Musical

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A musical (sometimes called a musical comedy) is a musical stage work in which dialogues, songs, music, dances are intertwined, while the plot is usually uncomplicated. Many genres had a great influence on the musical: operetta, comic opera, vaudeville, burlesque. As a separate genre theatrical art for a long time was not recognized and is still not recognized by everyone.

The musical is a staged genre, work on each project begins with writing a play. The production of the play is carried out by the director. Choreographers, singing specialists can also participate in the production.

The musical is one of the most commercial theater genres. This is due to its spectacularity, variety of themes for staging, unlimited choice of means of expression for the actors.

When staging musicals, crowd scenes with singing and dancing are often used, and various specials are often used. effects.

The form of the musical is most often a two-act performance.
Content
1. History
1.1 The beginnings of the musical
1.2 Development in America
1.3 Further development
2 Most famous musicals
2.1 Broadway musicals
2.2 French musicals
2.3 Austrian musicals
2.4 Russian musicals

Story

The origin of the musical

The forerunners of the musical were many light genres, where variety shows, French ballet and dramatic interludes were mixed. In September 1866, a production of Black Crook took place on the New York stage, where romantic ballet, melodrama and other genres intertwined. It is she who is considered the starting point of a new genre. English producer George Edwards described one of his hits "Chorus Girl" as a musical comedy. A musical comedy meant a light entertaining performance, where the main thing was not the plot, but rather popular vocal numbers performed by the idols of the public. Edwards' productions were a resounding success in New York, and until the early 20th century English performances dictated fashion in the new genre.

Development in America

In the years leading up to the First World War, talented émigrés Herbert, Friml, Romberg and others gave impetus to the active development of the musical in America. In the period of the 20s and 30s, with the advent of new American composers Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Col Porter and others, the musical takes on a true American flavor. The libretto became more complicated, the influence of jazz and ragtime became noticeable in the rhythms, typical American turns appeared in the songs. Many songs from musicals have become musical classics. The acting skills of the singers have increased significantly. Gershwin won the Pulitzer Prize for the first time in 1932 for his work on the musical Of Thee I Sing (1931). Rogers and Hammerstein II collaborated to produce productions such as Oklahoma! (“Oklahoma!”, 1943), “Carousel” (“Carousel”, (1945), “South Pacific” (“South Pacific” (1949), distinguished by a high level of dramaturgy. They were a resounding success with the public.

After the Second World War, the plot of musicals became more serious, there was "West Side Story" ("Westside story", 1957) by Leonard Bernstein. The production is based on Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, and the action takes place in modern New York. The expressiveness of the dances indicated the growing importance of choreography.

Further development

In the late 1960s, under the influence of new musical styles comes a new understanding of the musical as a genre. The play "Hair" ("Hair", 1967) reflected the then fashionable ideas of the hippies, thus the production was called "a musical of primitive American lyrical rock." Since the 70s, the number of performances has been reduced, but the scenery and costumes of new musicals are becoming more luxurious. Dramatic changes in the concept of the musical were presented by the production of "Jesus Christ Superstar" ("Jesus Christ Superstar" 1971) by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and librettist Tim Rice. The serious theme of the musical "Evita" ("Evita", 1978) proved the long way that the genre has come through during its development. Webber's creation "Cats" ("Cats", 1981) based on the poem cycle by T.S. Elliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" presents vivid, catchy imagery, feline intonations are recognizable in music, dances are supple and plastic. Other popular piece Webber was the musical "The Phantom of the Opera", combining elements of detective and thriller.

The Anglo-American monopoly of musicals ended in 1985 when the French production of Les Miserables, based on Victor Hugo's novel of the same name, premiered on the London stage. The authors are composer Claude Michel Schonberg and librettist Alain Boublil. The high level of the musical as a genre proves "Miss Saigon" ("Miss Saigon"), Puccini's modernized opera "Madama Butterfly".

The most famous musicals

Broadway musicals

Broadway musicals brought worldwide fame to the genre.
My Fair Lady / "My Fair Lady": music: Frederick Lowe, libretto and song lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner (1956)
Sound of Music, The / "Sound of Music" music: Richard Rogers, libretto: Howard Lindsay & Russell Crews, song lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein (1959)
Oliver! / "Oliver!": music, libretto and song lyrics: Lionel Bart (1960)
Fiddler on the Roof / Fiddler on the Roof music: Jerry Bock, libretto: Joseph Stein, song lyrics: Sheldon Harnick (1964)
Jesus Christ Superstar Music: Andrew Lloyd-Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice (1970)
Les Miserables / Les Misérables: music: Claude-Michel Schonberg, libretto: Alain Boublil (1980)
Cats / "Cats" music: Andrew Lloyd-Webber, libretto: T.S. Eliot (1981)
42nd Street / 42nd Street: Music: Harry Warren, Lyrics: Al Dubin, Libretto: Mark Bramble and Mike Stewart (1981)
Phantom of the Opera, The / The Phantom of the Opera music: Andrew Lloyd-Webber, libretto: Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd-Webber, song lyrics: Charles Hart (1986)
Jekyll & Hyde / "Jekyll & Hyde" music: Frank Wildhorn, libretto and lyrics: Leslie Bricass (1989)
The Threepenny Opera / Music: Kurt Weill, libretto: Bertolt Brecht (based on The Threepenny Novel)

French musicals

At first, musicals in France took a different path: they were less spectacular and cost less scenery (compared to Broadway ones) and, in general, more like concerts of several crooners. A vivid example of this is the original version of the musical Nôtre-Dame de Paris by Riccardo Coccante and Luc Plamondon. But over time, tastes have changed, and in recent years, France has presented quite colorful, in terms of costumes and scenery, musical performances, such as Romeo et Juliette, Autant en Emporte le Vent, Le Roi Soleil, etc.
Starmania / Starmania: music: Michel Berger, libretto: Luc Plamondon (1979)
Misérables, Les / Les Misérables: music: Claude-Michel Schonberg, libretto: Alain Boublil (1980)
La legende de Jimmy / "The Legend of Jimmy": music: Michel Berger, libretto: Luc Plamondon (1990)
Nôtre-Dame de Paris / "Cathedral Notre Dame of Paris": music: Riccardo Coccante, libretto: Luc Plamondon (1998)
Romeo et Juliette / Romeo and Juliet: music: Gerard Presgurvik, libretto: Gerard Presgurvik (2000)
Ali Baba / "Ali Baba": music: Chatel Aboulker (June 12, 2001)
Les Dix Commandements / "10 Commandments": music: Pascal Obispo (2001)
Le Petit Prince / « Little Prince»: music: Riccardo Coccante, libretto: Elisabeth Anais (2002)
Don Juan / "Don Juan": music: Felix Gray (August 3, 2003)
Le Roi Soleil / The Sun King: music: Albert Cohen, libretto: Elie Shuraki (2005)
Dracula, Entre l'amour et la mort / "Dracula: between love and death": music: Simon Leclerc, libretto: Roger Tabra (2005) - Canadian musical in French
Cléopâtre, la dernière reine d'Egypte / "Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt": (2009)

