Humanities 1

Creating Change With Live Musical Theater

Many different shows grace the stages of Broadway, year after year. The year 2016
marked the 150th anniversary of the original Broadway musical (Viagas). This relatively new
artform has constantly evolved and continues to change, even to this day. From classic musical
comedies and musical dramas, to more unique rock musicals and jukebox musical, all forms of
the musical perform to entertain audiences around the world. With some types more popular than
others, all musicals can produce significant importance for the continuation of live performance.
With a long-standing tradition in American culture, Broadway musicals positively impact and
educate people in todays society.
Like anything else, Broadway had a start: plays. A specific point in history turned to
create what is now known as Broadway as a beginning held the foundation of what is commonly
known today. Before the idea of putting music alongside a story came about, the concept of live
performance existed. Known as plays, they proved as a popular form of entertainment in the late
1800s. Yet in the year 1866, one show emerged changing live theater from then on. This show,

The Black Crook, opened as the first musical in America. According to most scholars...The
Black Crook (1866) marked the beginning of American musical comedy(Wilmeth). It created a
turning point in live performance in this country. Interestingly, people are still unsure of the
actual

plot of The Black Crook and some reports claim that actors in the show were unaware as
well, but nevertheless, the idea of music accompanying a play caught on. Though musicals
originated in Europe, musical theater found its way to America and started to take its own shape.
The very first Americanized form of the Broadway musical came along with the birth of The
Brook (Wilmeth). With this new show, the focus of both song and dance helped to move the

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story along. Today, many musicals featured on Broadway continue to use these elements such as
song and dance to increase the entertainment factor of the show.
As time continued, the musical started to mature. In the early 1900s, during the time of
World War I, princess shows began to take formation. This style of broadway included small
casts in modern, everyday settings. The shows brought a more natural, informal style to
musicals (Wilmeth). Named for the theater they were performed in, princess shows paved a way
for American musical theater. They helped to create a show including believable aspects while
still incorporating elements such as song and dance. This style inspired future show writers to
follow the basis of the style in order to make viewing enjoyable for the spectator. One of the
most popular and culturally important

Broadway musicals from this time period, Show Boat,

closely followed the
princess show style. First performed in 1927, Show Boat presented
believable characters in a realistic manner and had a genuinely dramatic book (Wilmeth). Show
Boat exhibits the lives of performers and stage crew on board a show boat named the Cotton
Blossom. Within the show, themes such as racial prejudice were touched upon. These themes
were virtually

unseen on the Broadway stage prior to this time. Show Boat helped other
playwrights to produce themes of a more realistic and honest tones of pressing topics in society.
Between 1943 and the mid to late 1900s, the modern musical emerged. Otherwise known
as the Golden Age of Broadway, many shows, now considered classics, performed for the first
time. Oklahoma! marked the change in era from the post World War I musical to the modern
musical. As an iconic piece, it not only defined a turning point in Broadway history, but also
represented the first Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway collaboration of many (Kantor). A
total of 12 different shows came from the genius of the dynamic duo, all of whom still perform

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today. Between Broadway revivals, off-broadway productions, regional theaters and even school
stages, the works of Rodgers and Hammerstein still grace stages across the country. Their profile
started with one musical, Oklahoma! As the first musical play, it blended the forms of both
musical comedy and operetta (Rodgers &Amp;). Oklahoma!, a classic musical piece, helped to
bring the idea of the modern musical to America. The show revolutionized the musical artform in
America and Broadway now would not be the same without it.
In the last twenty years, Rent also changed the culture of America as well as the
Broadway scene. Created by Jonathan Larson, this young man took the Italian opera, La
Boheme, by Giacomo Puccini, and manipulated it into a musical, showcasing the difficulties of
life. The show moved into the Nederlander Theater in New York City and started its Broadway
previews on April 16, 1996 (Gioria). Though Jonathan Larson tragically died from an aortic
aneurysm and never lived to see the success of Rent, the show thrived and many now consider it
one of the most impactful shows that Broadway produced. It brought new, controversial topics to
the Broadway stage. Following the lives of eight friends living in the west village of New York
City, some describe the show as Larsons passion-project of struggle, strife, life, and love
(Gioria). Included among the characters are struggling artists trying to succeed in the city, but
who just cannot seem to find a way. Other characters battle living with HIV/AIDS. Since
HIV/AIDS invaded the lives of many at the time of the original production, it proved interesting
that such a dark theme centered the plot. As HIV progresses and a person reaches its final stage,
AIDS becomes the official diagnosis. AIDS, also known as acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome occurs when a persons CD4 cells falls below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood
(200 cells/mm3) (What is HIV). A major part of the storyline of Rent involves the reality of

