WISCONSIN LUTHERAN COLLEGE 8800 W. Bluemound Road Milwaukee, WI 53226 THR 312: Survey of American Musical Theatre (3 credits) FALL SEMESTER - 2002 MEETING TIME: M/W 9:30-11:00 ROOM: F205 INSTRUCTOR: Prof. Nelson OFFICE #: FM08; OFFICE PHONE: OFFICE HOURS: M-TH 11:30-12:30, FR 10:00-11:00, or by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION/OBJECTIVES: The theatrical genre known as musical theatre is significant for a variety of reasons. First, it is the most popular form of theatre in the United States; second, it is one of few truly American art forms; third, it is arguably the most complex form of theatre, bringing together a number of elements to create the whole. This course examines the history of this important genre, from its antecedents through its Golden Age to present-day controversies. We will examine its elements and structure, as well as its creators, from librettists, composers and lyricists, to producers, directors and performers. The following are some of the primary overall objectives of this course: 1. To obtain a brief overview of American musical theatre, with an emphasis on key composers and shows that had the greatest influence on the genre.
2. To learn to critically analyze the components of a well-written musical. 3. To learn to differentiate between different genres of musical theatre and different types of songs. 4. To be able to identify songs from some of America s greatest musicals along with their composers and lyricists. 5. To become familiar with some of the most well-known and/or prolific producers, directors, choreographers and performers. 6. To become more familiar with the life and works of a given composer, which will be shared via a course paper and oral presentation. 7. To attend two musical theatre productions (42 nd Street & Chicago). COURSE METHODS AND MATERIALS There is no specific text for this show. Lecture, play attendance, handouts and audio and video excerpts from sample musicals will be used instead of one specific text. Students will be required to listen to and/or view various musicals discussed in class. There is a collection of Broadway CD s as well as stage or film versions of various shows on video in the WLC library through which they can become acquainted with various musicals and songs. GRADING Midterm Exam 20% Final Exam 30% Presentation # 1 20% Presentation #2 30% THR 350: SURVEY OF AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATRE Bibliography (not a complete list, but a place to get started!)
Atkinson, Brooks. Broadway. Revised Edition. New York: Limelight Editions, 1974. Beddow, Margery. Bob Fosse's Broadway. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann, 1996. Block, Geoffrey. Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway Musical from Show Boat to Sondheim. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Bloom, Ken. American Song The Complete Musical Theatre Companion, 1900-1984. New York: Facts on File, 1985. Bordman, Gerald. American Musical Comedy from Adonis to Dreamgirls. New York / Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1982.. American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle. 2nd edition. New York & London: Oxford University Press, 1992. Citron, Stephen. The Musical From the Inside Out. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 1992. Engel, Lehman. The American Musical Theater: A Consideration. [New York]: Macmillan, 1967. Revised edition published in 1975.. The Making of a Musical: Creating Songs for the Stage. 2nd edition. New York: Limelight Editions, 1988. Ewan, David. Complete Book of the American Musical Theater. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1958. Flinn, Denny Martin. Musical!: A Grand Tour. New York: Schirmer Books, 1997. Gänzl, Kurt. Gänzl's Book of the Broadway Musical. New York: Schirmer Books, 1995. [GanzlB] Gänzl, Kurt. The Musical: A Concise History. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1997.. Song & Dance: The Complete Story of Stage Musicals. New York: Smithmark Publishers, 1995. Gottfried, Martin. Broadway Musicals. New York: Abradale Press/Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1984.. More Broadway Musicals Since 1980. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1991. Green, Stanley. Broadway Musicals: Show by Show. Third edition. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation, 1990.. The World of Musical Comedy. Third Edition, Revised and Enlarged. South Brunswick and New York: A. S. Barnes and Company, 1974. Kislan, Richard. The Musical: A Look at the American Musical Theater. New, revised, expanded edition. New York & London: Applause Books, 1995.
Lamb, Andrew. "Musical comedy" in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie. London: Macmillan, 1980. Vol. 12, 815-823. Laufe, Abe. Broadway's Greatest Musicals. New, illustrated, revised edition. New York: Funk & Wagnalls, 1977. Lerner, Alan Jay. The Musical Theatre: A Celebration. New York: Da Capo Press, 1986. Mates, Julian. America's Musical Stage: Two Hundred Years of Musical Theatre. New York: Praeger, 1985. Paperback edition 1987. Mordden, Ethan. Broadway Babies: The People Who Made the American Musical. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1983.. Coming Up Roses: The Broadway Musical in the 1950s. New York / Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998.. Make Believe The Broadway Musical in the 1920s. New York / Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Morley, Sheridan. Spread a Little Happiness: The First Hundred Years of the British Musical. New York: Thames & Hudson, 1987. Porter, Steven. The American Musical Theatre: A Complete Musical Theatre Course. New York: Barclay House, 1987. Porter, Susan L. With an Air Debonair: Musical Theatre in America, 1785-1815. Washington & London: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1991. Rosenberg, Bernard, and Ernest Harburg. The Broadway Musical: Collaboration in Commerce and Art. New York & London: New York University Press, 1993. Smith, Cecil. Musical Comedy in America. New York: Theatre Arts Books (Robert M. MacGregor), 1950. Steyn, Mark. Broadway Babies Say Goodnight: Musicals Then and Now. New York: Routledge, 1999. Suskin, Steven. Opening Night on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theatre, Oklahoma! (1943) to Fiddler on the Roof (1964). New York: Schirmer Books, 1990.. More Opening Nights on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Musical Theatre, 1965-1981. New York: Schirmer Books, 1997.. Show Tunes: The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers. Revised and Expanded Third Edition. New York / Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Swain, Joseph P. The Broadway Musical: A Critical and Musical Survey. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990.
