The Broadway Musical: Something Great Is Coming

Catalog description

For some 60 years, roughly from 1920 to 1980, the Broadway musical was in its Golden Age. The subjects were for adults, the lyrics were for the literate, and the music had a richness and depth of expression never since equaled in American composition. In fall, the course will focus mostly on the “integrated musical”—shows that tell a story with the songs woven seamlessly into the plot, such as Show Boat, Carousel, South Pacific, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof, and Sweeney Todd. We will also spend some time looking at the much more chaotic zaniness of musical comedies, such as The New Yorkers, Guys and Dolls, and Pal Joey. In spring, the course will move on to the “concept musical”—Broadway’s answer to Cubist painting, which took a subject and looked at it from every conceivable angle except that of a conventional plot. Examples of concept musicals will include Cabaret, Company, Candide, Follies, Chicago, Pacific Overtures, and Merrily We Roll Along. We will end the course by looking at two great Broadway operas: Porgy and Bess and West Side Story. In each semester, the student will become the teacher for a day: Students will choose any musical they like and give a presentation similar to the ones given by the instructor. Structure: Dramaturgy and the Politics of Form