Austrian musicals
Elisabeth / "Elizabeth": music: Sylvester Levay, libretto: Michael Kunze (1992)
Tanz der Vampire / Vampire's Ball Music: Sylvester Levay, libretto: Jim Steinman (1997)
Mozart! / "Mozart!": music: Sylvester Levay, libretto: Michael Kunze (1999)
Rebecca / "Rebecca": music: Sylvester Levay, libretto: Michael Kunze (2006)

Russian musicals
"Orpheus and Eurydice" - perhaps the founder of the Russian musical. It still sounds performed by the St. Petersburg Rock Opera Theater
Juno and Avos is a rock opera by Alexei Rybnikov, first performed on the Lenkom stage in 1981.
"The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta" - the performance was published on a vinyl record in the USSR.
"Nord-Ost" is the first world-class Russian musical. Staged by Georgy Vasilyev and Alexey Ivashchenko
"www.silicone fool.ru" - a musical by Alexander Pantykin and Konstantin Rubinsky, staged in Yekaterinburg in 2007 and received two "Golden Masks" in 2008 in nominations.
"Night of Open Doors" - a musical by Evgeny Karmazin and Konstantin Rubinsky, staged in Yekaterinburg in 2005 and received the "Golden Mask" in two categories, including " Best Performance».
"12 Chairs" is a Russian musical based on the novel of the same name by I. Ilf and E. Petrov.
Mowgli is a Russian fantasy musical staged at the Moscow Operetta Theatre. It has been running in Moscow since 2005. Music and libretto - Vlad Stashinsky, stage director - Alina Chevik, music director - Vlad Stashinsky, choreographer - Boris Baranovsky, artist - Viktor Arefiev, costume designer - Valentina Komolova, make-up artist - Andrey Drykin, lighting designer - A Kuznetsov, choirmaster - P. Suchkov.
"Monte Cristo" is a Russian musical based on the novel by A. Dumas "The Count of Monte Cristo". Composer - Roman Ignatiev, libretto author - Yuli Kim, musical producer - Vladimir Tartakovsky and Alexei Bolonin, production director - Alina Chevik, choreographer - Irina Korneeva, production designer - Vyacheslav Okunev, make-up and wig designer - Andrey Drykin, lighting designer - Gleb Filshtinsky, parkour stunt director - Oleg Krasnyansky
"The Last Test" is a fantasy musical by Anton Kruglov and Elena Khanpira.
"Children of the Sun" - ethno-musical by Vladimir Podgoretsky.
"The Bremen Town Musicians" is a family musical based on the mega-popular songs of Gennady Gladkov and lyrics by Yuri Entin.

