MTEA OF THE

WEEK
VULTURE ARTICLE 1776
1980s: British Invasion, and emergence
of the Mega Musical
TASK: LIST AS MANY 1980S MUSICALS AS YOU CAN
 1980s Musicals

1982 1984
1980 1986 1988
Is There Life After Chess, Just So,
42nd Street, High School, Little Leader of the A Wonderful Life, Carrie, Fame,
Barnum, Les Shop of Horrors, Pack, The Rink, Hot Mikado, Lucky Stiff
Misérables, Marry Song and Dance, Starlight Express, Rags, Smile
Me a Little Nine, Seven Sunday in the
Brides for Seven Park with
Brothers George,

Aspects of Love,
Bring Back Birdie, Charlotte’s Web,
Cats, Dreamgirls, Baby, Blood City of Angels,
Merrily We Roll Brothers, La Cage Big River, Drood, Into the Woods, Closer than Ever,
Along, Woman of aux Folles, Singin’ Grind, Mayor, Sarafina! Late Nite Grand Hotel, Miss
the Year in the Rain Nunsense Comic Saigon, Meet Me
in ST louis, Whistle
1981 1983 1985 1987 Down the Wind

1989
1980s USA Significant Events
u Conservative politics, the cold war, AIDS, computer
technology and “Blockbuster” movies incl.
u Nine to Five and MTV changed history and ignited a new pop
culture in the 1980’s
u MTV launched changing the face of music
u John Lennon is assassinated (1980)
u Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan (1981)
u First publication regarding AIDS is published acknowledging
the need for prevention and control (1981)
u Ethel Merman dies (1984)
u Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident (1986)
u The average cost of a production of Broadway hits $3 million
u The “Just Say No” movement was part of the U.S.
government’s effort to revisit and expand the War on Drugs.
u The NASA space shuttle Challenger exploded on (1986)
u ABBA, ACDC , Michael Jackson, David Bowie and The Police
were some of the biggest recording artists
1980S Significant Events
(UK)
u Spain and United Kingdom agree to reopen the
border between Gibraltar and Spain, closed
since 1969
u Prince Charles married Lady Diana 1981
u Margaret Thatcher continued as Prime Minister
u Population of the UK was just over 56 million
u Over 50% of households had a phone and digital
phones were introduced
u Blondie, Culture Club, Michael Jackson and Rick
Astley were the largest artists of the UK in the
1980’s
WELCOME TO THE 1980S
u WHICH 1980S MUSICAL FEATURED THE
SONG “WE’RE IN THE MONEY”
1980 42nd STREET
u Producer: David Merrick
u Director / Choreographer: Gower Champion
u Music: Harry Warren, Al Dublin, Johnny Mercer
u Ran 3,500 performances

u Based on Bradford Rope’s 1932 novel of the same name

which had been made into a 1933 film (Busby Berkley)
u One of the first successful adaptations of a film into a
musical, Gigi in 1973 is the only other attempt which flops.
u 1980s more contemporary and edgey shows, but Merrick
took a risk to bring back classic MT nostalgia.
u Audiences raved about it
u It won Tony for Best Musical, had a successful run on the
West End and revival in 2001.
David Merrick and
the Art of the
Publicity Stunt
1980 42nd STREET
Musical Theatre of the
1980s

u The 1980s saw major innovation coming to

Broadway Shows like 'Cats' and 'Phantom of the
Opera' heightened the theatrical experience with
big production numbers and special effects. The
'jukebox' genre gained popularity (its origins are
traced back to the 1970s), with original material
being written around the work of a particular
artist.
THE RISE OF THE
MEGAMUSICALS
u Term began in the New York Times during the 1980s
u Label was picked up, often derisively, by critics and reporters.
u Other synonyms include:
u “spectacle show”
u “blockbuster musical”
u Extravaganza

u Many imported from England “BRITISH INVASION”

u Have large, epic plots, tales of war, religon, love, redemption
u Often set in the past and use universal issues
u Large musical scores, often sung through
u Sets and staging is big – “some more focused on the twinkling,
moving, distracting sets than the story or the music”
u Roots in italian opera of the nineteenth century.
“BRITISH INVASION” / the
“MEGAMUSICAL"

u Following the “British invasion” in popular music in

the 1960s starting with the Beatles
u Sung through musicals incredibly popular
u Clive Barnes “You come out humming the
scenery” (Frommer)
u Spectacular, unapolagetically commercial
u Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon,
Starlight Express
CATS 1981/2

u Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber

u Lyrics: TS Eliot, Trevor Nunn, Richard Stilgoe
u Director: Trevor Nunn
u Choreographer: Gillian Lynne
u Producer: Cameron Mackintosh
u Ran: 21 years on West End, 19 Broadway

u Judi Dench was originally cast to play Grizabella, but

tore her achilles tendon and was replaced by Elaine
Paige of Evita fame
Source Material

u Based on T.S. Eliot’s Collection of poems,

Old Possum’s book of Practical Cats
u 1977 ALW started a songcycle based on
the poems, an exercise
u Initially difficult to raise funds because of
the nature of the show
u ALW took out 2nd mortgage on his house
to pay for some of the costs
Cats

u Opened West End 1981, then Broadway 1982.

