What is it?

Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that

combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story
and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love,
anger – are communicated through words, music, movement and
technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole.
Although musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms
like opera and dance, it may be distinguished by the equal
importance given to the music as compared with the dialogue,
movement and other elements.
Since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have
generally been called, simply, musicals.Musicals are performed
around the world. They may be presented in large venues, such
as big-budget Broadway or West End productions in New York
City or London. Alternatively, musicals may be staged in
smaller venues, such as fringe theatre, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-
Broadway, regional theatre, or community theatre productions,
or on tour. Musicals are often presented by amateur and school
groups in churches, schools and other performance spaces. In
addition to the United States and Britain, there are vibrant
musical theatre scenes in continental Europe, Asia, Australasia,
Canada and Latin America.
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 that is able to evoke
genuine emotions other than laughter.[2][3] The three main
components of a book musical are its music, lyrics and book.
The book or script of a musical refers to the story, character
development and dramatic structure, including the spoken
dialogue and stage directions, but it can also refer to the
dialogue and lyrics together, which are sometimes referred to as
the libretto (Italian for "little book"). The music and lyrics
together form the score of a musical and include songs,
incidental music and musical scenes, which are "theatrical
sequence[s] set to music, often combining song with spoken
dialogue."[4] The interpretation of a musical is the responsibility
of its creative team, which includes a director, a musical
director, usually a choreographer and sometimes an orchestrator.
A musical's production is also creatively characterized by
technical aspects, such as set design, costumes, stage properties
(props), lighting and sound. The creative team, designs and
interpretations generally change from the original production to
succeeding productions. Some production elements, however,
may be retained from the original production, for example, Bob
Fosse's choreography in Chicago

Moments of greatest dramatic intensity in a book musical 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."

The material presented in a musical may be original, or it may

be adapted from novels (Wicked and Man of La Mancha), plays
(Hello, Dolly! and Carousel), classic legends (Camelot),
historical events (Evita) or films (The Producers and Billy
Elliot). On the other hand, many successful musical theatre
works have been adapted for musical films, such as West Side
Story, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, Oliver! and Chicago.

Comparisons with opera[edit]

!

George Gershwin
Musical theatre is closely related to the theatrical form of opera,
but the two are usually distinguished by weighing a number of
factors. First, musicals generally have a greater focus on spoken
dialogue. Some musicals, however, are entirely accompanied
and sung-through, while some operas, such as Die Zauberflöte,
and most operettas, have some unaccompanied dialogue.
Second, musicals also usually include more dancing as an
essential part of the storytelling, particularly by the principal
performers as well as the chorus. Third, musicals often use
various genres of popular music or at least popular singing and
musical styles.[7]
Finally, musicals usually avoid certain operatic conventions. In
particular, a musical is almost always performed in the language
of its audience. Musicals produced on Broadway or in the West
End, for instance, are invariably sung in English, even if they
were originally written in another language. While an opera
singer is primarily a singer and only secondarily an actor (and
rarely needs to dance), a musical theatre performer is often an
actor first but must also be a singer and dancer. Someone who is
equally accomplished at all three is referred to as a "triple
threat".

Elements
The most important element in a musical is that everyone is
writing the same show. Musical theatre is one of the most
collaborative art forms there is; composers, lyricists, directors,
actors, choreographers, orchestrators, and producers all have
their fingers in the pie. And everyone wants their own way! So,
the most important thing is that everyone agrees on what the
show is about.
William Goldman once asked the creators and crew of a
Broadway musical, “What’s this show about?” He got five
different answers! The show, unsurprisingly, was a flop. They
were all writing something different.
One of the most famous stories in the Broadway lexicon is the
one Sheldon Harnick tells about director Jerome Robbins and
the creation of Fiddler On The Roof. I quote Mr. Harnick:
“Jerome Robbins was like a District Attorney. He kept asking
‘What is the show about?’ We kept saying, ‘Well, it’s about this
dairyman and his five daughters.’ He’d say, ‘No, no, that isn’t
good enough, that isn’t strong enough.’ Finally, at one of the
meetings, somebody said, ‘Oh my God, you know what this is
about? It’s about the breakdown of tradition.’ And at that point
Robbins got so excited. He said, ‘That’s what it is, tradition!
And we need an opening number which will set up that tradition
so that people can see it break down during the show.’ He was
just very excited.”
James Goldman had a note that he had taped to his mirror so he
could see it every day when he shaved, and the note said, “What
is this show about?”

Musicals set out to entertain through a combination of:

catchy music in a popular style
solo songs, duets, choruses and ensembles
orchestra or band accompaniment
spoken dialogue
dance sequences, stage spectacles and magnificent
costumes
These are all held together by the plot.

A scene from a production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom

of the Opera
Musicals are usually performed in theatres, most famously on
Broadway and in the West End of London. Broadway is also
used as a general term to refer to American musicals.
Every musical has a:
libretto - the overall text including the spoken and sung
parts
lyrics - the words to the songs
Most songs fit into these categories:
action songs which move the plot forward
 character songs which enable a character to express their
feelings
Within these two formats, different song types can be found,
including:
ballads which are usually slow, romantic and reflective
comedy songs which are funny, so the lyrics are very
important
production numbers which involve the full company and
are used to show major changes in location or plot, and
often open and close acts
rhythm songs which are driven by energetic rhythm
patterns
Although most musicals use dialogue, some are through-
composed. There is little or no dialogue, nearly everything is
sung.
The chorus:
sets the repeated refrain of the lyrics and often contains the
title words
usually returns several times, always with the same words
is normally the 'catchiest' part of the song
The verse usually has different words with each repetition.

1. Book Musicals
A "book musical" is one with traditional musical with a story
that drives the music and characters. This category includes:
"CATS," "RENT," "Annie," "The Book of Mormon," and
"Oklahoma"!
2. Revue Musicals
"Revue"s are a collection of songs, with a common element.
This category has no definite shows dedicated to them, but they
are still a part of the musical theatre genre. This can include a
musical revue of composers of musicals, or a well-known
actress (see: GIF of Barbra Streisand).

3. Concept Musical
A "concept" musical is where the metaphor or theme is equally
or more important than the musical itself. It may comment on a
social injustices. There may be dissociated plot line, or
unacquainted characters. Category includes: "The Last Five
Years," "Allegro," "Follies," and "Love Life."
4. Jukebox Musical
A collection of songs from a group or artist is called a "jukebox
musical". These musicals may not have a storyline, but are
created to showcase a performance. Category is: Mamma Mia!
(The music of ABBA), Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash), Rock of
Ages (Glam rock of the 80s), and Come Fly Away (Frank
Sinatra)

5. Rock/Pop Musical
The use of rock or pop music (or Rock/Pop Opera) to further the
story, usually with little to no dialogue. This category includes
such amazing works as "Grease," "The Little Shop of Horrors,"
"Godspell," "The Phantom of the Opera," and "Next to Normal."