The majority of musicals that receive positive feedback in the Broadway industry are so popular because of their ability to relate and appeal to their audiences. I can attest to the popularity from my own experiences with and in musicals. For example, Dear Evan Hansen is a musical that is rapidly growing to be known to the public as one of the best musicals of all time. It is based off of a true story about the modern day trials and tribulations of high school life. A normal high school student Evan suffers from social anxiety and lacks motivation to make any emotional connections with anyone. One of Evan’s classmates commits suicide and Evan becomes involved in the tragedy. The concept for this story was based off of true events that occurred …show more content…
The digital age has caused a shift in the way musical theatre is marketed and who it is marketed to. Pasek and Justin Paul, who wrote the music and lyrics for Dear Evan Hansen, are part of a new and young generation of musical theatre writers who try to connect with potential audiences and the existing fanbase. ***“Original musicals are really tough to write. What we tried to do is write a story that would appeal to us and to our generation” (Pasek) The writers and the show are active on several social media platforms and encourage fans to record covers of Dear Evan Hansen’s popular songs. Since technology and social media are themes addressed in the show itself, it seems appropriate that the writers are using it for promotion. This method of using social media as promotion and advertisement for the show has seemed to be productive in the economic standpoint and popularity and seems to have already become more popular than one of the biggest Broadway shows, Hamilton in some ways. Although Dear Evan Hansen has a long way to go before it outpaces the modern Broadway darling Hamilton, it is already on track to be a huge
Michael Paulson, a well-known American journalist recently wrote a piece for the New York Times in September of 2015 called “This Broadway Season, Diversity Is Front and Center”. This piece focuses on the uprising of people from different races being introduced and playing roles in Broadway shows. Paulson asserts this positive statement by providing the reader with many examples of upcoming/present diverse Broadway shows and explaining how the audience can connect with these cultural stories. Paulson also establishes a friendly and highly proud tone when informing his readers that the lack of diversity on Broadway is overcoming; reassuring that indeed times are changing.
Sharon M. Draper, in the book Tears of a Tiger, writes about four teenage boys from Hazelwood High School and how the tragedy of one of the boy’s death ends another… After a big basketball game the boys go out and share a cold pack of beer with each other; only one of them didn’t drink, they were being reckless boys, And because the driver was drinking and driving they had a serious accident; crashing into a wall the car caught on fire, and one of the boy’s (Rob) died that night because he became stuck in the car, Andy, Rob’s best friend tried to help him out of the car but B.J didn’t let him, he saw that the car was going to catch on fire. (9).
Anthony’s parents held him back a year, because the guys in his class were horrible. The guys would make fun of him and call him names because of the way Anthony dressed and acted. Anthony would come home after school everyday crying because his friends were no longer his friends. He also cried because he was confused about what was happening, it realized it was not normal to like guys. Throughout high school, Anthony began to accept himself, but there was always a part of him that he kept hidden.
Summary- Simon Kelleher is the author of the gossip page About That, in which he spreads secrets and hateful comments about his peers at Bayview High School. One day in afterschool detention, Simon has an allergic reaction and dies. Four students witnessed his death, Bronwyn, Addy, Nate, and Cooper, who were all in detention after they were caught with phones in class. The Police find that there was peanut oil in the cup that Simon had drunk out of, and they realize that it was not just a coincidence. Someone had posted online that Simon’s death was not just a coincidence and that one of the four students who were in detention with Simon was the murderer.