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the mortality of AIDS. Though it brings a morose feeling to the musical, it teaches its audience
lessons. Such lessons include the idea to live each day as if there were no others. These messages
impact people and society. It allows people to find the treasures they hold in their personal life.
All of these made Rent one of the most significant musicals of its time. It continues to touch
audiences not only in America, but ultimately around the world with its messages and themes
today.
One of the hottest tickets on Broadway at the moment, which follows an untraditional,
historical track, is known as Hamilton. It tells the story of the life of the first Secretary of the
Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Show writer and lyricist, Lin-Manuel Miranda took about seven
years in total to craft this unique musical. In 2009, president Barack Obama, hosted a poetry
night at the White House. Though it is not specified why, at the time, Miranda presented a rap he
planned for the show. This rap later found a place as the opening number of his show. In early
2015, Hamilton played Off-Broadway before finding a home at the Richard Rodgers theater in
August of 2015. People are drawn to the show, not only for the strong themes of hip hop and rap,
but also for the stylistic choice Miranda made to incorporate elements from classic musical styles
as well. While developing Hamilton, Miranda felt as though Alexander Hamilton embodies
hip-hop and decided to set the score to rap and hip hop styles (Solomon). This incorporation of
rap brought a rather unfamiliar style of music, into the spotlight to Broadway fans. It presents
new perspectives to the stage that fans are not used to encountering.
Due to the extreme popularity of the show, Hamilton also stirred recent plans to modify
the US currency. In April of 2016, talks of replacing Alexander Hamilton on the $10 bill with a
woman, circulated the media. The news followed an official announcement from the present

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Treasury Secretary, Jacob J. Lew, that he would choose a woman for a new $10 bill in
development (Calmes). As the musical Hamilton rose to fame, plans for these changes halted.
Fans of the musical quickly grew angry when news of the historical figures replacement
circulated. Lew felt a difference in direction of money design needed to occur. In knowing about
the displeasure from fans, Mr Lew promised that Hamilton would remain somewhere on the
$10 (Calmes). Though this eased the minds of Hamiltonians, it created uproar within female
activist groups. Outraged with the thought of a woman not receiving an equal opportunity to
secure a spot on American currency, women spoke out. Tensions lessened when a compromise
arose. Both sides agreed to allow a powerful woman to replace Jackson on the twenty dollar bill
in the future, instead of replacing Hamilton (Calmes). This agreement kept both female activists
and Hamilton fans content. Due to the strong fan following of one show, Hamilton encompassed
the power to stop production of an act women longed for in terms of equal representation. Such a
show affected government decisions in order to keep a population of Hamilton fans satisfied.
People from different places can access Broadway entertainment, however one factor
makes it extremely difficult to view shows. The price of quality Broadway musicals are
astronomically high. Even at ticket booths in New York City, which claim to discount tickets,
attending a production costs about 200 or more dollars for a couple to attend a show. The
expensive nature makes it difficult for those who, financially, may experience hardships in
spending that amount of money. In the near future, high prices show no signs of diminishing.
Shows price in a way that can set tickets at the maximum that people are willing to pay (Nyfa).
Many who come to New York to see a show include tourists, who most likely pay the high prices
in order to experience a once in a lifetime opportunity. Fans who want to witness quality musical

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entertainment travel to the epicenter of live theater. Therefore, the attendance of musicals
continuously rises and evidence shows no trend of attendance stopping or even slowing down:
(See Figure 1).

Figure 1. Broadway Calendar-Year Statistics

From the years 2011-2014, attendance of shows increased by roughly one million people each
year. With such an increase, theaters continue to charge high prices, because they can. The idea
of people unable to experience a wonderful cultural opportunity due to a socioeconomic status is
unfortunate because they cannot easily spend hundreds of dollars to sit through a two and a half
hour performance.
One other group of people who specifically witness the impact of the price of Broadway
musicals include African American and Latino students. Unfortunately in America, many
African American and Latino students are unable to experience the culture of Broadway due to
cost. One organization, Impact Broadway, made its mission to give that experience to these
students in the New York area.Founded in 2009 by Donna Walker-Kuhne and Cherine
Anderson, Impact Broadway helps to bring students every year to attend a Broadway musical
(Impact Broadway). Between the years 2009 and 2012, the organization brought a total of 750
students to witness live musicals. That implies that 750 lives changed by exposing students to
other cultural ideas and because of this organization. One of the first musicals that Impact
Broadway brought students to was Godspell. Godspell is a show based on the Bibles parables in
mostly the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke. According to the organization, this show

