Musical (noun): a stage, television, or film production utilising popular style songs to either tell a story or to showcase the talent of writers and/or performers, with dialogue optional.
Elements of a Musical
Music and Lyrics - the songs
Book/Libretto - the connected story expressed in script or dialogue
Choreography - the dance
Staging - all stage movements
Physical Production - the sets, costumes, and technical aspects
Showtunes have been around for 2,500 years starting in Greece. Greek dramas use dialogue, song dance integrated in their storytelling. A lot of greek playwrights were also composers and lyricists too. Athenian musical theatre died due to the Peloponnesian War which led Athens defeated in 404 B.C.E.
Musical Theatre Timeline
1700's-1800's
In the 1700's- 1800's Opera became very fashionable to the upper classes in Europe.
Late 1800's
The first known musical was The Black Crook by Charles M. Barrs which ran for 474 performances.
1920-1930
Musicals were starting to become more known in this era. Some famous musicals include Oklahoma! and No, No, Nanette.
Mid 1900s
Composer Stephan Sondheim was influenced by the change to rock and roll music. Arthur Laurents and Sondheim wrote West Side Story in 1957.
1987
Les Miserable the world's most well known musical opened not long after The Phantom of the Opera opened in 1988. They both still remain the longest running musicals in the West End.
2000s
A lot of musicals are now adapted from films. Musical such as Legally Blonde, Shrek and more successfully The Lion King.
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