Musical (sometimes called a musical comedy) is a musical stage work in which dialogues, songs, music, important role choreography plays. Plots are often taken from well-known literary works, from world drama (“My Fair Lady” by Bernard Shaw, “Kiss Me Kat!” by Shakespeare, “The Man from La Mancha” by Cervantes, “Oliver!” and “Open House Night” by Dickens). Many genres had a great influence on the musical: operetta, comic opera, vaudeville, burlesque. For a long time it was not recognized as a separate genre of theatrical art.
The musical is a genre, as a rule, difficult in terms of staging and therefore expensive. Many Broadway musicals are famous for their special effects, which is only possible in the setting of a stationary musical, where performances run daily for many years as long as they are popular with the public. In Russia, an example of such a most successful stationary musical is Nord-Ost.
The musical is one of the most commercial theater genres. This is due to its spectacularity, variety of themes for staging, unlimited choice of means of expression for the actors.
The musical is usually a two-act play.
The origin of the musical
The forerunners of the musical were many light genres, where variety shows, French ballet and dramatic interludes were mixed. In September 1866, a production of "Black Crook" was staged in New York, where romantic ballet, melodrama and other genres intertwined. It is she who is considered the starting point of a new genre. English producer George Edwards described one of his hits "Chorus Girl" as a musical comedy. A musical comedy meant a light entertaining performance, where the main thing was not the plot, but rather popular vocal numbers performed by the idols of the public. Edwards' productions were a resounding success in New York, and until the early 20th century English performances dictated fashion in the new genre.
Development in America
In the years leading up to the First World War, talented émigrés Herbert, Friml, Romberg and others gave impetus to the active development of the musical in America. In the period of the 20s and 30s, with the arrival of new American composers Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Col Porter and others, the musical takes on a true American flavor. The libretto became more complicated, the influence of jazz and ragtime became noticeable in the rhythms, typical American turns appeared in the songs. Many songs from musicals have become musical classics. The acting skills of the singers have increased significantly. Gershwin won the Pulitzer Prize for the first time in 1932 for his work on the musical Of Thee I Sing (1931). Rogers and Hammerstein II collaborated to produce productions such as Oklahoma! (“Oklahoma!”, 1943), “Carousel” (“Carousel”, 1945), “South Pacific” (“South Pacific”, 1949), distinguished by a high level of dramaturgy. They were a resounding success with the public.
After the Second World War, the plot of musicals became more serious, there was "West Side Story" ("Westside story", 1957) by Leonard Bernstein. The production is based on Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, and the action takes place in modern New York. The expressiveness of the dances indicated the growing importance of choreography.
Further development
In the late 60s of the XX century, under the influence of new musical styles, a new understanding of the musical as a genre comes. The play "Hair" ("Hair", 1967) reflected the then fashionable ideas of the hippies, thus the production was called "a musical of primitive American lyrical rock." Since the 70s, the number of performances has been reduced, but the scenery and costumes of new musicals are becoming more luxurious. The 1971 production of Jesus Christ Superstar by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and librettist Tim Rice brought dramatic changes to the concept of the musical. The serious theme of the musical "Evita" ("Evita", 1978) proved the long way that the genre has come through during its development. Webber's Cats (1981), based on T. S. Elliot's verse cycle Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, presents vivid, catchy imagery and recognizable felines in the music. intonations, dances are flexible and plastic. Another popular work of Webber was the musical "The Phantom of the Opera", which combines elements of detective and thriller.
The Anglo-American monopoly of musicals ended in 1985 when the French production of Les Miserables, based on Victor Hugo's novel of the same name, premiered on the London stage. The authors are composer Claude Michel Schonberg and librettist Alain Boublil. The high level of the musical as a genre proves "Miss Saigon" ("Miss Saigon"), Puccini's modernized opera "Madama Butterfly".
The most famous musicals
Broadway musicals
Broadway musicals brought worldwide fame to the genre.
Threepenny Opera, The / The Threepenny Opera: music: Kurt Weill, libretto: Bertolt Brecht (based on The Threepenny Novel) (1933)
My Fair Lady / "My Fair Lady": music: Frederick Lowe, libretto and song lyrics: Alan Jay Lerner (1956)
Sound of Music, The / "Sound of Music" music: Richard Rogers, libretto: Howard Lindsay & Russell Crews, song lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein (1959)
Oliver! / "Oliver!": music, libretto and song lyrics: Lionel Bart (1960)
Fiddler on the Roof / Fiddler on the Roof music: Jerry Bock, libretto: Joseph Stein, song lyrics: Sheldon Harnick (1964)
Hair / "Hair" music: Galt McDermot, libretto: James Rado (1968)
Jesus Christ Superstar Music: Andrew Lloyd-Webber Lyrics: Tim Rice (1970)
Chicago / Chicago / music: John Kander, libretto: Bob Fosse, Fred Ebb (1975)
Les Miserables / Les Misérables: music: Claude-Michel Schonberg, libretto: Alain Boublil (1980)
Cats / "Cats" music: Andrew Lloyd-Webber, libretto: T. S. Eliot (1981)
42nd Street / 42nd Street: Music: Harry Warren, Lyrics: Al Dubin, Libretto: Mark Bramble and Mike Stewart (1981)
Phantom of the Opera, The / The Phantom of the Opera music: Andrew Lloyd-Webber, libretto: Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd-Webber, song lyrics: Charles Hart (1986)
Jekyll & Hyde / "Jekyll & Hyde" music: Frank Wildhorn, libretto and lyrics: Leslie Bricass (1989)
Producers, The / The Producers / music: Mel Brooks, libretto: Mel Brooks (based on Mel Brooks' Spring for Hitler)
French musicals
At first, musicals in France took a different path: they were less spectacular and cost less scenery (compared to Broadway ones) and, in general, more like concerts of several crooners. A vivid example of this is the original version of the musical Nôtre-Dame de Paris by Riccardo Coccante and Luc Plamondon. But over time, tastes have changed, and in last years France presented quite colorful, in terms of costumes and scenery, musical performances, such as Romeo et Juliette, Autant en Emporte le Vent, Le Roi Soleil, etc.
Starmania / Starmania: music: Michel Berger, libretto: Luc Plamondon (1979)
Misérables, Les / Les Misérables: music: Claude-Michel Schonberg, libretto: Alain Boublil (1980)
La legende de Jimmy / "The Legend of Jimmy": music: Michel Berger, libretto: Luc Plamondon (1990)
Sand et les Romantiques / "George Sand and the Romantics" (1991)
Vu D'en Haut / View from Above (1991)
La vie en bleu / "Life in Blue" (1996)
Nôtre-Dame de Paris / "Notre-Dame de Paris or Notre Dame Cathedral": music: Riccardo Cocciante, libretto: Luc Plamondon (1998)
Da Vinci / "Da Vinci" (2000)
Romeo et Juliette / Romeo and Juliet: music: Gerard Presgurvik, libretto: Gerard Presgurvik (2000)
