Broadway Musicals Notes

Song Structures

• AABA Song Structure
  • Common in early musical theatre and jazz standards.
  • Consists of two similar A sections, a contrasting B section (bridge), then a return to A.
• Verse/Chorus Song Structure
  • Alternates between verses with new lyrics and a repeated chorus.
  • Popular in pop and rock musicals for its catchiness and clarity.
• Strophic Song Structure
  • Same melody repeated with different lyrics each time.
  • Used in traditional ballads and early musical theatre songs.

Broadway Today

• Current Broadway Shows
  • Hamilton, Wicked, Hadestown, and Moulin Rouge! are currently running.
  • Shows may rotate, so it's helpful to check the latest listings.

Golden Age Creators and Pioneers

• Jerome Kern
  • Pioneered the integration of song and story in musicals.
  • Best known for composing Show Boat.
• George M. Cohan
  • Known as "the father of American musical comedy".
  • Wrote patriotic songs like Yankee Doodle Dandy.
• Florenz Ziegfeld
  • Produced the lavish Ziegfeld Follies.
  • Elevated theatrical spectacle and beauty on Broadway.
• Bert Williams
  • First major Black star on Broadway.
  • Known for his comedic skill and breaking racial barriers.
• Sophie Tucker
  • Vaudeville star nicknamed "The Last of the Red Hot Mamas".
  • Pioneered bold female performance in musical comedy.
• Irving Berlin
  • Wrote White Christmas and God Bless America.
  • One of the most prolific and influential songwriters in American history.
• Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, Flournoy Miller, Aubrey Lyles
  • Creators of Shuffle Along, a landmark Black Broadway musical.
  • Broke racial barriers and introduced jazz rhythms to Broadway.
• Rodgers and Hammerstein
  • Revolutionized musicals with integrated storytelling.
  • Created Oklahoma!, Carousel, The Sound of Music.

Key Musicals and Concepts

• Shuffle Along
  • 1921 musical that brought jazz to Broadway.
  • Paved the way for future Black-led productions.
• Show Boat
  • Addressed racism and serious themes in 1927.
  • Blended operetta and modern musical theatre.
• Oklahoma!
  • First fully integrated musical (story, song, dance).
  • Opened Broadway’s Golden Age in 1943.
• On the Town
  • Musical about sailors on leave in NYC.
  • Known for its vibrant dance and Bernstein's music.
• Carousel
  • Tragic love story with iconic ballads.
  • Features "You'll Never Walk Alone".
• Annie Get Your Gun
  • Based on sharpshooter Annie Oakley.
  • Features "There’s No Business Like Show Business".
• Finian’s Rainbow
  • Satirizes capitalism and racism using fantasy.
  • Mixes Irish folklore with American issues.
• Guys and Dolls
  • A musical fable of gamblers and showgirls.
  • Known for "Luck Be a Lady" and "Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat".
• Brigadoon
  • Magical Scottish village appears once every 100 years.
  • Romantic Lerner & Loewe classic.
• My Fair Lady
  • Based on Pygmalion; about class and transformation.
  • Features "I Could Have Danced All Night".
• West Side Story
  • Urban Romeo & Juliet with Latinx and white gangs.
  • Known for dance, realism, and Bernstein/Sondheim score.
• Gypsy
  • Story of stage mother Mama Rose and Gypsy Rose Lee.
  • Features "Everything’s Coming Up Roses".
• Oliver!
  • British musical based on Dickens' Oliver Twist.
  • Songs include "Food, Glorious Food" and "Consider Yourself".
• Fiddler on the Roof
  • Jewish family’s struggle with tradition in Tsarist Russia.
  • "Tradition", "Sunrise, Sunset" are standouts.
• Cabaret
  • Berlin cabaret as metaphor for rising fascism.
  • Cynical, bold, and groundbreaking.
• Sweet Charity
  • Follows a dance hall hostess looking for love.
  • Songs include "Big Spender" and "If My Friends Could See Me Now".
• Hair
  • First rock musical with anti-war and hippie themes.
  • Known for nudity and "Let the Sunshine In".
• Company
  • Nonlinear Sondheim musical about love and isolation.
  • Famous for "Being Alive".
• Jesus Christ Superstar
  • Rock opera on the Passion of Christ.
  • Told from Judas’s perspective.
• Pippin
  • A young prince seeks meaning and greatness.
  • Famous for Fosse’s circus-themed direction.
• Chicago
  • Murder, media, and corruption in 1920s Chicago.
  • Stylized with Fosse choreography.
• A Chorus Line
  • Real-life stories of Broadway dancers auditioning.
  • Minimalist staging, emotional depth.
• The Wiz
  • Funk/soul retelling of The Wizard of Oz.
  • Culturally significant for African American representation.
• Little Shop of Horrors
  • Comedy-horror musical with a man-eating plant.
  • Songs mix Motown, doo-wop, and rock.
• A New Brain
  • About a composer facing brain surgery.
  • Semi-autobiographical and uplifting.
• In the Heights
  • Celebrates community in Washington Heights.
  • Blends salsa, rap, and traditional show tunes.
• American Idiot
  • Punk-rock musical using Green Day’s music.
  • A coming-of-age story post-9/11.
• Drat the Cat
  • Satirical Victorian musical flop.
  • Gained cult status later on.
• Hadestown
  • Retelling of the Orpheus myth in a folk-jazz style.
  • Won Best Musical at the 2019 Tony Awards.
• Hamilton
  • Hip-hop biography of Alexander Hamilton.
  • Modernized casting and storytelling revolutionized Broadway.
• Into the Woods
  • Sondheim's dark twist on fairy tales.
  • Explores consequences beyond “happily ever after”.
• Legally Blonde
  • Musical about breaking stereotypes and embracing intelligence.
  • Energetic, empowering score.
• Les Misérables
  • Epic story of redemption in post-revolutionary France.
  • Known for its emotional power and soaring ballads.
• The Muppet Christmas Carol
  • Retelling of Dickens’ story with Muppets.
  • Features original songs and heartfelt humor.
• Next to Normal
  • Explores bipolar disorder and family trauma.
  • Won Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
• Singin’ in the Rain
  • Musical about the dawn of sound in film.
  • Includes the iconic title number.
• Rapunzel
  • Often adapted; popularized in Disney’s Tangled.
  • Themes of independence and identity.
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame
  • Based on Hugo’s novel with Disney musical adaptation.
  • Themes include justice, acceptance, and love.
• The Sound of Music
  • Von Trapp family escapes the Nazis through music.
  • “My Favorite Things” is often seen as a Christmas song.
• Urinetown
  • Satire of capitalism and the musical genre.
  • Meta, darkly funny, and self-aware.
• Wicked
  • Prequel to The Wizard of Oz from the witches’ POV.
  • Explores themes of identity, power, and truth.

