to a number of genres:
Comic or Ballade Opera:
Began in early 18th century England.
Fell out of fashion by the end of that century but still influences satiric Musical Theatre.
Involves ribald, often subversive stories with lower social class characters and popular melodies with new lyrics.
Example: The Beggar’s Opera.
Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Savoy Operas’ (a.k.a. British Operetta):
Began in mid-19th century and continues in popularity today.
Comic operas written by Sir William S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan between 1871 and 1896.
Social satires that poked fun at the upper classes while gently affirming them.
Examples: The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, and H.M.S. Pinafore.
European Operetta (a.k.a. Light Opera):
Mid-19th to mid-20th century.
Romantic-comic musical works featuring symphonic scores and an emphasis on beautiful singing, nostalgia, and light romance.
Appropriated for use as an American form.
Examples: Orpheus in the Underworld, Die Fledermaus, The Merry Widow, The Student Prince, Rose Marie.
Musical Comedy:
Began in the early 20th century and continues to the present day in an evolved form.
Heavily influenced by the Vaudeville stage.
Examples: Little Johnny Jones, Anything Goes, The Producers, The Book of Mormon.
Musical Drama:
Began in the late 1920s, but gained hold in 1940s and continues to the present.
Dramatic works that appropriate some elements of Verismo Opera to create a more serious and integrated popular musical drama.
Referred to as the ‘Golden Age of Musicals’ (roughly 1942–1962).
Examples: Oklahoma!, The Music Man, Bridges of Madison County, Guys and Dolls.
Rock Musical:
Began in the mid-1960s and continues to the present.
Musicals that utilize the instrumentation and express the often rebellious cultural attitudes of Rock music.
Examples: Hair, Grease, RENT, Memphis.
Rock Opera/Pop Operetta:
Began in the late 1960s and continues to the present.
Predominantly sung-thru Musicals using contemporary musical vocabulary to tell serious, often epic stories.
Examples: Jesus Christ Superstar, Tommy, Evita, Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Hamilton.
Juke Box Musical:
Began in musical films of the 1940s and continued onto stage work in the 1990s.
Theatrical productions that incorporate an existing, typically well-known catalogue of songs into a new, adapted or biographical story.
Examples: Mamma Mia, All Shook Up, Beautiful, Jersey Boys, Ain’t Too Proud.
Music Theatre:
1980s to present.
A hybrid of Contemporary Opera and Theatre forms that seeks to explore non-commercial integration of music, dance and drama.
Musical Revue:
Began in the early 20th century, continues to this day.
Originally a non-dramatic form of Variety Stage entertainment with songs, sketches, and specialty acts organized around a theme.
More recently, a place to celebrate the collective work of a composer.
Examples: Folies Bergère, Ziegfeld Follies, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Side by Side by Sondheim, Forbidden Broadway.
Dance Musical:
Began in the early 1980s, continuing to the present.
A narrative musical form that is told exclusively or significantly through a choreographic text.
Examples: Cats, Contact, Movin’ Out.
Contemporary Musical Drama:
1970s to present.
Works that tackle contemporary social and personal issues from a more complex psychological perspective.
Great writers include Stephen Sondheim, Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Jeanine Tesori and Michael John LaChiusa.
Although most of these forms have a relatively clear starting point, it is difficult to discern a distinct end to their prominence, as they are often absorbed by or blended with other genres.
Operetta and Musical Comedy's enduring impact is present even in many of the most contemporary works.
These genres are often repurposed and given a facelift with contemporary musical stylings, but continue to embody the central principles of their form.
Operetta is ever-present in musicals like A Little Night Music, Beauty and the Beast (Disney), Wicked, and Anastasia.
Musical Comedy continues as Avenue Q, Aladdin, The Book of Mormon, and Urinetown (itself deeply indebted to Ballad Opera).
CRITICISM AND THEORY
Musical Theatre has always assimilated new popular musical, dance, or dramatic forms, as well as characters and traditions from around the world.
From The Beggar’s Opera to Hamilton, popular songs or song forms have been incorporated to tell comic, contemporary, and often subversive stories.
Musical Theatre has often been a refuge for artists from marginalized groups, such as immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities.
Virtually every popular song form, from Jazz and Rock to Hip-Hop and Bluegrass, has been theatricalized to tell stories that reflect current or recent values.
Evolutions in drama, television, and film have influenced writing, direction, and performance styles in Musical Theatre.
Musical Theatre has been a fundamentally commercial form, dependent on ticket sales.
Its structure and evolution have been driven by popular tastes and commercial successes.
Innovative and popular musicals have spawned imitators and driven patterns in composition, structure, and performance conventions.
