Musical Theatre Ages
Taking place between 2000-2019 (or possibly to the present) this age is when we began to see more musicals based on other pieces of work, especially movies and musical albums.
What is The Contemporary Age?
These are productions which use more modern styles of music to tell a story. Although the music is usually original for the production, it may be influenced by or written by famous rock musicians. This style also helps to make an older story seem more relatable to modern day audiences.
What is a Rock Musical?
The last song in a show. This often is very emotional and leaves audiences with a powerful last impression.
What is the Finale?
This means to turn towards the audience when doing a scene.
What is Cheating Out?
This musical premiered in the Golden Age. It tells the story of a woman who leaves her convent to be a governess for a captains children. She teaches them how to sing and eventually becomes a part of their family.
What is The Sound of Music?
Taking place between 1940-1959, this is considered by many to be the peak of musical theatre. During this time, showtunes played on the radio and Broadway began to flourish. Musicals were heavy in dance numbers and embraced the development of plot.
What is The Golden Age?
This kind of musical is defined as performance where musical numbers and dances are fully integrated into a proper narrative with defined dramatic goals. In the majority of cases, the script or story is created first, and then the score (music and lyrics) is created afterwards as a way of developing the characters and furthering the narrative.
What is a Book Musical?
A popular type of song where the main character sings about how they are unsatisfied with their current life, and what they are searching for. This lays the foundation for strong character development and sets the audience's expectations for where the show might be headed.
What is the "I Want" Song?
This is an actors instruction on where to go and what to do during a scene; often given by the director.
What is Blocking?
What is The Phantom of the Opera?
Taking place between 1970-1999, this age saw a increasingly large range of musical genres. This is when big emotions started pouring out into epic/mega musicals like Miss Saigon and Les Misérables.
What is The Pre-Contemporary Age?
This type of musical is a musical created using pre-existing songs. These songs are put together to create a story. The songs may all be by the same artist or group, but can also be created by blending music by different artists. The songs can be sung in their original state; however the lyrics or the music can be adapted slightly to make them fit in better with the story.
What is a Jukebox Musical?
An orchestral piece at the beginning of an opera, suite, play, oratorio, or other extended composition.
What is the Overture?
These 4 directions tell actors where to go on stage.
What are Stage Right, Stage Left, Upstage, and Downstage?
Set in the beginning of the 20th century, this musical follows Celie from 1909-1947 as she encounters many hardships and triumphs throughout her life. Ultimately, she finds her self worth, independance, and her sister.
What is The Color Purple?
Taking place between 1920-1939, this age is when musical theatre started to become more mainstream. This was also the age of glamorous showgirls, light-hearted shows, musical revues, and larger-than-life dance numbers.
What is The Jazz Age?
This type of musical is built around a central idea or concept, often with a more experimental structure. They prioritize a theme or message over a narrative plot. The purpose is to leave the audience with something to think about, rather than to tell a story.
What is a Concept Musical?
Historically, this type of song has been an essential element of musicals giving writers a chance show off their comedic rhyming skills. This song is characterised by a moderately fast to very fast tempo with a rapid succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note.
What is the Comic or Patter Song?
Another name for the aisles.
What are Voms?
Written by Stephen Sondheim, this musical tells the story of an infamous barber and his bakery-owning accomplice as they go on a killing spree in london all to get revenge for his wife's supposed death.
What is Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street?
Taking place between 1960-1969, this age saw a major shift of style; there was a lot more experimenting, with rock musicals like Hair and more culturally diverse musicals like Fiddler on the Roof. There was also a slight shift towards musicals with deeper and more thought-provoking plots.
What is The Post-Golden Age?
This is a type of musical theatre which combines singing, dancing, music and sketches. The contents are loosely linked together by a common theme. Although it can have a storyline, this is usually weak and is normally considered to be secondary to the content of individual pieces and performances.
What is a Revue?
A penultimate number that is showstopping and gives the lead a chance to show all their talents. In many cases, these are emotionally rich moments, often at a character's lowest or most deeply-felt point in their arc, and so this is a song type that has endured across all eras and subgenres.
What is the 11 O'clock Number?
The last beat of a song
What is The Button?
This contemporary rock musical tells the story of a small family as they struggle with coming to terms with the death of their son/brother, as well as the difficulty of the mother's battle with her own mental health.
What is Next to Normal?