Les Mille Et Une Vies D'Ali Baba / "The Thousand and One Lives of Ali Baba" Music: Chatel Aboulker (June 12, 2001)
Les Dix Commandements / "10 Commandments": music: Pascal Obispo (2001)
Le Petit Prince / "The Little Prince": music: Riccardo Coccante, libretto: Elisabeth Anais (2002)
Tristan et Yseult / Tristan and Isolde: libretto: Jacques Francois Berthel (2002)
Emilie Jolie / "Emilie Jolie": (2002)
Don Juan / "Don Juan": music: Felix Gray (August 3, 2003)
Le Roi Soleil / The Sun King: music: Albert Cohen, libretto: Elie Shuraki (2005)
Dracula, Entre l'amour et la mort / "Dracula: between love and death": music: Simon Leclerc, libretto: Roger Tabra (2005) - Canadian musical in French
Graal / "Grail": music: Catherine Lara (2005)
Cléopâtre, la dernière reine d'Egypte / "Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt": (2009)
Mozart - L'Opera Rock / Mozart Rock Opera: (2009)
Austrian musicals
Elisabeth / "Elizabeth": music: Sylvester Levay, libretto: Michael Kunze (1992)
Tanz der Vampire / Vampire's Ball: music: Jim Steinman, libretto: Michael Kunze (1997)
Mozart! / "Mozart!": music: Sylvester Levay, libretto: Michael Kunze (1999)
Rebecca / "Rebecca": music: Sylvester Levay, libretto: Michael Kunze (2006)
Russian musicals
"Orpheus and Eurydice" - perhaps the founder of the Russian musical. Until now, it is performed by the St. Petersburg Rock Opera Theater. Composer - Alexander Zhurbin. Libretto - Yuri Dimitrin.
"The Prince and the Pauper" - music by Alexander Zhurbin, after M. Twain, 1973, Moscow, 110 performances in 3 theaters.
The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta is a performance (rock opera) based on the dramatic cantata by Pablo Neruda. The author of the libretto is Pavel Grushko, the composer, conductor and stage director is Alexey Rybnikov, the director is F. Ivanov. Staged in 1976 in the USSR, at the Lenkom Theatre, Moscow. A double vinyl album with an audio recording of the performance was published in 1977 and took 1st place in the charts of the best records.
Staged for the second time in 2009 by Alexander Rykhlov (stage director and chief director). The author of the libretto, as well as 30 years ago, is Pavel Grushko.
"Penelope" - music by Alexander Zhurbin, based on the play by B. Racer and V. Konstantinov, 1979, Sverdlovsk, there is an English version, more than 2000 performances in 40 theaters.
Juno and Avos is a rock opera by Alexei Rybnikov, first performed on the Lenkom stage in 1981.
"Glass of Water" - Alexander Zhurbin, after E. Scribe, 1988, Moscow, 1000 performances in 30 theaters.
"Sunset (Moldavanka)" - a musical by Alexander Zhurbin, the only Russian one staged in the USA. According to I. Babel, 1987, Riga; in the USA it was called How It Was Done in Odessa (How it was done in Odessa), Philadelphia, 1991, 30 theaters, more than 1000 performances.
"Nord-Ost" is the first world-class Russian musical. Staged by Georgy Vasiliev and Alexei Ivashchenko in Moscow in 2001.
"Finrod-zong" - a fantasy musical based on the works of English writer J. R. R. Tolkien.
"12 Chairs" is a Russian musical based on the novel of the same name by I. Ilf and E. Petrov. Delivered in Moscow in 2003.
"Vladimir Square" - a musical by A. Zhurbin based on F. M. Dostoevsky ("Humiliated and Insulted"), 2003, St. Petersburg, Theater. Lensoviet;
"Night of Open Doors" - a musical by Evgeny Karmazin and Konstantin Rubinsky based on "A Christmas Tale" by Charles Dickens. Staged in Yekaterinburg in 2005, received the Golden Mask in two categories (including Best Performance).
Mowgli is a Russian fantasy musical staged at the Moscow Operetta Theatre. It has been running in Moscow since 2005. Music and libretto - Vlad Stashinsky, director - Alina Chevik, music. director - Vlad Stashinsky, choreographer - Boris Baranovsky, artist - Viktor Arefiev, costume designer - Valentina Komolova, make-up artist - Andrey Drykin, lighting designer - A. Kuznetsov, choirmaster - P. Suchkov.
"Keep me, my love" - ​​a musical by Alexander Pantykin and Konstantin Rubinsky. Staged in Yekaterinburg in 2006, received the Bravo Award, was also nominated for the Musical Heart of the Theatre.
"www.silicone fool.net" - a musical by Alexander Pantykin and Konstantin Rubinsky. Staged in Yekaterinburg in 2007, in 2008 received the award " golden mask in two categories.
"Monte Cristo" is a Russian musical based on the novel by A. Dumas "The Count of Monte Cristo". Delivered in Moscow in 2008.
"The Last Test" is a fantasy musical by Anton Kruglov and Elena Khanpira.
Road of No Return is a fantasy rock musical. Created by the ESSE group based on the Witcher saga by Andrzej Sapkowski (premiere 2009).
"Children of the Sun" - ethno-musical by Vladimir Podgoretsky.
"Catherine the Great" - musical chronicles of the times of the Empire. Composer Sergei Dreznin. Staged by the Sverdlovsk Academic Musical Comedy Theater in 2008 (directed by Nina Chusova). In 2009, he was awarded two Golden Mask awards (best female role - Maria Vinenkova, best costumes - Pavel Kaplevich).
““New adventures of the Bremen or forward to the past” (previously: “ New Year topsy-turvy, or forward into the past") - a Russian musical based on the songs of Yuri Entin. Stage Director: Honored Artist Russian Federation Boris Boreyko. Young stars Ilya Viktorov and Yevgeny Aksenov take part in the musical.
The Bremen Town Musicians is a musical based on the famous cartoon. Composer - Gennady Gladkov. Poems by Yuri Entin. Stage director - Boris Boreyko, choreographers - Marina Yatsevich and Alexey Valts. The musical was conceived and implemented by the Triumph production center.
VykhAd Corporation is the first Russian alternative musical. Screenwriter, director and composer Fedor: (Fredo:) Jay Lukashuk, with the participation of the Enemies of the Flies band. Sochi, 2007 The sequel (“VykhAd Corporation 2”) was staged by the same cast in Sochi in 2009.
"The Master and Margarita" - premiered on September 23, 2009. Created by the Star Pier Producer Center. Goes on the stage of the Moscow Children's Variety Theater.
"Doctor Zhivago" - the premiere in St. Petersburg of the Perm Drama Theater took place on the stage of the Vyborg Palace of Culture on April 15, 2009. Music by Alexander Zhurbin, staged by Boris Milgram.
"Dead Souls" - the author defines the genre of the play as "light opera". Music by Alexander Pantykin, libretto by Konstantin Rubinsky. The libretto includes motifs from "Dead Souls", "Inspector", "Taras Bulba", "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka". The premiere took place at the Sverdlovsk Academic Theater of Musical Comedy in November 2009. Stage director - Kirill Strezhnev. In the role of Chichikov - Evgeny Zaitsev. Sergei Smirnov's "Eccentric Ballet" takes part in the performance.
« Dead Souls"- Alexander Zhurbin's musical based on Gogol's "Dead Souls", which premiered in Omsk on April 16, 2010. Without changing his style and "light genre", Zhurbin, along with co-authors - librettists Olga Ivanova and Alexander Butvilovsky and poet Sergei Plotov, retained seriousness , and the depth of the literary source.
"Caesar and Cleopatra" - a musical by Alexander Zhurbin, first presented to the audience of the Moscow State academic theater operetta June 12, 13, 2010. Libretto based on the play by Bernard Shaw - Jeanne Gerder. Art director - Alexander Vasiliev. Choreographer - Albert Alberts. In the title roles - Gerard Vasiliev, Valeria Lanskaya / Vasilisa Nikolaeva.
Ukrainian musicals
"Feminism in Ukrainian" (1998) - the first national Ukrainian musical. Libretto author, composer, director and set designer - Alexey Kolomiytsev.

