About American Musical Theater

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA is an example of a unique American art form: the musical.  Musical theater as we know it today emerged when traditional forms of music and theater from around the world and the country came together in New York City.  We’re going to take a look at this popular dramatic art form in several ways in upcoming Broadway Buzz newsletters; this issue presents a general overview of the genre and how it applies to THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA.

Music and theater have co-existed in America since colonial days, and each immigrant group brought its own entertainment to the stage.  Musical theater forms that originated in Austria, England, Ireland, Eastern Europe and elsewhere all found new life in the United States.  Homegrown musical forms sprang up throughout the nation.  From this popular mix uniquely American  forms of theatrical entertainment began to emerge in the 19th century.

The modern American musical has roots in a range of musical entertainments.  Four of the early musical theater forms, which were most popular in the young United States were:

            Operetta – which usually has romantic themes and is sung throughout with little or no dialogue

            The Revue – a show of unrelated sketches and songs, often designed to showcase the performers’ talents

            Minstrelsy—a type of comic revue featuring broad humor, stereotypes, and contemporary popular music

           Musical comedy – combines dialogue and songs with a comic overtone

By the end of World War I in 1918, all of these forms had begun to come together in new and exciting ways.  Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, American musical entertainment continued to evolve.  By the 1940s what is known as the “book musical,” a more fully integrated form, emerged.

Oklahoma! is widely considered the first book musical.  Written in 1943 by the composer Richard Rodgers (grandfather to THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA composer and lyricist Adam Guettel) and songwriter Oscar Hammerstein – who went on to write The Sound of Music, South Pacific, and many other beloved musicals – Oklahoma! told a narrative story with more depth and more fully developed characters than seen before.  It also fully integrated dialogue, song, music, and dance to tell the story.  Many musical historians consider this production the beginning of what is considered the “golden age” of musical theater.

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA is in this tradition of the book musical, along with other current shows such as Monty Python’s Spamalot or The Producers.  The book musical tells its story through as a play with spoken dialogue, which is referred to in musical theater as the “book,” as distinct from the words and music of the songs.  However, music is absolutely integral to the book musical as well.  Key moments are translated into song.  As composer/lyricist Adam Guettel explains, “most musicals function by bringing the hottest and most fervent junctures of the story into a musical vocabulary and then connecting those junctures seamlessly to the book.”  In other words, in THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA and other book musicals, spoken dialogue moves the story forward, but the most intense, most emotional, most crucial moments are told through song.

Eager to learn more about American musical theater?  Join us for our 4-week Musical Theater Masters class beginning March 7.  Each week features a different master or masters including Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber.  Registration is $55 for all four weeks; $50 for Broadway Series subscribers.  Call 216.771.4444 x. 3338 or visit www.PlayhouseSquare.org/broadwaybuzz to find out more.