History of Musical Theater

History of Musical Theater

The musical as we know it is a uniquely American art form. Like America itself, the musical has been shaped by a number of global influences and evolved into its current form over the course of centuries. Today’s musical theater combines acting, dancing, and singing to tell a story. The history of musical theater spans thousands of years and reflects changing values, cultures, and technology, as well as critical historical events that always influence art.

The Music of Ancient Greek Theater

Although the apex of ancient Greek culture existed thousands of years ago, the theater played a large part then as it does in today’s society.

Greek Chorus

Just as in modern times, Greek performances included musical accompaniment in the form of an orchestra or the famous Greek chorus. Because early Greek drama festivals limited the number of performers on stage, the Greek chorus stood to the side and often included as many as 24 singers.

Accompaniment

Orchestral music was also a part of these ancient performances, usually through the use of the aulos, which is a type of oboe. Instrumental music added to the drama and enhanced the effectiveness of the storytelling process, much like it does today.

Ancient Written Music

Greek music was a precursor to written music as we know it today. Letters and letter combinations were used to represent musical notes, phrases, and rhythms.

Themes of Ancient Greek Musical Theater

The Greeks viewed music and theater as methods of describing the gods and the natural world. All Greek citizens were involved in music and theater performances as participants and spectators.

The Music of Shakespearean Theater

In comparison with the dramatic scores that are an integral part of today’s movies and stage productions, the music of Shakespearean theater may be perceived as restrained. However, music was an important component of drama in the 16th and 17th centuries, existing as more of a highlight in the drama than a mere underscore.

Powerful Connections

Audiences in Shakespeare’s time felt music deeply and believed it held a strong connection to the supernatural and celestial world. Music played an important role in the plot of early theater productions. The motif of “musical resurrection” was very popular during Shakespeare’s time and played a key part in The Winter’s Tale.

Music as a Dramatic Tool

Shakespeare and his contemporaries, including Fletcher, Heywood, Marston, and Middleton, all used music as a dramatic tool to shape meaning in their works. The bard’s Othello and Richard III both incorporate music to tell their stories. Hundreds of years ago, Shakespeare and his peers were responsible for the still-popular trend of using music as an underscore to set and change the mood.

Shakespearean Plays in New York

In 1750, one of the first theaters in New York City was opened on Nassau Street by Walter Murray and Thomas Kean. With space for 280 patrons, the actors alternated between performing operas and Shakespearean plays. Although performances were halted during the Revolutionary War, they came back with a vengeance in 1798 with the opening of the Park Theater, which had ten times the capacity of the Nassau Street theater.

Music of Minstrels, Ballad Operas, and Operettas

While performing minstrels helped spread stories through music across large areas, they did little to influence the Broadway theater that we know today. There were numerous musical stage performances in the early part of the 1700s, but none of them featured music to the extent of being known as a “musical.”

Ballad Operas

In 1728, The Beggar’s Operabecame wildly popular by combining the melodies of popular songs with lyrics that spoofed the respectable citizens of the time, portraying them as common thieves. This early form of the musical overtook the early American stages well into the 1800s, along with other English ballad operas, pantomimes, and burlettas.

Influential Operettas

The French and Viennese operettas of the 19th century provided a solid basis for the musical as we know it today. Jacques Offenbach’s satirical pieces and Johann Strauss II’s romantic comedies were early iterations of the musical that achieved popularity on an international scale.

Variety Shows

The Broadway musical as a genre based its form on operettas, but its soul came from the variety shows that were wildly popular in the early years of the post-Revolutionary United States. Minstrel and variety shows were often coarse in nature but were effective in their objective of entertaining the masses. Their songs and dances were lively and fun but lacked a cohesive structure or story, which would come later to shape the musicals of today.

Contribution of Immigrants

The American Melting Pot played a huge role in the evolution of musical theater. Immigrant groups mostly lacked opportunities for employment or advancement, and the upper classes believed performing as a profession was unbecoming, so theater became an escape from poverty for many talented new Americans. George M. Cohan, whose grandparents were Irish immigrants in the late 1800s, launched the genre of musical theater in the early 20th century. Irving Berlin, who immigrated from Russia as a child, wrote thousands of songs and 17 complete musical scores.

Family Entertainment Void

By the late 1880s, the American public was hungry for entertainment. Variety shows were considered too rowdy or bawdy for the sensitive eyes and ears of women and children. At the same time, the popularity of minstrel shows was declining.

Division of Classes

New York City audience preferences for entertainment were divided according to class. The upper class and upper middle class preferred opera, the middle class attended melodramas and minstrel shows, and the working class would attend variety shows performed in concert saloons.

Vaudeville

Tony Pastor, a devoted father and Catholic, developed a family-friendly variety show that ran weekly in Manhattan’s Union Square theaters. An instant success, his shows drew theater-goers of all ages and from all classes. Other entrepreneurial producers followed suit, building ornate theaters throughout the region and using Pastor’s format to create a continuous run of daily performances they dubbed “Vaudeville.”

Musicals in the 20th Century

Broadway music has a distinctive sound, and its lyrics have developed into a unique form of poetry, with catchphrases and stanzas that have become ingrained in the American lexicon. The musicals of Broadway have evolved over the centuries to become the successful and beloved genre of today.