Yugra State University

Humanitarian institute

Department of Pedagogy and Psychology

Abstract on the topic

"Musical as a musical genre"

by academic discipline

"History of the development of strand and jazz music »

Performed:

4th year student

group no. 9175

HER. Sokolova

Checked:

Associate Professor of the Department

music education

N.M. Provozina

Khanty-Mansiysk

1. What is a musical?

2. "American Way" of musical development.

3. Musical in Russia.

Bibliography.

What is a musical?

Modern musical art is filled with a variety of genres and trends. Now on the stage you can meet representatives of the classical school, and various youth subcultures, and all kinds of musical trends. What is a musical and what are the features of this unique genre?

Musical (sometimes called a musical comedy) is a musical stage work in which dialogues, songs, music are intertwined, choreography plays an important role.

The musical is a special stage genre, where dramatic, musical, vocal, choreographic and plastic arts merge in an inseparable unity. Their combination and interconnection gave the musical an extraordinary dynamism, feature many musicals, the solution of serious dramaturgical problems is easy to understand artistic means. At the present stage, it is one of the most complex and peculiar genres, in which, to one degree or another, almost all styles are reflected. performing arts that existed before. While the musical was at the initial stage of its formation, many did not believe in its success.

The three main components of a musical are music, lyrics and libretto. The libretto of a musical refers to the "play" or story of the show - in fact its spoken (not vocal) line. However, "libretto" can also refer to dialogue and lyrics together, like a libretto in an opera. Music and lyrics together form a musical score. The interpretation of the musical by the creative team greatly influences the way the musical is presented. The creative team includes a director, a music director, and usually a choreographer. The production of musicals is also creatively characterized by technical aspects such as sets, costumes, stage properties, lighting, etc. This generally varies from production to production (although some notable aspects of the production tend to stick with the original production, such as Bob Fosse's choreography in "Chicago").

There is no fixed length for a musical, and it can run from a short one-act performance to several acts and several hours (or even several evenings). However, most musicals run from half an hour to three hours. Musicals today are usually presented in two acts, with one break of ten to 20 minutes. The first act is almost always somewhat longer than the second act, and generally represents the bulk of the music. A musical may be built around 4-6 main theme tunes that are repeated throughout the performance, or may consist of a series of songs not directly musically related. Spoken dialogue is usually interspersed between musical numbers, although the use of "vocal dialogue" or recitative is not excluded.

"American way" of musical development.

How old is the musical? The art of telling stories through songs dates back to time immemorial. We know that the ancient Greeks included music and dance in their theatrical performances as early as the 5th century B.C. Some of them wrote special songs for each musical, others used existing ones. These plays combined political and social satire and anything else that could entertain the masses. With the help of songs, it was possible to comment on actions, talk about what was happening, etc.

The Romans copied almost all the forms and traditions of the Greek theater, but they also made some changes. In particular, they began to pad shoes with metal to better hear the movement of dancers, which began to emphasize the importance of special effects.

The forerunners of the modern musical were many light genres: operetta, comic opera, vaudeville, burlesque. Some generally consider it just an American variety of operetta. There is no big mistake in this. Art genres tend to develop, and the operetta has changed its national and genre specificity more than once. The sentimental melodramatic operettas of I. Kalman and F. Lehar were so unlike the Viennese operetta of the late 19th century, and the musical comedies of Soviet authors were so different from Western productions that sometimes they also gave reason to talk about them as a new genre. The words "this is not an operetta" were well known to many operetta authors of the 20th century. The main structural difference between the operetta and the musical lies in the role played by the music in comparison with the conversational scenes. The operetta has largely retained the features of a sustained musical form with ensembles and finales, with leitmotifs and elements of symphonic development. The musical is more of a theatrical form in which music is one of the means of musical stage montage, along with choreography, plasticity, staged effects, etc. "In terms of structure, the musical is close to the variety of operetta that we have, as and in other countries, was called "musical comedy" and which supporters of the purity of the genre sometimes fundamentally separated from the operetta.It was in the American musical theater that a qualitative leap took place that allows many to consider the musical as an independent stage genre, although being in close relationship and continuity with the operetta.

A huge role in the emergence of the musical (one might say, the musical appeared thanks to this genre) was played by jazz, which at the beginning of the 20th century. gradually became not just music, but also a way of thinking, it penetrated into all spheres of artistic culture, including the theater. Gradually recognized as original national music, jazz compositions gained more and more popularity. By the early 1940s, it was difficult to find a performance of the musical comedy genre that did not include jazz numbers. Against their background, the triviality of other scenes and sketches looked more and more vulgar. A qualitative leap in musical and theatrical performances became inevitable. It was jazz thinking that united all musical and entertainment genres that are not too different from each other on new principles, giving their light and superficial character an unexpected depth. The change in the nature of music inevitably led to a fundamental change in the dramatic basis. So, at the intersection of seemingly incompatible artistic directions, a musical arose.

The history of the world musical today has about 100 years. Although some experts consider Georges Bizet's opera Carmen (1874) to be the world's first musical, some go even further and start counting from Mozart's Magic Flute (1791). The absolute forerunners of the musical can be considered John Gay's Beggar's Opera (1787) or the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan (mid-19th century). The first true American musical is considered to be "Show Boat" by composer Jerome Kern and librettist Oscar Hammerstein (1927). In it, for the first time, the degree of integration of text and music reached a "musical consistency". However, back then, "The Floating Ship" was not called a musical, but also a musical comedy.

The official birth date of the new genre is considered to be March 1943, when the play premiered on Broadway. Oklahoma! R. Rogers and O. Hammerstein. Although at first the authors traditionally called their performance a "musical comedy", the public and critics perceived it as an innovation that destroys the established canons. The performance was compositionally a single whole: there were no inserted divertissement vocal and dance numbers in it; the plot, characters' characters, music, singing - all the components existed inseparably, emphasizing and developing by various means the general line of the stage work. Behind a simple and unpretentious plot, there were fundamental values ​​- love, social community, patriotism. Not without reason, ten years later, the state of Oklahoma declared the song from this performance its official anthem.

Already after the premiere, which was an extraordinary success, the authors proposed a new term for the performance genre: musical. Musical Oklahoma! did not leave the Broadway stage for more than five years; after - he traveled all over America with a tour. In 1944 he received the Pulitzer Prize. For the first time, a record was released with a recording of not individual musical numbers, but the entire performance. A film was made in 1955 Oklahoma!, who received two Oscars - for best music and best work with sound. In 2002 it was again staged on Broadway. New York Drama League announced Oklahoma! the best musical of the century.

Thus began a new era in the history of first the American, and then the world theater, which was glorified by such composers as J. Gershwin, R. Rogers, L. Bernstein, E. Lloyd Webber, J. German and others.

In America, the epicenter of such a bright musical and theatrical performance is, of course, Broadway - the cult street of New York, where a huge number of theaters and music halls are concentrated, has always attracted the imagination of both actors and spectators. Broadway musicals have become a real brand, Hollywood stars now and then participate in local productions, and theatergoers eagerly read reviews of new performances in newspapers. At the intersection of Broadway with 42nd Street is Times Square - here are the famous Broadway theaters. Today, there are about 40 large theaters in this quarter, which are the basis of American theatrical culture. Therefore, the name of the street has long become a household name, a synonym for this art in the United States in principle.

Broadway set the tone for the musical world for many years. In the twenties and thirties, the most notable composers in the world of musicals were Rudolf Friml (Rosemary, 1924), Oscar Hammerstein (The Floating Theatre, 1927) and George Gershwin (I Sing of You, 1931). , - the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize; folk opera "Porgy and Bess", 1935). By 1937, the theatrical musical began to lose ground, yielding to a formidable rival - cinema. The development of sound films immediately led to the desire to hear music and songs on the screen, and what genre of musical was best suited for this?