Each genre originated with a single innovative success, creating an industry of imitators.
For over a century, much of the popular songbook originated in Musical Theatre.
While that is not the case today, Musical Theatre still reflects recent trends in popular music and utilizes those styles selectively.
Although much Musical Theatre now originates in subsidized theatre companies, popularity and mass ticket sales are needed to survive.
Popular tastes and values are often central to the subjects and styles of music and dance.
Lyricist-librettist Tom Jones noted that Musical Theatre is influenced by Operetta and the Variety Stage.
Operetta celebrated melodies, vocal performances, virtues, and romantic stories.
The Variety Stage provided Jazz music, popular dance, and accessible comedy.
The marriage of these two influences has provided a varied palette.
Contemporary composers incorporate these alternating artistic influences as their formal basis.
Musical Theatre reflects the evolving values of its time and cultures.
Although some works represent traditional values, Musical Theatre has often championed a progressive social order.
In 1927, Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern created Showboat, examining America’s attitudes toward race.
Hammerstein’s impulse to scrutinize darker values was carried forward by writers and theatre makers who challenge acceptable subject matter.
Examples include works addressing racism, gang violence, religious hatred, the rise of Nazism, the AIDS crisis, political assassination, lesbian relationships, and Hip-Hop culture.
These concurrent strands of writing affirm traditional values and challenge them, integral to the evolution of the form.
LANDMARK WORKS IN MUSICAL THEATRE
Showboat (1927):
Created by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern.
Referred to as the first modern musical.
Inclusion of serious dramatic situations, contemporary social and political subject matter, and a richly textured score.
Based on Edna Ferber's novel, tracing American culture from the Civil War to the 1920s.
Utilizes Ragtime, Vaudeville, Gospel, European Operetta, Musical Comedy, and 19th-century American Popular Song.
Revolutionary in its inclusion of an interracial cast.
Oklahoma! (1943):
Book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music by Richard Rodgers.
Created and codified a new artistic agenda, initiating the ‘Golden Age of Musical Theatre’.
Adapted Lynn Riggs’ drama, Green Grow the Lilacs, into a paean to rural America.
Evoked American vernacular forms of the early 20th century.
Choreographer Agnes DeMille infused the show with contemporary concert dance and a feminist perspective.
Her innovative ‘Dream Ballet’ revolutionized Theatre Dance.
Into The Woods (1987):
Composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim and librettist James Lapine.
Examination of fairy tale myths and the lessons they convey.
Moving examination of the ways the moral lessons fail to address the devastating consequences of our actions.
Sondheim brought psychological complexity and ambiguity to his musically and lyrically rich stories.
Protagonists include a Victorian serial killer (Sweeney Todd), an ambivalent bachelor (Company), married couples (Follies) and the people who have attempted to assassinate US presidents (Assassins), among others.
Sondheim was the protégé of Oscar Hammerstein II.
Hamilton (2015):
Composer, lyricist, and librettist Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Flipped traditional assumptions about Musical Theatre with his Hip-Hop sung-thru musical.
Adapted a biography of Alexander Hamilton, creating a parable of the rise of an immigrant, his hubris and downfall.
Married Musical Theatre traditions with Hip-Hop music and culture.
Tells the story of America’s past, through a score that sounds like America’s present, with a cast that looks like America’s future.
Fulfills expectations of a great Musical Theatre experience by infusing the story with the broad palette available in contemporary popular music.
REFERENCES
Deer, J. (2014). Directing in Musical Theatre: An Essential Guide. London: Routledge.
Deer, J. and Dal Vera, R. (2021). Acting in Musical Theatre: A Comprehensive Course. 3rd Edition. London: Routledge.
Engel, L. and Kissel, H. (2006). Words with Music. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books.
Jones, J. (2011). Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theatre. Boston: Brandeis University Press.
Jones, T. (2004). Making Musicals. New York: Limelight Editions.
Lane, S. (2017). Black Broadway: African Americans on the Great White Way. New York: Square One.
Maslon, L. and Kantor, M. (2020). B’way: The American Musical. Revised edition. New York: Applause.
Sondheim, S. (2010). Finishing the Hat. New York: Knopf.
Sondheim, S. (2011). Look, I Made a Hat. New York: Knopf.
Stempel, L. (2010). Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Viertel, J. (2017). The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built. New York: Sarah Crichton Books.
Wolf, S. (2011). Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
KEY PRODUCTIONS ON DIGITAL THEATRE+
This section provides links to key Musical Theatre productions and related materials on Digital Theatre+.
These resources offer a wider critical context and perspectives from those involved in the development of the form.