u Show cemented the british megamusical on Broadway
u One of the first shows to use synthesizers in the
orchestrations.
u Became a major motion picture directed by Tom Hooper in
2019 in which Judi Dench played Old Deutoronomy
u It has received negative reviews from critics for its
visual effects, plot, performances and inconsistent
tone
u Taylor Swift, who played Bombalurina, co wrote a new song
for the movie called “Beautiful Ghosts”
CATS JAPAN

u Cats in Japan has a purpose built theatre which

has played continuously since 1983
u Yoshiko Hattori was the original Jennyanydots in
Japan and played the role for over 20 years,
continuing to perform even after being
diagnosed with Esophageal cancer. With a total
of 4,251 performances, she holds the cast record
for the most performances in the Japanese
production. She died in 2007 at the age of 55
u Became wildly popular in Japan and caused a
musical boom bringing multiple international
musicals to Japan since.
CATS -
JAPAN
NEW APPROACH TO
MARKETING

u Merchandise exploded
u Prior to this most shows limited their merch to
souvenir programs, songbooks and maybe T-shirts.
u Cats splashed their logo on mugs, toys, keychains,
caps, music boxes, figurines, christmas ornaments
LES MISERABLES 1986
u Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg and
Alain Boubil
u English Lyrics: Herbert Kretzmer
u Director: Trevor Nunn
u Producer: Cameron Mackintosh in
conjunction with the Royal
Shakesepare Company
u Ran: London: ran from 1986 – 2019 to
close for refurbishments and
continued in 2019 and closed due to
covid and has since reopened.
u The Broadway production opened 12 March 1987 and
ran until 18 May 2003, closing after 6,680 performances.
Was revived in 2006 – 2008 then again in 2014.
u Based on Victor Hugo’s novel when Alain Boubil saw Oliver!
u Started as a 1980 Concept Album and a short, successful
production in Paris.
u Sung through musical
u Nominated for 12 Tony Awards and won 8 including Best Musical,
Best Book, Best Original Score
u Multiple versions globally
u Critically not received well but box office went crazy
u Seen by over 50 million people globally
u Has been cited as one of the greatest musicals ever, Broadway
World, The Guardian, Rolling Stone
u London production ran 1985 – 2019, playing over 13,000
performances
u Broadway ran 1987 – 2003, making it the second longest running
musical in Broadway History.
u 2012 fim version directed by Tom Hooper was generally well
receieved, the singers used ear pieces which fed them the
accompaniment to which they would sing as opposed to the
traditional method of lip syncing to a prerecorded soundtrack
Which musical is
based on
Giacomo
Puccini’s 1904
opera Madame
Butterfy?
MISS SAIGON 1989
u Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg
u Lyrics: Alain Boubil, Richard Maltby Jr.
u Book: Alain Boubil and Claude Michel Schönberg
u Director: Nicholas Hytner (West End and
Broadway)
u Ran: London – 1989 20 September – 30 October
1999 (4,092 performances)

u REMAINS THE 13TH LONGEST RUNNING MUSICAL

ON BROADWAY.
Miss Saigon
u Premiered in West End at the Theatre Royal, Drury
Lane and surpassed My Fair Lady as the longest
running musical on the West End.
u Lea Salonga played the part of Kim and won the
Laurence Olivier Award and later the Tony Award
for the same role on Broadway.
u West End revival 2014 – 2016 produced by
Cameron Mackintosh
u Auditions hleld in the phillipines and 17 year old
Eva Noblezada was cast.
u Cinema screening for the 25th anniversary starring
Noblezada and Alistair Brammar and Jon Jon
Briones.
Casting Controversies