Nevertheless, the musical survived on the stage. In 1943, the famous Oklahoma! Rogers and Hammerstein, which has already been mentioned, subsequently filmed with stunning success. It's Oklahoma! set the tone for a new stage in the development of the musical.

In the following years, Broadway produced popular musicals almost annually. The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht, written in the twenties, was a huge success. Rodgers and Hammerstein presented The King and I, starring Gertrude Lawrence and Yul Brynner, and The Sound of Music. But the pinnacle of the fifties musical was one of the greatest musicals of all time, Frederick Lowe's My Fair Lady. The libretto of "My Fair Lady" was based on the famous "Pygmalion" by Bernard Shaw. Lowe and his co-authors many times asked Shaw for permission to stage a musical based on Pygmalion, but the British classic stubbornly refused them, considering the musical a "frivolous" genre. When "Lady" finally appeared on the stage, it became clear that the musical is quite capable of presenting classic stories. Indeed, in the future it can be traced that the works of W. Shakespeare, M. Cervantes, C. Dickens, B. Shaw, T. S. Eliot, D. Hayward and others became the dramatic primary sources of musicals.

My Fair Lady debuted the great musical actress Julia Andrews, who went on to become famous in the musical films The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. In addition, the 50s saw the heyday of the work of the great American composer Leonard Bernstein. It is worth mentioning three of his works: "Wonderful City", "Candide" and forever remaining in the history of the musical "West Side Story".

In the sixties, Broadway gave the world some unforgettable musicals. Stine's "Funny Girl" made Barbra Streisand a star. In 1969, Barbra Streisand starred in the film adaptation of the wonderful Broadway musical Hello, Dolly! Herman. The artistic masterpiece of the decade was the musical "Cabaret" by John Kander, brilliantly resurrecting the atmosphere of Berlin in the thirties. Cabaret was the directorial debut of Harold Prince, today the most celebrated stage director of theatrical musicals. Subsequently, the famous choreographer and director Bob Foss took part in the production.

And the greatest success of the sixties was ... again a musical on a classic plot - this time "Fiddler on the Roof" by Jerry Bock based on "Tevye the Milkman" by Sholom Aleichem. Fiddler on the Roof ran in New York City for almost eight years, an unprecedented event in the history of Broadway that always demands something new.

In the late 60s, theaters on Broadway were rapidly emptying. Disco, rock, and other new musical genres took first place in the charts, songs from musicals were losing popularity, the musical was losing its press - and people went to listen to new, trendy music. On Broadway, failure followed failure. Fortunately for the genre, the idea began to occur to some composers that if the musical is a synthetic, plastic art, then why not combine the idea of ​​a theatrical production with fashion trends in music?

Rock music was first brought to the musical stage by Galt McDermot in his controversial musical Hair. John Kander's tongue-in-cheek "Chicago" choreographed by Bob Fosse revived the dance beats of the '20s. And the best Broadway musical of the 70s is Marvin Hamlish's Chorus Line, which talked about the Broadway "kitchen" - watching dancers in the troupe for new production; this musical won the Pulitzer Prize. Rock and biblical stories were not the first to connect Andrew Lloyd Webber. One of the first rock musicals was Stephen Schwartz's Spell of the Lord based on… the Gospel of Matthew. And at the turn of the 70s and 80s, a “musical that shook the world” suddenly appeared. We are talking about Les Misérables by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg. The world of musicals has never seen anything like it. Of course, not the first musical was staged according to the literary classics, but for the first time such a large-scale historical canvas appeared on the stage of the musical theater. Fiction of Victor Hugo intertwined with real events; lyrical heroes found themselves in the center of the historical cauldron. It was the first time in a musical that such powerful choral scenes had arisen; in addition, the authors almost completely abandoned spoken dialogues, bringing the performance as close as possible to the opera. The authors of the musical were two young Frenchmen, far from Broadway traditions. Apparently, they just wanted to create a musical performance based on the French classics.

Soon American musicals began their triumphal procession around the world. However, their European productions were fraught with serious difficulties. The fact is that the unique stage preparation of a versatile actor who meets the requirements of a musical is due to a certain form of theatrical practice adopted on Broadway: an enterprise, when a specific troupe gathers to implement a specific project. The form of the enterprise determines the careful calculation of the commercial success of the work. The emphasis is placed equally on the art of the creative team, and on the art of the producer. Work on the performance is carried out by the method of "deep immersion", by refusing to participate in other projects. The finished performance, brought to the level of technological perfection, is operated continuously, as long as there is an audience demand for it (in case of success, for several years). The contact of such performances with the audience can be compared with the perception of the film: regardless of the individual reaction of the audience, the work of art does not change, it is created once and for all. An entertaining performance simply cannot allow fluctuations in the reaction of the audience: a decrease in interest in the project is tantamount to its death.

The European theatrical tradition is more characterized by stationary theaters with a permanent troupe and a large diverse repertoire. This dictates a completely different style of work and a different type of relationship with the viewer: more intimate and complex. Every day, reincarnating in different roles, the actor of the repertory theater at each performance establishes contact with the audience anew, winning his attention and adjusting to the reactions of the audience. It is not for nothing that it is believed that in such a theater there are no two identical performances: semantic accents, nuances of the relationships and characters of the characters change depending on the psychophysical state of the actors, and on the susceptibility and mood of the audience. And if the theater also receives subsidies, then the commercial success of the performance remains, of course, an important, but not vital, condition for its existence. All this greatly complicates the standardization of the staging and execution of the technical tasks facing the actors. And consequently, the probability of successful staging of the musical is reduced.

Nevertheless, the genre of the musical turned out to be extremely attractive for actors from all countries and all theatrical trends. This, of course, is connected not only with the natural craving for popularity, but also with the desire to master a new genre, to expand one's creative possibilities.

Musical in Russia.

In Russia, relations with the musical began to be tied up a very long time ago, although in a somewhat different, peculiar modification of this genre. However, the first approaches to the musical were the same as in America - through jazz. This happened in the films of G. Alexandrov, and especially in "Jolly Fellows" with the participation of L. Utesov's jazz band. Despite the fact that there are not so many musical numbers in the score, in fact they are full participants in the film, existing on an equal footing with the actors. This line was continued by the director in The Circus, and - somewhat less organically - in the Volga-Volga, where musical numbers were often inserted.