42nd Street
Production details: BroadwayHD, Liberator Film Services.
Written by: Mark Bramble, Michael Stewart.
Directed by: Nick Morris, Richard Fitch.
Theatre: Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Allegiance
Production details: Sing Out, Louise! Productions, BroadwayHD.
Written by: Marc Acito, Lorenzo Thione, Jay Kuo.
Directed by: Lorenzo Thione.
Theatre: Longacre Theatre.
An American in Paris
Production details: BroadwayHD, Liberator Film Services.
Written by: Craig Lucas.
Directed by: Ross MacGibbon, Christopher Wheeldon.
Theatre: The Dominion Theatre.
Into the Woods
Production details: Digital Theatre+.
Written by: James Lapine.
Directed by: Timothy Sheader.
Theatre: Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.
MUSICAL THEATRE IN THEORY & PRACTICE
This section lists further materials on Digital Theatre+ exploring Musical Theatre.
Quotations from Joe Deer's essay are included to facilitate connections between the content and critical writing.
'From Stage to Screen': Lecture given by Phyllida Lloyd with Fiona Shaw
Lecture details: Directors Guild.
Phyllida Lloyd reflects on her career and explores the differences between working in theatre and film, referencing the journey of Mamma Mia.
Musical Matters: LGBTQ+ Artists on Inclusivity
Series details: Musical Matters explores inclusivity and representation in American musical theatre.
Hosted by Christine Toy Johnson.
Featuring Lisa Kron (Fun Home) and Aneesh Sheth (Bombay Dreams) discussing queer stories and power structures.
Musical Matters: Black Artists on Inclusivity
Series details: Musical Matters explores inclusivity and representation in American musical theatre.
Hosted by Christine Toy Johnson.
Featuring George C. Wolfe and Nikki Renée Daniels discussing their involvement in seminal musicals and inclusive curriculum.
Funny Girl: Backstage
Actors Darius Campbell and Rachel Izen discuss their processes when bringing the characters of Nick Arnstein and Mrs. Brice to life.
Into the Woods: A Critical Introduction
Musical Theatre: A Handbook of Practical Exercises
Activate Sondheim: Into the Woods
Into the Woods: Study Guide
*Digital Theatre+ Study Guides are specially commissioned from leading theatre academics and practitioners, with expert knowledge of the texts that they explore. The guides examine plays from literary and contextual, as well as dramatic perspectives, to provide a thorough and manifold access point to key texts, from the classical to the contemporary.A Concise Introduction to Bertolt Brecht
*Former Reader in Drama and Theatre at the University of Birmingham, Robert Leach, outlines the work of one of the most influential playwright- directors of the 20th century, Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956). Leach considers how Brecht sought a theatre that would intervene with human affairs and aimed to create a practice that would not only interpret the world but change it.A Concise Audio Introduction to Bertolt Brecht
*Providing an overview of the life and work of Bertolt Brecht, scholar Robert Leach unpacks why Brecht is one of the most influential director- playwrights of the 20th century. This audio resource, narrated by Jason Langley, can be used alongside the written Concise Introduction to Bertolt Brecht, which includes key dates, a reading list, discussion questions and related content to inspire research.A Concise Introduction to Dance
*Natasha Fedorova, Teacher of Pure Movement at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and Rose Bruford College, provides an introduction to dance. Fedorova details the many different types, styles and forms of dance including participatory dance and theatrical dance, and highlights how it is used as a way of self-expression and a means of social communication.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Do you see any connections between the four important musicals discussed above?
Look at a clip from Into the Woods or 42nd Street and identify the ways it adheres to the conventions of the popular music form it utilizes and the ways it adapts those for use as a dramatic musical text.
Pick a popular musical from a period before your birth and identify the values it supports. Look at how it addresses: romantic love, expected gender roles, our relationship to authority figures, attitudes about race or ethnicity, and any other values you might see as significant. Some good examples might be: Carousel, Grease, Silk Stockings, Showboat, West Side Story.
Musical writers often adapt plays and novels into musicals. Look at the pairings of Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story, the novel and musical of Les Misérables, or Pygmalion and My Fair Lady.
a) Identify a scene or speech from the play/novel and the adapted musical sequence based on it.
b) Discuss how the composer and lyricist used that source and what they chose to emphasize or change to serve the musical.
c) Are there places where the lyricist used actual phrases, images or ideas from the source? How do the musical qualities of that song support the ideas and character experience from the source?
Pick a novel or non-musical play the entire class is familiar with and create an outline for how you would adapt it into a musical.
Consider the following:
a) Where would you place the songs?
b) What kind of song would you put there?
c) Who would you pick to write the music?