1920s

In early musicals, the songs needed to be catchy, amusing, and an effective vehicle for dancers, singers, or comedians. The hallmark musical of the 1920s was Showboat, which represented another shift in the genre. With completely integrated book and score, Showboat featured singing, comedy, and extravagant production numbers expertly intertwined with dramatic themes. Other popular shows of the period include Sally, Dearest Enemy, A Connecticut Yankee,  and Treasure Girl.

1930s

By the 1930s, the musical’s libretto achieved central importance. One of the most noted shows of the decade, Anything Goes, showcases the music of Cole Porter including the classic “I Get a Kick Out of You” and the title piece, “Anything Goes.” The New Yorkers, Me and My Girl, and The Cradle Will Rock are other definitive musicals of the era.

1940s

The end of the Great Depression brought changes in the presentation of musicals. Oklahoma! accomplished this with a full integration of all elements of musical theater, particularly with songs that furthered the plot and dances that added to character development, instead of simply providing a vehicle for showy costumes. It received a Pulitzer Prize, broke box office records, and became a milestone in the history of musical theater. Other popular musicals of the 40s include Cabin in the Sky, Up in Central Park, and Miss Liberty.

1950s

By the 1950s, thanks to the expertise that Rodgers and Hammerstein displayed in crafting narratives, the songs in musicals began to support the characters and plots instead of the other way around. Considered the “Golden Age” of musicals, show tunes were so popular they played on public radio. Guys & Dolls is one of the most popular musicals of all time and is also one of the first to employ the use of colloquialisms in its dialogue. Other popular musicals from the period include A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, and West Side Story.

1960s

The drastic cultural shifts of the 1960s brought audiences a diverse period of musical theater. In the first half of the decade, shows like How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying used the elements of Golden Age musicals to comment on cultural and societal issues. In the later half of the decade, musicals like Hair continued this cultural commentary, using pop and rock music to expand the definition of what a musical could sound like. The musical that best defines the decade as a whole is Sweet Charity, which features Bob Fosse’s choreography and a lounge-type score by Cy Coleman. The musical begins with hope and optimism and ends with cynical notes setting a new tone for more serious shows that would follow in the 1970s. Additional musicals popular during this decade include Camelot, Fiddler on the Roof, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

1970s

By the 1970s, disco and rock music had gained the attention of the American public, and interest in musicals waned. At the end of the decade, Evita was created by the combined genius of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Following the life of Argentina’s Eva Peron, the musical was a slick masterpiece of technology and stagecraft. The expensive production turned a huge profit, won 7 Tony Awards, and ushered in the age of the mega-musical. Other musicals typical of the era include Applause, Grease, Sugar, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Wiz, and Chicago.

1980s

The “decade of greed” that ushered in both bubble gum pop and glam rock also supported the rise of the “pop opera,” shows which minimized dialogue and dance in favor of dramatic, sung-through librettos. Phantom of the Opera is the perfect example of the 80s focus on romance and drama. Other 80s musicals include Les Miserables, Cats, Little Shop of Horrors, Fame, and Miss Saigon.

1990s

Rentis widely accepted as the defining musical theater piece of the 1990s. The rock score is definitively 90s, and the themes are all based on important issues of the time, specifically the AIDS epidemic. Younger audiences identified closely with the musical and its issues and voices.

Rent brought commercial success to the genre and signified a new merging of pop music and theater music, which had been divided since the 1950s. Jukebox musicals like Mamma Mia! and Schoolhouse Rock Live! were big hits of the time period, taking songs that audiences already knew and loved, and weaving them into new stories. Another big trend of the 90s were Disney musicals, such as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.

2000s

With a tense political climate following the events of September 11th, the theater offered an opportunity for fantasy and escape, and musical theater fit the bill. Wicked took the cherished book The Wizard of Oz and spun an origin story with a moral about prejudice and judging people based on their appearances. This was a popular trend for the period, seen in many other shows including The Producers, The Full Monty, The Witches of Eastwick, Urinetown, Hairspray, We Will Rock You, and Jersey Boys.

2010s

There is little question that the defining musical of the last decade is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Hamilton. With a brilliantly written hip-hop score and intentionally color-blind casting of America’s founding fathers, the musical tells a compelling story with only a bit of dramatic license. More importantly, the wildly popular production made the musical as a genre accessible to a whole new audience. Other 2010 musicals include James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, Aladdin, The Book of Mormon, Let It Be, and American Psycho.

Movie Musicals

The most recent trend for Broadway musical theater is the return to the movie musical.

Stage Productions to Movies

While it’s difficult to duplicate the magic of live theater, a film adaptation is able to devote a large budget and special effects to bring new life to a musical. When a successful Broadway production goes to the silver screen, it brings the genre to a wider audience. Popular musicals that have become films include Hairspray, The King and I, Mamma Mia!, Dreamgirls, and Sweeney Todd, among others.

Movie to Stage Production

The reverse also results in successful hits, as popular movies are turned into Broadway musicals on stage, introducing the genre to a younger generation. Disney has had a run of movies that have turned into long-running, popular live theater productions, including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and High School Musical. In addition, crowd-pleasing favorites like Mean Girls, Heathers, Legally Blonde, and Beetlejuice combine the movies audiences love with original music to create an immersive live show that feels both fresh and familiar.

The history of musicals shows the changes in the genre since its humble beginnings in ancient Greek theater. What we have today is a true art form with roots in music, literature, drama, and dance. As musicals are shared with a wider audience, they will only grow in popularity and solidify their place in the hearts of the American public.