Beginning in the mid-1960s, numerous attempts were made to stage musicals on the Soviet stage. The Leningrad Theater named after Lenin Komsomol even staged West Side Story. However, mainly the range of productions of musical performances fluctuated between social journalism such as Brecht's zong opera (" kind person from Sezuan" on Taganka, "The Threepenny Opera" and "People and Passions" at the Lensoviet Theatre) and a lyrical musical comedy-operetta played with more or less psychological persuasiveness ("Dulcinea Tobosskaya" in the Mayakovsky and Lensoviet theaters, "Lefty" at the Leningrad City Council Theatre). However, there were a number of real breakthroughs towards the musical. They were, as a rule, associated with the rock art of Russian composers. Thus, the play "Krechinsky's Wedding" at the Leningrad Operetta Theater (composer A. Kolker, director V. Vorobyov) looked completely unexpected. And, of course, Lenkom's performances by M. Zakharov - "Til" (composer G. Gladkov), "The Star and Death of Joaquin Murieta" and "Juno and Avos" (composer A. Rybnikov). The last of them, in some inexplicable way, lived according to the laws of the American musical, maintaining a stable audience reaction for decades (despite the fact that the performers of the roles are also widely occupied in the rest of the theater repertoire).

Bibliography.

1. History of foreign theater: a textbook on culture and art. / Ed. L. Gitelman. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2005.

2. Kiryanova, N.V. History of world literature and art. / N. V. Kiryanova. – M.: Nauka, 2006.

3. Shabalina T. Article "Musical"

Musical - what is it? Definition, meaning, translation

(emphasis on "u") is a theatrical and musical show, in which elements of contemporary dance or classical ballet. We can say that the musical is an American version of the dance operetta. The main feature of the musical is that the attention of the public is riveted not so much to the intricacies storyline how much to musical numbers performed by famous artists.

The very word musical translated from English means "musical", and initially this genre was called in English "musical comedy". The development of the musical in American theater stage has long gone beyond the comedy genre, and today musicals can have a dramatic or even tragic coloring. A significant role in modern musicals is played by fancy scenery and special effects, so popular musicals run for months on the same stage.

Did you find out where the word came from, its explanation in simple words, translation, origin and meaning.

What is a musical, the history of a musical

Musical theater as a special form of art was formed by mixing several areas of creativity. Musicals are able to tell a classic story in a completely new way, more poignant and deep, and to make an author's modern play popular in one moment. In the context of a prosaic reality, is this not a miracle generated by music, colors, voice and a powerful emotional message that goes from heart to heart?

The history of the musical and many interesting facts read on our page.

This is a theatrical show, where, in addition to dialogues between the characters of the performance, there are vocal and dance numbers. Any musical is a form of storytelling. The story may be purely dramatic or historical basis, talk about love, sincere feelings, or contain deep political, philosophical or social overtones. Whatever the plot turns out to be, it must be embodied in such a way that the audience has the opportunity to enjoy a fantastically spectacular performance that can evoke a real emotional response.

The genre finally took shape in the United States. In the 1930s, the stronghold of the democratic system plunged into the so-called Great Depression. In those difficult times, it was musicals, colorful, dynamic, “alive”, that acquired the status of an outlet for people who were in constant anxiety about their future. This circumstance helps to understand how large-scale the impact of art on the psychological state of a person. The musical in this vein is the most simple, accessible, "lightweight" form.

Broadway is considered to be a conditional citadel of successful musicals. Theaters on this street in New York boast an enviable repertoire, as well as the title of the premiere venue for performances that later became the highest grossing and won phenomenal popularity. In actual reality, the production of one musical included in the Broadway repertoire costs several million dollars.

Musicals are always spectacular and exciting. The incredible effect of viewing, in terms of impressions, is achieved through painstaking, time-consuming work, which invariably remains “behind the scenes”. The viewer gets a chance to see only the result. It can be difficult not only to install multi-ton sets (sometimes the creators are content with a very modest stage setting) and staging tricks, but also the work of make-up artists, costume designers, all members of the creative team, whose efforts create a different bewitching and "catchy" reality.

Popular musicals

The most sought-after and acclaimed musicals are mostly based on immortals. literary works recognized geniuses. There are exceptions, because they bring to art notes of inspiring unpredictability and anticipation with an uncertain mood. Taking the film as a basis for the musical (example - " Sounds of music ”), an original authentic life story (“ Chicago "), children's poems (" cats ”) or stories about contemporary authors (“Cabaret”), the directors take risks, but the applause of enthusiastic spectators sounds all the sweeter. The list of the most popular musicals is constantly updated, but there are performances that have already become inimitable legends.

The story of the transformation of a modest girl named Eliza Doolittle, who happened to be in the professor's house, fell in love with the public. The play itself was also highly acclaimed by critics. The musical has won a number of prestigious awards. In 1964, a film with the same name was released, the main role went to the beautiful Audrey Hepburn, the style icon of her time.

"Jesus Christ Superstar"

A distinctive feature of the musical is the absence of dance numbers. An unforgettable biblical picture depicting the circumstances of the last week of the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth was recreated on the theater stage in New York in 1971. The production became a cult, not only because of the religious aspects involved, but also because of the successful integration of musical ballads into the narrative canvas rock style. An interesting circumstance was the fact that the life and teachings of Christ were described through the eyes of his follower, Judas, whose mental anguish and throwing led first to disappointment, then to betrayal, but were not resolved by repentance.

Mamma Mia

The musical, created with the inclusion of 22 songs by the Swedish ABBA quartet, was doomed to popularity from the very beginning. In 1999, the premiere performance was organized, after 9 years a full-length film was released, after another 10 - a sequel. This is a story about a young girl who is looking for love, and when she finds it, she seeks to share the joy with her closest people. However, Fate has prepared trials for the young lady that will help her find her way and distinguish the wheat from the chaff.

"Fiddler on the Roof"

The musical debunks the stereotype that Musical Theatre- this is certainly an extravaganza, a masquerade, entertainment and a happy ending. Musical performance about the real, strong love without romantic flair and excessive sentimentality, it can have a tragic, “painful” ending. It will simply need to be accepted, like many things in real life with which art goes side by side.

"Cats"

Connoisseurs of the genre owe the existence of this musical to Mr. Andrew L. Webber's love for children's poetry. The performance was first presented in 1981 in London, its literary base was a book for children in verse by T. Eliot under the title "The book of an old possum about practical cats." The uniqueness of the musical lies in the most complex, multi-stage work of make-up artists and set designers. At the same time, the creative space where the action takes place does not have a delineated border with the audience. Such a solution creates a feeling of incredible closeness and realism of what is happening on the stage, which appears as a dump where homeless, but not losing their dignity, cats gather.

