Jukebox musicals began in film and later shifted to theatre. They had begun to make theatre more popular with the public, which had begun to gravitate towards film and music. By combining the two, they gain some of the same as well as a whole new audience. I will discuss how this came to be by speaking of the shift that occurred.
But what exactly is a jukebox musical? Well, the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a musical as “(n) a film or theatrical production typically of a sentimental or humorous nature that consists of musical numbers and dialogue based on a unifying plot”. This dictionary defines a jukebox musical as “(n) a musical that features popular songs from the past”. Classic musicals include “The Lion King”, “Aida”, and “Hairspray”. The subgenre of the jukebox musical comes in when the music begins to come specifically from one artist or time period that was popular. Examples of this include “Mama Mia”, “American Idiot”, and “Rock of Ages”.
Jukebox musicals tend to have a negative reception from scholars and critics in the musical theatre world. They tend to not view it in the same artistic glory as classic musicals but more as propaganda for the artist or the time the musical speaks to. The general misconception of these musicals is that the music will be unable to form a narrative. I believe this is false and a story can stem from music as effectively as music can stem from a story. Don’t most songs tell a story? I believe jukebox musicals can be just as good if not better if the audience is familiar with the music beforehand. If they are popular tunes, the audience members have more than likely put their own experiences in the context of the song prior to viewing the show. So when these songs appear in the mus...
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Motion pictures from Hollywood had taken Broadway’s place as the king of entertainment. The main reason behind this was that because it was culturally relevant and coming out with new flashy techniques such as Todd-AO and Cinerama.
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The Jazz Singer, released in 1927, is a black and white film that centers on a young man who wishes to conquer his dreams in becoming a professional jazz singer. This film, directed by Alan Crosland, demonstrates new developments from the decade of the 1920’s. During the decade, many new advances; such as the introduction of musicals and other technological advancements, were created. The Jazz Singer utilized these new advances of the decade and incorporated them into each scene. This is evident due to the elements of being the first talkie film, the introduction of the new musical genre and the introduction of the Hollywood stars system. By utilizing the new advances of the decade, Crosland’s film, changed the way cinema would be seen forever.
Musical theatre is a type of theatrical performance combining music, dance, acting and spoken dialogue. Written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, ‘West Side Story’ is a classic American musical based on William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The through-composed score and lyrics are used to portray different characters and their cultures, the rivalry between the Jets and Sharks, and the emotions felt as the story progresses. This essay will be exploring the music and how effective the score is in realising the world and characters of the musical. Furthermore, it will discuss how Bernstein and Sondheim relate characters’ diverse ethnicities to particular musical ideas and motifs.
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The 2000s/ 2010s brought in a wave of movie musicals- adapted from the stage shows. These brought new audiences into the theatre world, and for the first time in 20 years, brought a love to some of the timeless musicals. With slightly altered songs to appeal to a newer audience, these films brought in much needed money into the industry, with films including: Les Misérables, Phantom of the Opera, Rent, Hairspray, Mamma Mia, Fame- and many more. Together with this, musicals began to push the concept of the songs in them, with a wave of new styles being written. Rap musicals such as ‘Hamilton’ and ‘In The Heights’, Pop musicals including ‘Waitress’ and ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ and Rock musicals of ‘American Idiot’ and ‘Spring Awakening’. Together they pushed boundaries of a ‘traditional’ musical theatre sound, and brought in something never before seen. Due to the influence of ‘Rent’, controversial issues and themes began to be explored more, such as Teen suicide, Murder, Ethnic barriers and everything else, which brought with them, a world of opportunities. It was clear that musical theatre was once again showing for a promising
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