Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance, in which a story's narrative and emotional content are carried through words, music, movement and the production's technical elements as an integrated whole. It overlaps with other theatrical forms such as opera and dance but is distinguished by giving music equal weight to dialogue and movement, and since the early twentieth century its stage works have generally been called simply musicals.
Facts
MediumLive theatrical performance combining song, spoken dialogue, acting and dance, staged before a live audience in theatres ranging from Broadway and West End houses to community and school venues. 1 Signature TechniqueThe book musical, in which songs and dances are fully integrated into a well-made story with serious dramatic goals, rather than presented as a loose string of numbers. 1 Place of OriginWestern Europe, where modern musical theatre took shape in the 19th century through Jacques Offenbach's light opera in France and Gilbert and Sullivan in Britain, before its structural conventions were carried forward by American creators. 1 Notable ExampleOklahoma! (1943), one of the groundbreaking works that grew out of the Princess Theatre musicals' advances beyond the revues of the early twentieth century. 1 Connections
Associated With
Theatre, Art Forms Musical theatre developed as a distinct branch of the broader theatrical tradition, combining spoken drama with song and dance.
Practitioners
George Gershwin, Artists George Gershwin wrote for the Broadway stage throughout his career, including the 1931 musical Of Thee I Sing, the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Sources
1. Musical Theatre (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundationlead section, first paragraph
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance.
lead section, third paragraph
Musicals are performed around the world.
Definitions and scope, Book musicals section
Since the 20th century, the "book musical" has been defined as a musical play where songs and dances are fully integrated into a well-made story with serious dramatic goals and which is able to evoke genuine emotions other than laughter.
lead section, second paragraph
The Princess Theatre musicals (1915-1918) were artistic steps forward beyond the revues and other frothy entertainments of the early 20th century and led to such groundbreaking works as Show Boat (1927), Of Thee I Sing (1931) and Oklahoma! (1943).
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