What is Musical Theatre?
Musical theatre is defined as the presentation of a story using the elements of music, singing, dancing, on a stage in front of a live audience. This art of telling stories either through or with songs dates back to time immemorial. The ancient Greeks included music and dance in many of their stage comedies and tragedies as early as the 5th Century B.C. Staged in open-air amphitheatres, these plays featured humor, political and social satire, jugglers, and anything else that might entertain the masses. While these plays had no direct effect on the development of musical theatre as we know it, they prove that musicals have been around for at least 2500 years.
*WRITE 3 FEATURES ABOUT MUSICAL THEATRE (1)
History of Musical Theatre
The origins of the musical trace all the way back to story telling ballads. The ballads were stories in songs, passed down orally from generation to generation. In 1597, Dafne, the first opera emerged. Like ballads, opera told stories through music. However, opera is written down and performed on stage. And from opera, the operetta, literally meaning “little opera”, developed. Relative to its predecessor, operettas dealt with less serious topics and used more dialogue.
Finally, in 1866, the very first musical, The Black Crook by Charles M. Barras and Giuseppe Operti, was performed in New York. However, American musical theatre did not establish its own identity until after the turn of the twentieth century.
George M. Cohan--librettist, lyricist, and composer, was a powerful influence in creating a truly native musical art form, his dialogue, lyrics, and melody had the spirit of energy and pride that were unmistakably American. Any plot, however improbable, was possible just so long as it could be the frame for songs and dances. For many years, American musicals were governed by this principle.
The greatest revolution in American musical theatre up to that time came in 1927 with Show Boat, by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern. The show featured popular music, such as jazz and gospel, which parated Show Boat from both operetta and all the musicals before it.
Then came the first of the Rodgers and Hammerstein masterworks, Oklahoma!, in 1943, with which musical theatre finally became a significant American art form. According to Rodgers, “By opening the show with the woman alone onstage and the cowboy beginning his song offstage, we did more than set a mood; we were, in fact, warning the audience, 'Watch out! This is a different kind of musical.” The national tour of Oklahoma! ran for an unprecedented ten years, playing before a combined audience of more than ten million people. In 1955, Oklahoma! was made into a film where it also found great success.
During the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, popular music began to change with rock ‘n roll becoming more mainstream. This trend influenced musicals such as West Side Story (1957) and Bye Bye Birdie (1960) to feature more popular, contemporary music. Hair in 1968 continued this movement by incorporating rock music and storylines based on the hearts of the younger generation.
And setting a pattern that would redefine Broadway, Cats premiered in 1982, introducing opulent sets, extravagant costumes and makeup, and over-the-top special effects. The visual spectacle was unlike the painted backdrops and simple costumes seen in the past. Cats has now become the longest-running show in Broadway history.
Then came Rent in 1996, which revolutionized the very concept of musical theatre around the world. Rent blended pop, dance, salsa, rhythm and blues, gospel, and rock music together to tell its moving tale of hopes and dreams, while also addressing the serious and controversial issues of homelessness, AIDS, and drug addiction. Rent not only challenged the mainstream, but reinvented it. Shows following Rent such as Ragtime (1998) and Wicked (2003) also contained intricate storylines and unique styles of music, while addressing social and political issues.
*MAKE A TIME LINE ABOUT HISTORY OF MUSICAL THEATRE (15 cm OF WIDTH), SEND IT TO MY OFFICE BEFORE 6:00 pm.
*Musical theatre is defined as the presentation of a story using the elements of music, singing, dancing, on a stage in front of a live audience.
ReplyDelete*Music has been a central feature of theatre for more than 2000 years. It can be argued that musical theatre is, in fact, the dominant mode of dramatic art. As a specific gener of its own, however, musical theatre has emerged and developed in the past 150 years until today it is a dramatic form of great variety, artistic significance, and commercial appeal.
*Musical theatre is the combination of music, singing, acting and dance. The Black Crook is thought to be the first Musical ever.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_characteristics_of_musical_theatre&alreadyAsked=1&rtitle=What_are_the_characteristics_of_Theatre
-Stories either through or with songs dates back to time immemorial.
ReplyDelete- Musical theatre is defined as the presentation of a story using the elements of music, singing, dancing, on a stage in front of a live audience.
- Musical theatre is defined as the presentation of a story using the elements of music, singing, dancing, on a stage in front of a live audience.
edith ale.
ReplyDelete+Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole
+The musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms such as opera, it may be distinguished by the equal importance given to the music as compared with the dialogue, movement and other elements of the works.
+The musical theatre present a story using the elements of music, songs, dance: and you can express ideas, feelings, emotions.
Musical Theatre characteristics are:
ReplyDelete1. dancing
2. singing
3.acting.
In it there is almost always comic-relief, so that it doesn't turn depressing. In all the story lines there is the same things you would find in a novel. In Greek Theatre, there are the actors onstage, and at certain times others will come out and either sing, or explain, im not exactly sure which. Shakespeare is simply acting using old dialogues and his plays.http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090127054310AA4SEvN
1.- In this art you can tell a story singing
ReplyDelete2.-Greeks used to play music, to sing, to dance usic, singing, dancing, on a stage in front of a live audience.
3.-Greeks did that in order to entertain the masses.
-It is defined as the presentation of a story using the elements of music, singing, dancing, on a stage in front of a live audience.
ReplyDelete-It is an art of telling stories either through or with songs dates back to time immemorial.
- These plays had no direct effect on the development of musical theatre as we know it, they prove that musicals have been around for at least 2500 years.
Musical theater is a performance that represent a story and is accompained by music.
ReplyDelete-The greeks were the pioneers in the 5th century.
-The musical theater has been arround at least 2500 years.