Hit Broadway Concert: One Girl's American Dream

Before the 20th century, people used music and dancing to tell stories, but it had nothing to do with developing musical theater. Musical theatre is a type of play that tells a story through songs, spoken dialogue, and dancing. During the 20th century, there was a lot of change going on in Musical Theatre. Musicals are different from other types of stage works such as opera because a musical would not be a musical without the music, story line, or dancing. European operetta was becoming more popular than American Musical Theatre. The two main types of opera that were being made were called ballad operas and comic operas which had romantic plots. American composers sought to come up with something new, since Musical Theatre was not very popular with the general public. There were a lot of components that helped shape musical theatre in America , but most think that it was mainly developed because of the different tastes developing, likeable styles, spirit and energy by composers in America, it was not. Although musical theaters origins are not certain, Musical theatre gradually developed using influences of ballad opera, comic opera, operetta, vaudeville, and burlesque.

Broadway was one of the first forms of entertainment. Before there were television programs, or movies, there was Broadway. Broadway originated in New York in 1750, when actor-manager Walter Murray built a theatre company at the Theatre on Nassau Street. A musical would show about once every weekend. The shows were very male based, and would commonly show a relationship between young boys and their fathers. Women were slowly integrated into Broadway, and as society changed its point of view on women, so did theatre.

In 1951, Frank Loesser’s Guys & Dolls opened and received what were said to be “the most unanimously ecstatic set of reviews in Broadway history” (Block 200). For a show whose development included disappointing librettos from eleven different writers, this feat was truly unbelievable (Lewis 73). The unprecedented success of Guys & Dolls and its ability to remain culturally significant, as a popularly revived piece, is the product of several attributes unique to this show. The unusual writing progression that led to a truly integrated libretto in terms of the relationship of the score to the text, Loesser’s assimilation of a unified, yet distinctive style of speech into his lyrics for the

Sadly when I arrived at the theater I was not even sure I would be able to focus on the show, for my mother who was meant to see this production with me yet was unable to. Due to unforeseeable circumstances that neither one of us could for see and so with all of this hanging over head I was really hoping to get a laugh from this play, which it did. This was not the first time that I had come to see a play at Boise Little Theater, but definitely this was the first time that I had done it on my own. Which was a tad

As the lights dimmed and the music began, I realized that my dreams were becoming a reality. I knew each of the songs, the names of every cast member, and the sequence of events. The story, which was based off the Italian opera La Boheme, was fresh in my mind. I could picture each of the characters, Roger, Mark, Mimi, and all the others, long before they took the stage.

The show later moved to Broadway at the John Golden Theatre. Since the success of the show it has been performed all across the world by professional and amature audiences. The target audience are millennials because it deals with issues that millennials find important. The New York Times states “the musical appeals most to people between 12-40.”Similarly, the show was produced

Guys and Dolls is an iconic musical that first opened almost sixty-five years ago. Not only has it endured the test of time, but it has thrived throughout the years, winning many awards and enjoying several revivals in numerous different theatres since its first run. It remains today a popular musical, often produced around the country in community and professional theatre alike. However, although having the capabilities necessary for this production, Signature Theatre is not likely to put on a production of Guys and Dolls at this time, due to their focus on contemporary or modern work rather than classical musicals.

This production is produced by Roundabout Theater Company. RTC is the nation’s largest theater non-profit. This organization has both Off-Broadway and Broadway productions running simultaneously. For this Roundabout Theater Company production, Sydney Beers is the general manager. She is on the executive staff for the company and is the general manager on all current Roundabout productions. Michael J. Passarro is the Production Stage Manager and Pat Snow is the Assistant Stage Manager. Both of these people are season professionals in the field and have worked together on many other shows such as Evita, The River and Pippin on Broadway.

This is Max’s fourth and final musical here with the OHS Players. He was previously seen dancing a ballet sequence as Older Billy in Billy Elliot, just before becoming Judge Hathorne in The Crucible. Outside of theatre, Max loves dancing, music, and spending time with those he loves. He would especially like to thank Mr. K, Karl, Mrs. Kauffeld, Mr. L, Mrs. Luciani, his family, and his friends for the countless amount of love, support, and opportunities they gave him along this journey of his. Max hopes you enjoy the show, and always remember you can really change the world if you care

Although the theater appears to be a bit crowded, the stage is setup with subtlety amid a band led by Cedric. Lyles. The production’s costumes were planned by McAllister himself which appears like a late-night party at a Victoria Secret show. This show is indeed fun and entertaining.

Castillo's and Weaver’s approach to historical insight is through the lense of an English major; focusing on the analysis of dramatic writing and popular plays of the era they study. While Castillo’s book, Performing America, looked more at Spanish influence to and from the New World Weaver’s work focuses on Shakespeare and how the British influenced and were influenced by the Natives of the New World. As Weaver examines with his mentioning of the four Native kings that visited Britain, the notion of Natives was only ever established as fiction, something only seen in theater or from stories1. This idea that Natives were something so different made them like celebrities, or it made them viewed as savages before they can even be understood.

Two great writers of American musical theatre, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, had one idea in common. They wanted to present to the American public a new and revolutionary musical that would stand out above the rest. They wanted to make an impact on the societies of the era. They wanted to be creative and do something that was considered rebellious. When they finally combined their ideas together they created an American masterpiece in musical theatre: Oklahoma!. It was the first Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration, starting the most successful creative partnership in the history of American musical theatre.

I have chosen to attend the musical Wicked, on February 8, 2018, as one of my concert reports. During this production of Wicked the two main characters, Elphaba ("Elfie") and Glinda, were played by Jackie Burns and Amanda Jane Cooper. The Broadway musical featured the songs Popular, The Wizard and I, and Defying Gravity. Musicals are simply just plays that have dancing and songs included to add to the excitement and thrill, allowing the ballads of Wicked to enhance the storyline. For example, the song Popular was a song sung to tell the audience about how Glinda was going to help Elphaba become popular and how Glinda had plans to do "everything that really counts to be popular.

The small cast and crew at A.Y. Jackson collaborated to create a highly realistic and impactful rendition of this classic play.

Laugh and sing along with a boy band parody of biblical proportions in a performance full of foot-stomping music and high-energy dance. This award-winning original musical boasts a lighthearted soundtrack worthy of today’s Top 40 charts and humor that is perfect for the whole family. Grab your tickets now for a show that’s as heavenly as it is