In 1943, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s first collaborative musical production, Oklahoma! grabbed the audience’s attention from its first premiere, making the front page of PM Newspaper: “New Musical Plays Up Homespun U.S.A.” In lieu of World War I and the Depression, the theater-writing team of Rodgers and Hammerstein believed it was the perfect time to revitalize American morale through song, dance, and an entertaining plot. How did Rodgers and Hammerstein’s collaboration on their first musical, Oklahoma!, influence musical theater and entertainment in America? While reviving the American spirit, Rodgers and Hammerstien broke from the traditions of past musical creations and created a new musical comedy communicating American ideals
His pieces are branded by “the intensity and compactness of their expression and wide variety of mood” ranging from reflective and emotional to upbeat and comical. “He had the ability to make the most complex movement appear effortless, and totally reflective of the musical score, as if it were created spontaneously for that exact moment in time” (New York City Ballet). One of Jerome Robbins biggest impacts on the world of musical theater was that he redefined theater dance “as an integrated, dramatic element of musicals, setting out to demonstrate that artists like himself need not divide their artistic works from their commercial works, but could create at their highest level for the Broadway stage” (Smith). Robbins had a curious mind and wanted to “explore new influences and ideas”
A lot of developments were being made in the 1942-1945 time period. The US started to really get involved with World War ll, and race wars were breaking out in a number of major cities. Even with all of this madness going on Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein ll were able to create two beautiful shows, Oklahoma! and Carousel. These two amazing pieces of theatre have some dynamic characters that shed light on the rural American economic, social, and sexual complexities of that time.
Andrew Lloyd Webber has become a household name throughout the entire world. Not only do people flock to see his shows, but the pure fact that people outside of the theatre world know the composer of certain musicals is an accomplishment in itself. He has changed the musical theatre world. Some call him a “Broadway master” because his musical Phantom of the Opera surpassed his own record for the musical Cats to now hold the record for the longest running musical on Broadway as well as London’s West End ( Snelson 1).
Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical "Hamilton," inspired by Alexander Hamilton - one of America's founding fathers - has had a lasting effect on American culture and politics. Combining hip-hop, R&B music and other elements, the show tells Hamilton's tale through vibrant imagery. Lin-Manuel Miranda was deeply affected by his social and cultural environment, creating a musical that captures the aesthetic, political values of its time while reflecting those same cultural traits. Musicals fall within the genres of historical fiction and musical theater, each having their own distinct stylistic, dramatic, and formal characteristics. This analysis will explore the cultural and aesthetic values, as well as the historical background, of the musical "Hamilton," to gain a more in-depth appreciation for its impact. "
The dialogue and lyrics are straightforward and full of ironic elements, which bring a lot of fun to enjoy. The transition from lines into a song is pretty smooth. For example, when Shrek is “hurt” by what Fiona says and his anger reaches a climax, he naturally starts to sing to express his emotion. In addition, the music, which embraces several styles such as pop, rock and jazz, also add dynamics into the show. So in sum, the writing of the show is well-done.
Jessie and Evan never really had fought until this lemonade war. Each of them soon figured out what things bothered each other, like who they didn’t like. One day Jessie and Evan began to fight and both of them promised they would not fight around their mother, while they were fighting in the kitchen they heard their mom walking down. Their mom knew they were fighting but they told her they weren’t. Immediately both of them realized that they made a mistake and they regretted it.
The dialogue and lyrics are straightforward and full of ironic elements, which bring a lot of fun to enjoy. The transition from lines into a song is pretty smooth. For example, when Shrek is “hurt” by what Fiona says and his anger reaches a climax, he naturally starts to sing to express his emotion. In addition, the music, which embraces several styles such as pop, rock and jazz, also add dynamics into the show. So in sum, the writing of the show is appealing.
Music and the arts were heavily involved into Jonathan Larson’s life as a child and young adult. He was born February 4, 1961, in White Plains, New York, and was always musically inclined as a child. His parents found it vital to involve musical theatre into Jonathan and his sister Julie’s childhood. The Encyclopedia of World Biography states that “when Larson was a child; he was taken to see a children’s version of La Boheme, Giacomo Puccini’s opera about a group of struggling young artists or “Bohemians.” From that seed, the idea that would become Rent, slowly germinated over the next two decades” (Jonathan Larson).
The story starts off dealing with poverty. Oscar Grant has lost his job due to being repeatedly late to work. He realizes that there are implications to being unemployed. He has various obligations including a daughter and it seems a sister who he feels obliged to help out.
Two songs that I would argue stood out to me the most within the musical A Chorus Line were “I Can Do That” and “Dance Ten, Looks Three”. “I Can Do That” to me describes how anyone that is in the industry of theatre essentially got their start. Without trying to generalize, it often seems that there was a pivotal moment that showed to a person or a character