Shows Flashcards
Cabaret
1966 - Kander & Ebb
Emcee inspired by nightclub host
Boris Aronson set design
Hair
1968 - MacDermot First significant pop/rock musical Elements of band were amplified First to have full frontal nudity Youth protest against the establishment and war
Promises, Promises
1968 - Simon, Bacharach & David
First show to fully employ an entire sound system as the writers wanted to create the full rock experience in the theatre and use electronic instruments
All vocalists wore a microphone
1970s show split into three different categories:
Contemporary pop/rock musical
Concept musical
Traditional musical
Concept musical
A concept musical is a musical where he show’s metaphor or statement is more important than the actual narrative
Songs punctuate rather than flow out from the story, serving as a means of self-reflection for the character and acting as commentary upon the theme
For example Company
Company
1970 - Sondheim & Furth
Godspell
1971 - Schwartz & Tebelak
Jesus Christ Superstar
1971 - Andrew Lloyd Webber & Tim Rice
Rock/opera
Controversy helped with promotion
Start Lloyd Webber formula to release the music to make it popular
Follies
1971 - Sondheim
The libretto centred on two former showgirls and their spouses assessing embittered marriages while attending a reunion of performers from a Ziegfeld era Broadway revue
Frank depiction of painful realities of growing older and abandoning one’s dreams
Grease
1972 - Jacobs & Casey
Named after 1950s US youth subculture known as greasers
Eclipsed Fiddler On the Roof as the longest running show in Broadway history
Simple story - catchy tunes
Early 50s Rock N roll
Pippin
1972 - Schwartz
A Little Night Music
1973 - Sondheim & Wheeler
Rocky Horror Picture Show
1973 - O’Brien
Tribute to science fiction and horror B films
A Chorus Line
1975 - Marvin Hamlisch Michael Bennett - created this project that was work-shopped and lead by the actual stories of auditionees Eclipsed Grease Concept musical - the audition Schubert Theatre
Chicago
1975 - Kander & Ebb
Bob Fosse style musical - gotten darker after heart attack that nearly killed him
Satire of fame, celebrity, show business and how society makes celebrities of villains/criminals
Overflowing with raw sexuality, creating a world that is shocking, frightening, dangerous
The Wiz
1976 - Brown
All-black wizard of oz
Annie
1977 - Strouse & Charnin