Theatrical Music

Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. It is closely related to opera, frequently being distinguished by the use of popular music of various forms (or at least popular singing styles), the use of unaccompanied dialogue (though some musicals are entirely accompanied, such as Les Misérables, and some operas have spoken dialogue, such as Carmen), often a greater emphasis on dance by the principal performers and chorus, and the avoidance of many operatic conventions (though some operas avoid these, too). Amplification of the singers is usually approved of in larger theatres where musicals are played, while it is generally disapproved of in opera houses.

Overview of the Musical Theater

The three main components of a musical are the music, the lyrics, and the book. The book of a musical refers to the spoken (not sung) lines in the play; however, "book" can also refer to the overall dramaticness of a show. The music and lyrics together form the score of the musical; the lyrics and book together are often printed as the libretto (Italian for “little book”). Other components are the direction, choreography, and technical aspects, such as set, costumes, lighting, etc., that generally change from production to production.

Musical theatre works are performed around the world. The big budget Broadway and West End theatre productions in New York City and London have often been creatively matched by Off-Broadway or regional productions, such as The Fantasticks or Bat Boy: The Musical, and by the recent development of musical theatre scenes in Germany, Austria, France, Japan, Eastern Europe, Australia, and other places.

A musical can be anywhere from a short one-act entertainment to several hours long; however, most musicals range from one and a half hours to 3 hours. Musicals today are typically presented in two acts, with one intermission fifteen to twenty minutes in length, and the first act is almost always somewhat longer than the second act. A musical will usually have at least 4-6 main theme tunes that are reprised throughout the show. Dialogue is usually interspersed between musical numbers. Some musicals, however, are "sung-through" and do not have any spoken dialogue. This can blur the line between musical theatre and opera.

A musical's moments of greatest dramatic intensity are often performed in song. Proverbially, "when the emotion becomes too strong for speech, you sing; when it becomes too strong for song, you dance." A song must be crafted to suit the character (or characters) and their situation within the story. A show usually opens with a song that sets the tone of the musical, introduces some or all of the major characters, and shows the setting of the play. Within the compressed nature of the musical, the writers must develop the characters and the plot.

Music provides a means to express emotion. However, typically, many fewer words are sung in a five-minute song than are spoken in a five-minute block of dialogue. Therefore there is less time to develop drama than in a straight play of equivalent length, since a musical usually devotes more time to music than to dialogue.

Many familiar musical theatre works have been the basis for popular musical films, such as Sound of Music and My Fair Lady (although some movie musicals have been disappointing, as compared to the stage works) or were adapted or even written for television presentations (for example Cinderella). Recently, some popular television programs have set an episode in the style of a musical. There has also been a recent revival of the movie musical, such as Chicago, and popular animated film musical (which are often then turned into stage musicals, such as Beauty and the Beast. Also, India produces numerous musical films, referred to as "Bollywood" musicals, and Japan produces numerous Anime musicals.