u Miss Saigon has received criticism for racist and

sexit overtones, including protests against its
portrayal of Asian women
u Pryce and Burns were white actors playing
Eurasian / Asian characters and used eye
prosthetics and bronzing cream to make them
look more asian.
u Many have drawn comparisons to minstrel shows.
u Controversies didn’t really start until the 1990
transfer to America, the UK critics were uniformly
positive.
JON JON BRIONES AS ENGINEER
THE PHANTOM OF THE
OPERA 1986/88
u Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
u Lyrics: Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe
u Book: Gaston Leroux
u Opened 1986 West End, 1988 Broadway
u Won Olivier and Tony Awards for Best Musical.
u Currently the longest running show in Broadway history,
celebrating its 10,000th Broadway performance in 2012, the
first ever performance to do so (Bordman 2004)
u With total estimated worldwide gross receipts of over $6
billion and total Broadway gross of over $1 billion (Cox 2020)
u Mostly sung through with some lines of dialogue
TRIVIA TIME
TRUE / FALSE: Andrew
Lloyd Webber’s
adaptation of Gaston
LeRoux’s 1910 novel, The
Phantom of the Opera,
was the first musical
adaptation of that story.
TRIVIA TIME
FALSE: The first musical
adaptation of The
Phantom of the Opera
was in 1976, with a score
by Ken Hill
NEW MUSICALS
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
(1981)
u Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
u Book: George Furth
u Director: Hal Prince
u Ran: 16 performances and 52 previews

u Since original show – has been extensively rewritten and

has had many revivals including 1994 off-broadway
revival directed by Shulman and West End premier in
2000.
u Show’s story moves backwards in time – like the Last 5
Years
SUSAN STROMAN

u Susan Stroman is a five-time Tony Award-winning

director and choreographer most known
for Crazy For You, Contact, The Scottsboro Boys,
and The Producers.
u Married to British Theatre director, Mike Ockrent
La Cage aux Folles 1983
u Music and Lyrics: Jerry Herman
u Book: Harvey Fierstein
u Director: Arther Laurents
u Choreography: Scott Salmon
u Ran: 4 years
u 1984 won 6 Tony Award incl. Best Musical, Best Book for a
Musical, Best Original Score
u Based on 1978 film
u La Cage broke barriers for gay representation by becoming
the first hit Broadway musical centered on a homosexual
relationship
u The show's Act One finale, "I Am What I Am", received
praise as a "gay anthem" and has been widely recorded.
 SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH
GEORGE (1984)
u Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
u Book: James Lapine
u Director: James Lapine
u Ran: 604 performances closed October 1985
u Sondheim wanted to express that art is not easy. It’s
seen as one of his most personal work
u Started off broadway
Sunday in the Park with
George
u “The main character is missing” Sondheim and
lapine began to fill in the gaps of the relationship
between the artist and the work
u 1st act set in world of painting and 2nd act art
modern day in the museum
u 12 primary colours – assigned it with notes, major
theme is working out a resolution until the painting is
made.
u Sondheim believed this show could not work without
scenery even the workshops were done with moving
set pieces because they had to see if it would work
to create a painting
u Staging flows – lack of black outs and buttons at end
of the songs
 2008
Sunday in
the Park
with
George
CARRIE 1988
“BROADWAY FLOPS”
u Music: Michael Gore
u Lyrics: Dean Pitchford
u Book: Lawrence D. Cohen
u Director: Terry Hands
u Choreographer: Debbie Allen
u Ran: 16 previews and 5 shows

u Adapted from Stephen King’s 1974 Novel – Carrie.

u Originally premiered in the UK in 1988.
u Broadway transfer cost 8 million.
u Liz Callaway was the original Chris
u Originally produced by the Royal Shakespeare company
u The crew was unable to douse Hateley with fake blood without
causing her microphone to malfunction. Rewrites continued
following each show.
u 1976 film version
u Opening on Broadway, boos and cheers from audience.
u Have had off west end and off Broadway revivals in the 2010s.
 Connect the Musical Theatre Songs to
the correct 1980S musical

1. BARNUM (1980) 1. When I Get My Name in Lights

2. Dreamgirls (1981) 2. Children Will Listen
3. Nine (1982) 3. I Can’t Make this Movie
4. La Cage aux Folles (1983) 4. The Colors Of My Life
5. The Rink (1984)
5. We Can Make it Happen
6. Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
(1985) 6. I Am What I Am

7. Smile (1986) 7. Leavin’s Not the Only Way to Go

8. Into the Woods (1987) 8. Disneyland
9. Legs Diamond (1988) 9. You’re Nothing Without Me
10. City of Angels (1989) 10. I Am Changing
THE COLORS OF MY LIFE –
BARNUM 1980
u Music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Michael
Stewart.
u The music is based on the life and career of
showman Phineas Taylor Barnum.
u Original Broadway production ran 854
performances.
u The song "The Colors of My Life" contrasts the
philosophies of Phineas (Jim Dale, who won the
Tony Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical)
with his bright colors and excitement with that of
his wife Charity (Glenn Close) with more peaceful
colors and calmness.
“I AM CHANGING” -
DREAM GIRLS 1981
u The plot of "Dreamgirls" is inspired by the music
and history of the Supremes and similar Motown
musical acts.
u Original Broadway production ran 1,521
performances on Broadway.
u Lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Henry Krieger.
u The character of Effie sings the song "I Am
Changing", describing a desire to leave behind
the mistakes of her past.
u Jennifer Holliday, who played the part of Effie,
would win the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical.
I CAN’T MAKE THIS MOVIE
– NINE 1982