WEBSITES The Definitive Music Theatre Website http://www.dmtw.co.uk/ (dedicated to West End and B-Way) The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film http://www.musicals101.com Theatricopia http://www.saitmarys.edu Musical Theatre Resources http://www.artslynx.org/theatre/musicals.htm Show List http://www.nodanw.com/shows_1 FLEXIBLE DAILY SYLLABUS - THR 350 M 8/26 Syllabus Overview What Makes a Good Musical? W 8/28 Early Roots: European Influences M 9/2 LABOR DAY NO CLASS See 42 nd Street W 9/4 America s Early Shows & Composers: Black Crook, Victor Herbert, George M. Cohan, Rudolf Friml
M 9/9 Minstrelsy, Vaudeville, Burlesque Watch Showboat W 9/11 Jerome Kern The Influence of Showboat M 9/16 Irving Berlin Read Of Thee I Sing W 9/18 Sigmund Romberg Beginning of the Pulitzers and Tonys M 9/23 George & Ira Gershwin W 9/25 Rodgers & Hart M 9/30 Cole Porter W 10/02 Kurt Weill M 10/07 1 st Presentation W 10/09 MIDTERM LISTENING EXAM Watch Oklahoma W 10/16 Rodgers and Hammerstein Watch South Pacific The Influence of Oklahoma!
M 10/21 More Rodgers and Hammerstein M 10/23 Leonard Bernstein Lerner and Loewe W 10/25 Jule Styne M 10/28 Frank Loesser See WLC s How to Succeed Jerry Bock W 10/30 Charles Strouse Watch Sunday in the Park With George Meredith Wilson Stephen Schwartz M 11/4 Stephen Sondheim W 11/6 Jerry Herman Kander & Ebb M 11/11 The British Invasion: Webber W 11/13 Schoenberg Watch A Chorus Line (Disney) Corporate Invasion
M 11/18 Other Important Shows: A Chorus Line, Man of La Mancha, Damn Yankees, 1776 W 11/20 Rent and Life After? Titanic, Ragtime, See Chicago Parade, The Producers, Urinetown) M 11/25 2 nd Presentation W 11/27 2 nd Presentation M 12/2 Review for Final Exam W 12/4 Listening Portion of Final Exam Week of 12/9 WRITTEN FINAL EXAM PRESENTATION ONE Select one person from category one and 2 people from category two and give a presentation about each (totaling no more than 15 minutes). Give us an overview of their careers, what they were best known for and any other interesting or noteworthy tidbits about their work or lives that you can garner. Try to make it creative, utilizing things like Power Point, Slides, Video Clips, Sound Clips, etc. You might also try to tie the people you select together in some way (i.e.
maybe the two people you picked were both directed by a director you picked, or maybe both actors played the same role at some point in their careers, in which case you could compare/contrast their performances. You will need to turn in an written outline of your presentation. I. DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS/CHOREOGRAPHERS Florenz Ziegfeld Jerome Robbins George S. Kaufman Michael Kidd Moss Hart Bob Fosse Abe Burrows George Balanchine George Abbott Agnes de Mille Josh Logan Julie Taymor Harold Prince Susan Stroman Gower Champion II. SOME MUSICAL THEATRE PERFORMER Mary Martin Alfred Drake
Ethel Merman John Raitt Carol Channing Mandy Patinkin Julie Andrews Tom Bosley Angela Lansbury Tommy Tune Gwen Verdon Robert Alda Betty Buckley Robert Preston Patti LuPone Richard Kiley Bernadette Peters Len Cariou Fanny Brice Zero Mostel Celeste Holm Matthew Broderick Judy Holliday Nathan Lane Chita Rivera OTHER
OTHER PRESENTATION TWO This project has both a scholarly and a performance component. Select a musical from the list below or a favorite of yours by a composer not already listed on the syllabus or a show by a composer listed that we didn t discuss much. Give the following two-fold presentation. You might also want to think about your vocal range/ability and select a musical/character you think you can pull off. A) Read, listen to and research the history of the musical and give an oral presentation which answers the following (not necessarily in this order): v Who are the composer/lyricist/book writer? Did they write anything else? v Is this an original show or an adaptation of some other work? v How would you classify this show (genre, writing, etc.) v When did it open and how long did it first run on Broadway? v Have there been any Broadway revivals? v Is their anything special about it s historical context or anything unusual/unique about the show s history? v v What reviews did it garner? Who were the lead/star performers?
v What are it s most well-known songs? (Share a few sound or video clips other than the one you will sing.) v What is the basic story line of the show? v Who is the character you will be portraying? (Tell us about him/her and set up the scene you will be performing in part B) B) Perform a solo (or duet) which is sung by this character. (You may select a partner from inside or outside of class to perform with you in the scene and song if you choose a duet.) An accompanist will be provided. Try to costume yourself as much like the character as possible. C) Turn in a written outline of your presentation. Some Suggested Shows Irene Redhead Do I Hear a Waltz Oliver Sweet Charity Applause Me & My Girl Two Gentleman of Verona Nine La Cage Aux Folles Big River
The Mystery of Edwin Drood City of Angels Crazy for You Kiss of the Spider Woman Grand Hotel Jekyll & Hyde