Modern Music Theatre Flashcards
Sondheim in the 70’s:
A lot of Sondheim’s musicals were experimental and new, which bought a lot of attention. Name 3 musicals and a characteristic
‘A little night music’ - all in triple time, drawn from long songs/waltz similar to Operetta
‘The Frogs’ - Ancient Greek comedy
‘A funny thing happened on the way to the forum’ - Roman Comedy
‘Pacific Overtures’ - Kabuki and/or Noh Theatre (asian theatre) blended with Western style.
Sondheim in the 70’s:
What is interesting about ‘A little night music’ 1973.
Score written in triple time, similar to the waltz, drawing on love songs associated with Operetta.
Sondheim in the 70’s:
‘The Frogs’ 1974 is based on what
Ancient Greek comedy
Sondheim in the 70’s:
‘A Funny thing happened on the way to the Forum’ 1962 is based on what
Ancient Roman Comedy
Sondheim in the 70’s:
What is interesting about ‘Pacific Overtures’? 1976
It is inspired by Kabuki and Noh theatre (Ancient Japanese Theatre) at the time, asian theatre was starting to blend with the western genre.
Who wrote ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’, 1979 ?
Music and Lyrics were by Stephen Sondheim and the book by Hugh Wheeler.
What is interesting, musically, about ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’, 1979 ?
It’s use of interchanged minor and major modes and use of storytelling in the lyrics.
Who wrote ‘Sunday in the Park with George’? 1984
Musical written by James Lapine with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.
What artwork is ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ inspired by?
‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’ - Pointillist technique.
Characters are names Dot & George and details a painters life.
- Use of tableaux
What was different about the musical ‘Cats’ by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber?
- Began as a song cycle
- Actors were the animals, the stage design was changed and proportion of the bins, for example, for the alleycats was changed.
Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote a requiem, in 1985, what is this and how is it different from his musicals.
Requiem: a funeral liturgy.
Was written for his father when he passed away in 1982.
This requiem was a piece of classical music, in latin which is in contrast to his typical writing.
What was different about the musical ‘Starlight Express’ by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber?
- Was written for Webber’s children
- Performers in rollerskates
- loosely based on Thomas the Tank Engine.
What is Phantom of the Opera (1986Broadway/1988WestEnd) based on?
French novel: Le Fantôme de L’Opéra by Gaston Leroux
What was used to represent the phantom in ‘The Phantom of the Opera’
a leitmotif: a chromatic phrase represented the phantom himself in scenes.
What is the sequel to ‘Phantom of the Opera’?
Love Never Dies.
