Deck 12: Musical Theatre

Question 1

Which of the following is a 2009 Tony Award-winning musical concerning a mother who is struggling with a bipolar disorder and the effects her disease has on her family?

A) Avenue Q
B) Next to Normal
C) Spamalot
D) In the Heights

Answer 1

Next to Normal

Question 2

Which 2004 musical featured puppets?

A) Bring in 'da Noise/Bring in 'da Funk
B) Avenue Q
C) Spamalot
D) Rent

Answer 2

Avenue Q

Question 3

When a musical is based around an idea rather than a story, it is called a

A) revival.
B) concept musical.
C) devised musical.
D) schematic musical.

Answer 3

concept musical.

Question 4

The true American musical, combining music, dance, and a singular dramatic story at the center, was first established in the late 1920s with the musical Showboat.

Question 5

Even though the two longest-running musicals in Broadway history were 1980s British imports, the modern musical theatre form is predominantly a product of American talent and creativity.

Question 6

Opera was originated by men who thought they were imitating Greek drama.

Question 7

Despite the popularity of the form, no musical has ever received the Pulitzer Prize.

Question 8

Many believe that the opening of Fiddler on the Roof in 1964 marked the end of the golden age of "book"
musicals, and yet forty years later the book musical once again has established a major presence in Broadway theatres.

Question 9

Recitatives in an opera are the transitional sections between arias that are essentially dialogue that is spoken/sung in a stylized fashion on a musical pitch.

Question 10

The book of a musical is sometimes referred to as the lyrics.

Question 11

In ancient Greek tragedy, choral sections were performed to the accompaniment of music and dance movements.

Question 12

The musical Of Thee I Sing, 1931, satirized presidential elections in the U.S. as though they were some kind of beauty contest.

Question 13

The "British invasion"
in a theatrical context refers to imported British musicals like The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Cats, Les Misérables, and Miss Saigon.

Question 14

________ is a type of theatre in which sketches and vignettes alternate with musical numbers, but no single story carries through from beginning to end.

Question 15

A(n) ________ is a show that has a story-which traces the fortunes of the main characters through a series of adventures with a beginning, middle, and end-and features more popular songs.

Question 16

________ is a form which contains scenes of spoken dialogue that alternate with songs, and which generally features a romantic story set in some far-off locale.

Question 17

________ is a form of musical entertainment that emerged in America in the 1920s and which features a light, comic story interspersed with popular music.

Question 18

________ was a series of variety acts-music, sketches, juggling, animal acts-that made up an evening's entertainment.

Question 19

The ________ was a variety show that featured white performers wearing blackface.

Question 20

Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Richard Rodgers all were composers who worked in the ________ form.

Question 21

Shows by Stephen Sondheim, such as Company and Assassins, are examples of the ________ form.

Question 22

In the United States, ________ has become synonymous with the type of sketch theatre comedy that relied heavily on sexual comedy and innuendo and was a precursor to American strip shows.

Question 23

________ are a form of musical theatre that uses fairly contemporary popular music of a singular performer or music group and crafts a story to fit with the already popular music.

Question 24

Contrast a musical comedy with a serious musical. Use examples from records and descriptions. How are the music and lyrics different in each example? Do the differences reflect the contrast between comedy and drama?

Question 25

Contrast the concept musicals of Stephen Sondheim with a more traditional musical by, for instance, Rodgers and Hammerstein. How are the subject matter and story different? How are the music and lyrics different?

Question 26

Write about an important composer or librettist of musicals.

Question 27

Many contemporary musicals, such as Les Misérables and Sweeney Todd, are almost entirely sung. Should they be considered operas? Compare them with an opera such as Carmen. How are they the same? How are they different?

Question 28

How do music videos relate to the contemporary musical? How are they similar? How are they different?

Question 29

Are there certain emotions or actions that are best expressed in music or dance? Make a list. Explain why you have chosen the songs on your list.

Question 30

While musicals are considered a genre in themselves, they also share characteristics with other types of plays, such as tragedies, melodramas, comedies, farces, etc. Discuss into which genres different musicals fall.

Question 31

Recently, there has been a resurgence of films based on Broadway musicals, such as Chicago, The Phantom of the Opera, Dreamgirls, Hairspray, and Les Miserables. To help insure box office success producers are basing musicals on popular films such as Billy Elliott, Catch Me if You Can, Mary Poppins, and Big Fish. How do the film versions differ from the stage versions? Is there a difference in the way the audience relates to the two? Relate this to the actor-audience relationship discussed in Chapter 1.

Question 32

How do jukebox musicals, produced today and based on the already popular music of numerous pop/rock groups or solo entertainers, differ from-or how are they similar to-the musical comedies of the 1920s and 1930s? Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia and Rock of Ages are still running on Broadway, and film versions of Mamma Mia and Rock of Ages have recently been released. Is there a possible trend with Broadway shows being turned into movies? Is this a good thing?

Question 33

Like Rent before it, Spring Awakening seems to have a made a very special connection with the 18- to 25-year-old demographic. Contemporary music is certainly one thing in common, and yet Rent used an old classic opera story but updated it to a contemporary time with circumstances that were more current. With their musical Spring Awakening, Duncan Shiek (music) and Steven Sater (book and lyrics) have kept the 1891 Frank Wedekind play in the same time-period, although microphones are used as a contemporary anachronism. Analyze and discuss why this "period"
story and musical has made such a deep connection to a very young contemporary audience without making the story a contemporary one.

Question 34

Compare and contrast the jukebox musicals, produced today and based on the already popular music of numerous pop/rock groups or solo entertainers, with the musical comedies of the 1920s and 1930s.

Question 35

How has the advent and development of contemporary jukebox musicals (productions based on the music of former popular stars and groups) affected the development and production of the musical revue format?