| Musical theatre is a form of theatre | | | | is a good example). While an opera singer is |
| combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and | | | | primarily a singer and only secondarily an |
| dance. The emotional content of the piece | | | | actor, a musical theatre singer is usually an |
| – humor, pathos, love, anger – | | | | actor first, who can at least hold a tune and |
| as well as the story itself, is communicated | | | | "put over" a song, but is often not a |
| through the words, music, movement and | | | | professional singer as such. Composers of |
| technical aspects of the entertainment as an | | | | music for musicals often have to take the |
| integrated whole. | | | | limitations of such performers into account, |
| | | | and theatres staging musicals generally use |
| Musical theatre works, usually referred to as | | | | amplification of the actors' singing voices |
| "musicals", are performed around the world. | | | | in a way that would normally be disapproved |
| They may be presented in large venues, such | | | | of in an operatic context. |
| as big budget West End and Broadway theatre | | | | |
| productions in London and New York City, or | | | | In isolation, at least, none of these |
| in smaller Off-Broadway or regional | | | | features is truly "defining", and in practice |
| productions, on tour, or by amateur groups in | | | | it is often difficult to distinguish among |
| schools, theatres and other performance | | | | the various kinds of light musical theatre, |
| spaces. In addition to Britain and the U.S., | | | | including "operetta", "comic opera", "light |
| there are vibrant musical theatre scenes in | | | | opera", "musical play", "musical comedy", |
| Germany, Austria, France, Canada, Japan, | | | | "burlesque", "travesty", and even "revue". |
| Eastern Europe, Australia, and other places. | | | | Some works (e.g. by Leonard Bernstein and |
| | | | Stephen Sondheim) have received both "musical |
| Some famous musicals include Oklahoma!, The | | | | theatre" and "operatic" treatment. Similarly, |
| Sound of Music, West Side Story, Les | | | | some older operettas or light operas have had |
| Misérables, Cats, The Phantom of the | | | | modern productions or adaptations that |
| Opera, Rent, and The Producers. | | | | treated them very much as musicals. Sondheim |
| | | | said, "I really think that when something |
| The three main components of a musical are | | | | plays Broadway it's a musical, and when it |
| the music, the lyrics, and the book. The book | | | | plays in an opera house it's opera. That's |
| of a musical refers to the "play" or story of | | | | it. It's the terrain, the countryside, the |
| the show - in effect its spoken (not sung) | | | | expectations of the audience that make it one |
| lines; however, "book" can also refer to the | | | | thing or another." This article primarily |
| dialogue and lyrics together, which are | | | | concerns musical theatre works that are |
| sometimes referred to (as in opera) as the | | | | distinctively "non-operatic", but there |
| libretto (Italian for “little | | | | inescapably remains some overlap between |
| bookâ€). The music and lyrics together | | | | lighter operatic forms and the more musically |
| form the score of the musical. The | | | | complex or ambitious musicals: a grey area, |
| interpretation of the musical by the creative | | | | in which production values are almost as |
| team heavily influences the way that the | | | | important as actual musical or dramatic |
| musical is presented. The creative team | | | | content in defining into which artform the |
| includes a director, a musical director and | | | | piece falls. |
| usually a choreographer. A musical's | | | | |
| production is also creatively characterized | | | | As with a well-crafted operetta or opera, a |
| by technical aspects, such as set, costumes, | | | | "book" musical's moments of greatest dramatic |
| stage properties, lighting, etc. that | | | | intensity are often performed in song. |
| generally change from production to | | | | Proverbially, "when the emotion becomes too |
| production (although some famous production | | | | strong for speech (or recitative) you sing; |
| aspects tend to be retained from the original | | | | when it becomes too strong for song, you |
| production, for example, Bob Fosse's | | | | dance." A song is (ideally at any rate) |
| choregraphy in Chicago). | | | | crafted to suit the character (or characters) |
| | | | and their situation within the story; |
| There is no fixed length for a musical, and | | | | although there have been times in the history |
| it can range from a short one-act | | | | of the musical (e.g. the 1920s) when this |
| entertainment to several acts and several | | | | integration between music and story has been |
| hours in length (or even a multi-evening | | | | very tenuous. |
| presentation); however, most musicals range | | | | |
| from one and a half hours to three hours. | | | | A show very often opens with a song that sets |
| Musicals today are typically presented in two | | | | the tone of the musical, introduces some or |
| acts, with one intermission ten to 20 minutes | | | | all of the major characters, and shows the |
| in length. The first act is almost always | | | | setting of the play. Within the compressed |
| somewhat longer than the second act, and | | | | nature of the musical, the writers must |
| generally introduces most of the music. A | | | | develop the characters and the plot. Music |
| musical may be built around 4-6 main theme | | | | provides a means to express emotion. However, |
| tunes that are reprised throughout the show, | | | | typically, many fewer words are sung in a |
| or consist of a series of songs not directly | | | | five-minute song than are spoken in a |
| musically related. Spoken dialogue is | | | | five-minute block of dialogue. Therefore |
| generally interspersed between musical | | | | there is less time to develop drama than in a |
| numbers, although the use of "sung dialogue" | | | | straight play of equivalent length, since a |
| or recitative is not unknown, especially in | | | | musical usually devotes more time to music |
| so-called "sung-through" musicals. | | | | than to dialogue. |
| | | | |
| Musical theatre is closely related to another | | | | Many familiar musical theatre works have been |
| theatrical performance art, opera. These | | | | the basis for popular musical films, such as |
| forms are usually distinguished by weighing a | | | | The Sound of Music, West Side Story, and My |
| number of factors. Musicals generally have a | | | | Fair Lady (although some movie musicals have |
| greater focus on spoken dialogue (though some | | | | been disappointing, as compared to the stage |
| musicals are entirely accompanied and sung | | | | works) or were adapted or even written for |
| through, such as Jesus Christ Superstar and | | | | television presentations (for example Rodgers |
| Les Misérables; and on the other hand some | | | | and Hammerstein's Cinderella). Recently, some |
| operas, such as Die Zauberflöte, and most | | | | popular television programs have set an |
| operettas, have some unaccompanied dialogue), | | | | episode in the style of a musical. There has |
| on dancing (particularly by the principal | | | | also been a recent revival of the movie |
| performers as well as the chorus), on the use | | | | musical, such as Chicago. Similarly, India |
| of various genres of popular music (or at | | | | produces numerous musical films, referred to |
| least popular singing styles), and on the | | | | as "Bollywood" musicals, and Japan produces a |
| avoidance of certain operatic conventions. In | | | | considerable number of Anime stage musicals. |
| particular, a musical is almost never | | | | Conversely, there has been a trend in recent |
| performed in any but the language of its | | | | decades to adapt musicals from the screen to |
| audience. Musicals produced in London or New | | | | the stage, both from popular animated film |
| York, for instance, are invariably sung in | | | | musicals, such as Beauty and the Beast) and |
| English, even if they were originally written | | | | live-action films, such as The Producers and |
| in another language (again, Les | | | | The Color Purple. |
| Misérables, originally written in French, | | | | |