The Musical Essay

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.

When I was in fifth grade, I was caught between two worlds, playing a woodwind or string instrument. If I played a woodwind instrument I would have to blow in it to make music, but string instruments are played with a bow to make music. After much thought, I decided that the violin was the best instrument for me, because it has a beautiful, unique sound, plus the possibilities are never-ending. I could receive a compliment from a teacher, or even get accepted to the symphony.

the rest of the century. As you watch these videos notice how musicals come to represent

Newsies, a classic musical based on the late 1800’s is a very entertaining and family friendly musical-- except for the few profane words. On a cloudy, partially rainy saturday morning, I laid out on the couch and watched the movie from the comfort of my own home. I was hesitant to watch this movie because I am not much of a musical person. About midway through I found myself at the edge of my seat hypnotized by the movie. As the movie drew to an end, I was completely sucked in and waited for something more. The movie I so dreadfully did not want to watch became something I did not want to end.  In this movie the director and composer correlated their scenes and music perfectly together to touch the thoughts and emotions of the audience watching.

Jukebox musicals began in film and later shifted to theatre. They had begun to make theatre more popular with the public, which had begun to gravitate towards film and music. By combining the two, they gain some of the same as well as a whole new audience. I will discuss how this came to be by speaking of the shift that occurred.

Satirical on every level, Bob Fosse's 1972 film Cabaret redefines the previously accepted genre of the musical. Using the songs and routines as cunning tools of social commentary the musical numbers both predict and interpret the world of Berlin in 1931.

In 1965 Robert Wise presented the world with his smashing box office hit film, The Sound of Music. Over time it has become known as one of the most loved and well-known musicals of all time. Shortly after its release it won many Academy awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Sound, Best Adapted Score, Best Film Editing, Best Film-Musical, Best Color Cinematography, and Best Costume design (Freiden par3). The movie is based upon the true story of the VonTrapp family and allows its audience to relive their family experience as well as their flight from Nazism just before the outbreak of World War Two.

The musical film has always held a special place for me. From my time as a drama student in high school, my eyes have been opened to the amazing world of the musical and especially the musical film. The musical film is a film genre in which the characters sing songs that are integrated into the overall story. Since musicals first began in theaters, musical films usually contain similar elements. These elements often simulate that there is a live audience watching. In a sense, the film viewers become the audience members, at a theater production, as the actor performs directly to them. Due to the popularity of musicals in the theater, the style was quickly brought over into film. In 1927, the musical film genre began

A musical film is a genre of movie where songs sung by characters are added into the storyline, occasionally complemented by choreography. The musical numbers in these films do not always develop the plot and characters, but they do give the films a more exciting quality. The primary difference between musical theatre and film musicals is the use of extravagant scenery that would be extraordinarily unreasonable for a stage performance. While making movies, the individuals involved have the luxury of being able to shoot multiple takes and have the time to move backgrounds around or change their entire location. Stage performances, on the other hand, must have scenery that can be easily and efficiently moved on and offstage when it is needed. In order to be able to thoroughly comprehend this relatively recent- in the grand scheme of things- form of entertainment, one should understand the history behind these musical films, be aware of some of the “big names” that are well-known, and recognize major titles that revolutionized musical film forever (Scaruffi, P., 2005).

has been recognized as a new kind of musical play that denied its Broadway audiences many of their most treasured traditions, says David Ewen in American Musical Theatre. There was no opening chorus line, no chorus until midway through the first act, in fact. There was rather a serious ballet and other serious overtones, including a killing in act two. The story, which was so simple, seemed to engage the audience in more than mere evening diversion. (248) These changes, far from disappointing to viewers, were upheld by a success that had never been seen in the history of musical theatre.

Stacy Wolfe's manifesto offers eleven ideas for studying musicals. Out of the eleven ideas I belive two and nine are the more apparent ideas, but for this discussion I will emphasize on the nineth idea. This idea states that the work is made up of several artists and in order to truly understand this work one must also understand the influences and biographies of this artists. This docuementary put a lot of emphasize on the artist behind the production and reasons why they created a certain character or scene a certain wa and how Green day play a role in shaping the production.

What makes for a classic Hollywood film? Increasingly, films have evolved to the point where the standard by which one calls a “classic Hollywood film” has evolved over time. What one calls a classic film by yesterday’s standards is not the same as that of today’s standards. The film Casablanca is no exception to this. Although David Bordwell’s article, “Classical Hollywood Cinema” defines what the classical Hollywood film does, the film Casablanca does not exactly conform to the very definition that Bordwell provides the audience with in his article. It is true that the film capers closely to Bordwell’s definition, but in more ways than not, the film diverges from Bordwell’s definition of the typical Hollywood film.

“film about films and about itself” (Page, 2005). This is also exemplified by "Singing in the

There has been ongoing debate on whether the West End has brought economic gain or subsidies would bring more gain elsewhere. In response to the article written by Michael Billington, titled "The West End theatre boom is not all good news"(Billington, 2011), this article would stand against it. Looking at the West End, Billington's view of monotonous sameness is sound. Ever since the article was written (2009), it is still musicals with a sprinkling of plays and nothing written between the 1800s and the 1920s. Some of these musicals seem quite banal particularly when compared to the Shakespearian classics. There is, for instance, "Ghost" and a boy trying to communicate through his psychic; "Dreamcoats and petticoats"; and "legally blond". The rated top 10 musicals all reflect contemporaneous living in either a fantasy, humorous, or deeper vein. The feel-good "Mamma Mia" is a favorite; "We will rock you" another; whilst surprises include "the Lion King" and "Shrek'. Shakespeare and other illustrious British classics have long made their bow off the stage.

Jacques Demy’s Les Demoiselles de Rochefort is a whirlwind of color, light, joy, design, and music. It’s a visual tour-de-force, a treat for the eyes. It’s also similar, in many respects, to the work of Vincente Minnelli. Minnelli, especially with his musicals, carefully designed every little detail. For him, the mise-en-scene was paramount, so much so that character development would be expressed through the scenery. For example, Gene Kelly literally brings color wherever he goes in American in Paris. In Minnelli’s world, the worst thing a character can do is bring ugliness. Beauty was key. But that’s not to say that Minnelli’s films were light and fluffy. Even his airier films, like The Pirate, had tonal complexity. Demy’s musical world is also highly stylized and designed. Everything looks extremely artificial and character joy matches their outfits. But it’s not completely the same to Minnelli’s world. For one, this musical is very happy. Cares and worries are taken away through musical numbers. Characters have a formal idea of the perfect man or woman. But Demy still manages to achieve tonal complexity, just in a slightly weirder way.