u Based on the Frederico Fellini film "8 1/2”

u "Nine" ran for 729 performances on Broadway.
u Music and lyrics by Maury Yeston.
u The movie director, Guido Contini, faces a midlife
crisis as he approaches his 40th birthday. He
(portrayed by Raul Julia) sings the song "I Can't
Make This Movie" near the end of the show. "Nine"
won the Tony Award for Best Musical.
 La Cage aux Folles
(1983) ”I Am What I Am”

u Based on an earlier non-musical play of the same

name and book by Harvey Fierstein.
u Music and lyrics written by Jerry Herman.
u La Cage broke barriers for gay representation by
becoming the first hit Broadway musical centred
on a homosexual relationship.
u Albin sings the song "I Am What I Am" near the
end of the first act, stating his pride in himself. The
song became a “gay anthem”
I Am What
I Am –
Walter
Charles
“We Can Make It
Happen” – the RINK (1984)
u Music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.
u Lasted only 204 performances on Broadway,
u The musical was set at a soon-to-be-demolished
roller rink on Coney Island. The rink was owned by
Anna (Chita Rivera), who has an estranged
relationship with her daughter Angel (Liza
Minnelli).
u One of Anna's songs in the first act is "We Can
Make It Happen".
u Chita Rivera would win the Tony Award for
Outstanding Actress in a Musical.
Leavin's Not the Only Way to
Go - Big River: The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn (1985)

u Music and lyrics by Roger Miller:

u Based on the classic Mark Twain novel.
u It ran for 1,005 performances on Broadway in its
initial run.
u In the song "Leavin's Not the Only Way to Go",
Huck finds that he is torn between two friends:
Mary Jane and Jim.
u The musical as a whole was a smash at the Tony
Awards, winning seven and being nominated for
three more.
Disneyland – Smile 1986

u Music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Howard

Ashman.
u The musical as a whole follows the story of a
group of contestants at a fictional beauty
pageant based on the 1975 movie "Smile".
u The musical was unsuccessful, only lasting for 48
performances on Broadway in its original run.
u The song "Disneyland" was performed by Dorial
Hudson (played by Jodi Benson),
Into the Woods (1987) - -
Children Will Listen

u Stephen Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics.

u ITW provides an interesting interpretation and
interlinking of several classic fairy tales.
u The og Broadway show ran for 765 performances
on Broadway.
u The song "Children Will Listen" is part of the finale
sequence of the show and provides the "moral"
so to speak of the show.
u . "Into the Woods" won the Tony Award for Best
Score.
When I Get My Name in
Lights - Legs Diamond
(1988)

u Music and lyrics by Peter Allen

u Allen starred in the principle role on Broadway.
u The musical was inspired by the life and career of
a real-life mobster and only lasted for 64
performances. (The show actually had more
preview performances than official ones.)
u The song "When I Get My Name in Lights" is sung
by Jack at the opening of the show, indicating his
hope for fame.
PETER
ALLEN
You're Nothing Without Me
- City of Angels (1989)

u Music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by David Zippel.

u The musical weaves together two plots: the world
of a writer trying to adapt his novel into a
screenplay and the world of the film he is writing.
The musical is an homage to the film noir genre of
motion pictures of the 1940s.
u "City of Angels" ran for 879 performances on
Broadway in its initial run.
HOMEWORK

u FIND A PIECE OF REPERTOIRE FROM THIS PERIOD

THAT YOU WERE NOT FAMILLAR WITH PRIOR TO THIS
LECTURE FOR YOUR BOOK.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY + FURTHER RESEARCH
RESOURCES

u It Happened on Broadway: An Oral History of the Great White Way By Myrna Katz Frommer,
Harvey Frommer
u Not Since Carrie
u EPISODE 28: CAMERON MACKINTOSH & THE BRITISH INVASION OF BROADWAY (OR SONDHEIM VS
THE POPERETTA) BROADWAY PODCAST NETWORK
u Gerald Martin Bordman (2004). The Oxford companion to American theatrep.496. Oxford
University Press. "A British musical based on Leroux's famous novel".
u Cox, Gordon. "Wicked Surpasses The Phantom of the Opera at the Broadway Box
Office". Variety. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
u Kenrick, J. (2010). “Spectacles and Boardrooms – As If We Never Said Goodbye” in Musical
Theatre: A History. Continuum International Publishing, pp.318-342.
u Sternfeld, J. (2006) The Megamusical. Bloomington, MN: Indiana University Press.