People

• Leonard Bernstein
  • Composer of West Side Story, On the Town.
  • Brought classical and jazz elements into musicals.
• Comden and Green
  • Lyricist duo for Singin’ in the Rain, On the Town.
  • Known for clever, funny writing.
• Jerome Robbins
  • Director/choreographer for West Side Story, Fiddler.
  • Master of integrating storytelling and dance.
• Ethel Merman
  • Big-voiced star of Annie Get Your Gun.
  • Queen of Broadway belting.
• Dorothy Fields
  • First successful female lyricist.
  • Wrote for Sweet Charity, Annie Get Your Gun.
• E. Y. Harburg
  • Lyricist for Wizard of Oz and Finian’s Rainbow.
  • Known for clever rhyme and social commentary.
• Burton Lane
  • Composer of Finian’s Rainbow.
  • Known for lyrical and sweeping melodies.
• Frank Loesser
  • Composer/lyricist of Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed.
  • Combined humor and heart in songwriting.
• Lerner and Loewe
  • Composer-lyricist duo for My Fair Lady, Camelot.
  • Blended elegance with wit.
• Meredith Willson
  • Wrote The Music Man and "It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas".
  • Celebrated Americana and small-town values.
• Stephen Sondheim
  • Master of complex lyrics and dark themes.
  • Wrote Company, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd.
• Hal Prince
  • Director/producer of many Sondheim shows.
  • Innovator of the concept musical.
• Sheldon Harnick
  • Lyricist of Fiddler on the Roof.
  • Teamed with composer Jerry Bock.
• Kander and Ebb
  • Duo behind Cabaret and Chicago.
  • Combined jazz with sharp social critique.
• Bob Fosse
  • Iconic choreographer/director with a signature style.
  • Known for Pippin, Cabaret, Chicago.
• Cy Coleman
  • Composer of Sweet Charity, jazz-influenced scores.
  • Collaborated with Dorothy Fields and others.
• Joseph Papp
  • Founder of The Public Theater and Shakespeare in the Park.
  • Produced Hair, A Chorus Line.
• Andrew Lloyd Webber
  • Created mega-musicals like Phantom, Cats, Evita.
  • Master of spectacle and melody.
• Tim Rice
  • Lyricist for Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, The Lion King.
  • Longtime collaborator of Lloyd Webber.
• Stephen Schwartz
  • Wrote Wicked, Pippin, Godspell.
  • Known for blending pop styles with Broadway tradition.
• Michael Bennett
  • Creator/director of A Chorus Line.
  • Developed it through dancer interviews.
• Charlie Smalls
  • Composer of The Wiz.
  • First Black composer to win a Tony for Best Score.
• William Finn
  • Wrote A New Brain, Falsettos.
  • Known for deeply personal storytelling.
• Lin-Manuel Miranda
  • Creator of In the Heights and Hamilton.
  • Fuses hip-hop, Latin, and traditional musical forms.
• Menken and Ashman
  • Duo behind Disney musicals like The Little Mermaid.
  • Also created Little Shop of Horrors.