Literary Analysis : ' The 2003-2004 Season And Broadway Musical Theatre '

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.

At the end of World War I, an excited America was poised for a cultural renaissance; patriotism was on the rise, the strong concept of Manifest Destiny had passed its peak of influence, and, most importantly, there had not been a clear shift in culture for decades. The Jazz Age of the 1920s was about to dawn, bringing with it youthful, risqué morals and a carefree look on life. From these ideals, a new, strongly American form of entertainment would emerge: musical theatre. Most commonly found in New York City on Broadway even to this day, musical theatre became an escape from reality and an entry into the imagination. The grand and splashy components that make up what is considered a classic Broadway musical can ultimately be traced back to Cole Porter. Porter’s writing, albeit at times controversial or raunchy, was able to harness the frantically beating heart of the Jazz Age and turn it into treasured shows. Using his unique melodies, romantic or idealistic lyrics, and his pioneering of writing about the human experience, Cole Porter shaped American music and theatre from the 1920s through the 1940s.

There’s a reason that English classes have students study Oedipus the King, A Raisin in the Sun, The Crucible, and many other titles in schools across the globe. Adding music to a story focused on a serious issue doesn’t impact the message that it carries to audiences. Musicals like Next to Normal, and South Pacific carry themes of extreme social struggle like racism and mental illness all with soundtracks that stand the test of time. What I love most about how theatre affects people is that most theatre kids are well adjusted due to the exposure to these wide ranges of themes, making them the best people to be around; theatre kids are well adjusted because of the awareness of theatre, and not necessarily juggling education and stage productions.

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

From the Ancient Greeks, to the Romans, and all the way to present day New York City, theatre is a tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years. The art of expression through live performance is something that will never go out of style. The history of Broadway is a rollercoaster with flourishing highs and devastating lows, but they both have significantly contributed to shaping the industry into the prosperous business that it is today.

The Broadway Theatre will discuss possible shows for the 2016-2017 season at a play selection committee meeting October 5. This is open to the public and will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Broadway Theatre 216 East Broadway.

Professor Wolf is the author of Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical (Oxford University Press, 2011), A Problem Like Maria: Gender and Sexuality in the American Musical (University of Michigan Press, 2002), and the co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of the American Musical (with Raymond Knapp and Mitchell Morris, 2011). She has published articles on theatre spectatorship, performance pedagogy, and musical theatre. Professor Wolf also oversees the Lewis Center’s Music Theater Lab and has experience as a director and dramaturg. Wolf holds a B.A. in English from Yale and an M.A. in Drama from the University of Virginia. She received her Ph.D. in Theatre from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Recent publications include

The History of Broadway Musicals What Is Broadway theater? Most would believe that it refers to the theaters that are located on Broadway street in New York. Surprisingly however, many Broadway theaters have moved to neighboring streets. In modern times, the definition of a Broadway theater actually refers to how many people the theater holds, as well as how much they pay the cast etc. So as a rule, a theater would be considered a Broadway if it seats at least 500 people.

A common theme in the 20th/21st century musical is their commentaries on world history, whether it is subtle, or not. These comments range from deep political messages about the current political climate of the world, to implicit ironies of past events. An example of the latter can be seen in Cabaret, when Maximillian dismisses the Nazi party as merely a means to an end, saying “Let them get rid of the Communists.” He then qualifies this statement by saying “Later, we’ll be able to control them.” The irony of Maximilian's dogmatic statements is only one example of musical’s commentary on history and the world around us.

At the age of eight, my mother took me on a trip to New York City. On it, I saw the Lin Manuel-Miranda show In the Heights. Unlike my eight-year-old self, my mother loved performing arts, and she occasionally played CD’s from musicals in the car, which I groaned about. Given this, it is not hard to imagine I was less excited than the average person to see a broadway show; however, when my mother mentioned, “Chad from High School Musical is in it,” I perked up. As I walked into the theatre, my attitude improved again from the astonishingly vast house, filled with endless rows of red, velvet chairs leading towards an expansive stage trimmed with gold. Nevertheless, I still did not appreciate the opportunity to witness a Tony Award-winning musical, as I would in three hours. When the lights dimmed, the whole theatre fell silent, yet still buzzed with anticipation.

Kander and Ebb took a great risk in using the framework of a minstrel show to tell the story in their musical The Scottsboro Boys. Various sources argue that the use of the minstrel show in Kander and Ebb’s The Scottsboro Boys hinders the audiences experience and undermines the importance of this trial. This argument is one of many and goes to show that Kander and Ebb took many risks in using the minstrel show to tell the story of the Scottsboro Boys. Other sources argue that the humor and stereotypes of the minstrel show perpetuate the boys’ lack of individuality. In the article, “Too big for Broadway?:
The limits of historical and theatrical empathy in Parade and The Scottsboro Boys,” it is argued that this lack of characterization “makes it feel as though ‘the Boys’ are being victimized, not by American racism, but by Kander and Ebb” (Stahl 76). With all of the dangers involved in the use of this racist form, it is understandable how the intention of the minstrel show can be misconstrued.

It is said in the textbook that Broadway “refers specifically to plays performed in the large theatre” (Wilson 34). Broadway is larger than off- Broadway and also off-off-Broadway; it is considered the elite and tickets are more expensive of all of the other types of Broadway theatres, because they spend a lot more creating, running plays and the salary of the actors. Furthermore, “theatre companies have been formed, and theatre facilities built, for the continuing presentation of high-quality professional productions to local residents. The performers, directors and designers are generally high-caliber artists who make theatre their Full-time profession’ (Wilson 35). While off- Broadway theatre holds fewer seats than Broadway theatre, it

Currently, I listen to a lot of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) and Pop music daily. I don’t watch musicals on TV but the high school I attended puts on a musical every March and I usually attend that musical performance. My favorite song right now is “You Owe Me” by the Chainsmokers. In this essay, I will be talking

There are many great musicals that the world has ever seen in the past years. Some have often brought us to tears while some may have brought to us to a world far beyond our imagination’s reach. In a world where television and the internet have often given us too many options to choose from as a form of entertainment, the soul and level of perfection still brought about by the broad way musicals are still one of the best for some of us.

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.