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helped to stir conversation among the students, not only about the show and its songs, but also
the Bible (Impact Broadway). Its plot caused students to think and discuss. The ability to make
students critically think about topics or issues otherwise not usually contemplated, makes
Broadway musicals impactful on people of all ages.
Although many see the value and long lasting impact of Broadway musicals, some
believe that musicals do not benefit the culture. One claim skeptics make involves the idea that
Broadway showcases inaccurate representations of social issues. According to some, rather than
illuminate, educate, and explore, musicals invalidate, infantilize, and misinform (Wallin).
Created in 2009, Next to Normal exemplifies one musical that critics believe embodies the
inadequately portrayed issues. This show follows a housewife and her family as she struggles
coping with her Bipolar disorder, the highs and lows of her disorder, and the coping of her sons
death (Harms) However, critics believe it overly dramatizes Bipolar Disorder. These skeptics,
however, do not understand the point the creators try to accomplish by revealing these issues.
Experts such as Lawrence Toppman and Tony Brown made comments on the show noting it as
brutally honest and an unblinking look at mental illness (Wallin). Instead of portraying
mental illness on the stage as seen as misleading, these musicals can instead inform society about
such topics and raise awareness. Awareness of mental illnesses is culturally important for people
to know about. Shows such as Next To Normal provide a realistic and informative glance into
that world and do not invalidate, infantilize, or misinform audiences (Wallin).
With different themes and stories portrayed on the Broadway stage throughout the past
150 years, one of the overall goals remains the same. This goal is to bring a cultural impact to
society, past and present. It creates an opportunity to affect all people in unique ways to. No

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matter ones interests on Broadway, anyone can find a show that appeals. It is an experience
most people should try to have at least once in their lifetime, if possible. If more people made the
effort to go out and see a Broadway show, it would enhance societys cultural awareness of
pressing issues. People who experience this art who thought they would never like it, may
surprise themselves and end up falling in love with Broadway.

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Works Cited
Calmes, Jackie. Success of 'Hamilton' May Have Saved Hamilton on the $10 Bill. The New
York Times, 16 Apr. 2016,
www.nytimes.com/2016/04/16/us/politics/success-of-hamilton-may-have-saved-hamilton
-on-the-10-bill.html?_r=0.
Gioia, Michael. The Creation of Rent-How Jonathan Larson Transformed an Idea into a
Groundbreaking Musical | Playbill. Playbill, 5 Feb. 2016,
www.playbill.com/article/the-creation-of-rent-how-jonathan-larson-transformed-an-idea-i
nto-a-groundbreaking-musical.
Harms, Greg. Top Five Musicals With Mental Health Themes - 2nd Story Counseling. 2nd
Story Counseling, 4 Feb. 2015,
www.mychicagotherapist.com/top-five-musicals-mental-health-themes/.
Impact Broadway Takes 200 High School Students to GODSPELL. BroadwayWorld, 3 July
2012,
www.broadwayworld.com/article/impact-broadway-takes-200-high-school-students-to-g
odspell-20120703-page7.
Kantor, Michael. 1943-1959: The Golden Age. PBS, PBS, 2016,
www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/timelines/1943-1959/.
Nyfa. Why Are Broadway Tickets So Expensive? New York Film Academy-Student
Resources, July 2015, www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/broadway-tickets-expensive/.
Rodgers & Amp; Hammerstein :: Bio. Rodgers &Amp; Hammerstein :: Shows Collections,
2015, www.rnh.com/rodgersandhammerstein/full_bio.

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Solomon, Alisa. How 'Hamilton' Is Revolutionizing the Broadway Musical. The Nation, Sept.
2015, pp. 11.,
www.thenation.com/article/how-hamilton-is-revolutionizing-the-broadway-musical/.
Viagas, Robert. The Black Crook, the First Broadway Musical, Is Headed Back to NY.
Playbill, 12 Sept. 2016,
www.playbill.com/article/the-black-crook-the-first-broadway-musical-will-return-to-new
-york.
Wallin, Scott. Next to Normal and the Persistence of Pathology in Performances of
Psychosocial Disability | Wallin | Disability Studies Quarterly. Disability Studies
Quarterly, 2013, dsq-sds.org/article/view/3428/3202.
What Is HIV/AIDS? AIDS, U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 14 July 2016,
www.aids.gov/hiv-aids-basics/hiv-aids-101/what-is-hiv-aids/.
Wilmeth, Don B. Musical Comedy. World Book Advanced, World Book, 2016,
worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar378760&st=musical
comedy#tab=homepage.