"Phantom of the Opera"

Infernal mysticism and sincere feelings - a musical based on the novel by G. Leroux is built on the display of these ephemeral matters. A mysterious ghost that lives in the labyrinth of catacombs under the building opera house in Paris, imbued with tender feelings for Christina, an artist who shines on stage. The ghost seeks to protect his beloved and help her fulfill her dreams, but his own aspirations for the location of the beauty must remain imprisoned in the gloomy corners of consciousness.

For film directors, successful musicals acquire the status of manna from heaven, allowing them to take advantage of a priori successful storyline: it only needs to be “polished” by the available range of expressive means and the play of talented actors. For the creators of the musicals themselves, in an arbitrary “menu” that generates inspiration, classic works are a tasty morsel, interest in which does not fade away.

The genre originated in the USA, but a historical retrospective is impossible without looking back at European influence. In the 18th century, the opera was rapidly gaining momentum in development, in order to early XIX century to show itself as the most important theatrical form. However, productions in Italy, France, and Vienna gathered in the halls mainly the aristocracy, representatives of the privileged social strata. Opera was considered entertainment "for the elite", America, on the contrary, sought to provide society with such art, which, in terms of content, presentation and design, was accessible to the mass audience, regardless of their social status and financial situation.

Surprisingly, it was in the spiritual aspect that the Americans made an attempt to move away from the trend of class and stereotypes. Unfortunately, only in the matter of defining the audience. With regard to the plots, the authors were given complete freedom: the content of the performances was often intended to ridicule a certain phenomenon or person.

The forerunner of the musical is the minstrel show, which gained popularity by the end of the 80s of the last century. The comedic spectacle was a staging in a satirical vein, where the characters were conveyed in a somewhat grotesque style. The structure of the performance implied 3 acts, in each of which the plot developed through songs and dances. Minstrel shows have evolved over time, transforming into vaudeville, burlesque and, of course, the musical. Already at that time, the artists participating in such scenes had to be universal in terms of creative skill: they were dancers, singers, actors.

Musicals are extremely popular these days. They become part of the repertoire of famous theaters, and can also be staged at peripheral venues. Schoolchildren and students turn to this genre when organizing their own events within the boundaries of individual educational institutions. Amateur performances are held in churches and on spontaneously installed street stages.

The Tony Award is an award that is given each year for excellence and achievement in creativity within the American musical theatre. Every year, the award ceremony becomes a landmark, summing up event in culture, gathering in a solemn atmosphere a huge number of outstanding talented artists.

Interesting facts about the musical

• The first performance resembling a musical was the Beggar's Opera. The production was released in 1728 in the British capital. The action in 3 acts was characterized by a comic plot, which, according to the idea, was supposed to be a parody of the Italian dramatic opera. In the course of the action, the life of the marginal layers was ridiculed: robbers, courtesans, thieves. The first musical in the form in which it most closely matches the concept can reasonably be considered the production of "Show Boat". The premiere took place in 1927 in the USA.
• Two musicals that turned out to be "record holders" in terms of box office receipts are musically the creations of Andrew Lloyd Webber. We are talking about the legendary "Cats", which have collected more than two billion dollars for the entire time of productions, and the musical "Phantom of the Opera", striking with the luxury of scenery and exciting suspense. Psychological stress is reinforced by special effects worthy of participation in a cinematic action thriller. Despite the colossal costs of reproducing sets and stunts, Phantom of the Opera has been staged over and over again, regularly gathering audiences on Broadway since 1988. The total profit was about $5 billion.

• Spider-Man has been named the most commercially unsuccessful project in the musical genre. The production, despite the epic plot from the comic book, has become notorious. Work began back in 2007, but was constantly suspended due to lack of budgetary funds to implement the grandiose idea. By 2009, the debt on the project was approximately US$25 million. However, the creators did not lose heart, believing that the fees would pay off the current costs. Hopes were not justified. The premiere show was shown to the world in 2011, but two years later it became obvious: the musical could not have a future, the audience did not accept the show, did not appreciate it, despite investments that were not inferior in scale to the plot scope.
• Surprisingly, the American public did not accept the musical based on the story of Stephen King. Books and adaptations of the author's novels are still incredibly popular among readers and fans of the talent of the "king of horrors" around the world. However, the 1988 production of "Carrie" was staged only 5 times. Set to music, the story of an unfortunate and cruel girl with telekinesis abilities, told from the stage on Broadway, did not succeed with the public at all, although the process of preparing the performance cost the creators $ 7,000,000.
• The most famous domestic production in the musical genre is Juno and Avos. A poignant love story that knows no boundaries was embodied on stage by Mark Zakharov. The premiere took place in 1981.

• The musical belongs to those genres that are either recognized and ardently adored, or considered a low-grade spectacle, emphasizing the fact that the productions are set on a commercial footing. french chansonnier Charles Aznaur defined the musical as a musical genre for those who do not have the skills of stage speech, and colloquial - for those who do not have the ability to sing. The American composer Frederick Lowe frankly admitted that he did not like the music he created. At the same time, he ironically noted that his opinion means nothing in comparison with the judgment of the audience. The authorship of Low belongs to the musical based on the play by B. Shaw about the flower trader "My Fair Lady", which has become an ornament of the genre.
• The fundamental difference between a musical in theater and cinema is that the cinema format provides for greater freedom in the embodiment of background scenery within which the action is played out. In the film, one can observe magnificent natural landscapes or other surroundings that cannot be reproduced technically in the theater. At the same time, the musical is a special genre in cinema, which allows the actors to look directly into the camera during filming (which is difficult to imagine in traditional cinema). In this way, the effect of theatricality is achieved: through a look directed from the stage into the hall, an imitation of the dialogue between the artist and the audience takes place.
• It is a mistake to believe that any musical implies both dances and songs. There is a term "musical staging", which describes the implicit result of the director's work. For example, in a musical there may be no dancing at all, not a single one, but the work of the choreographer will be colossal, which will be embodied in every movement, a fleeting gesture of the artist.

In one invariably popular Soviet film, one of the characters uttered the phrase that in the near future television will replace cinema, theater, and books. How erroneous and absurd this opinion seems in the 21st century, when musical theatrical productions have acquired the status spectacular show capable of capturing the imagination of even the most demanding viewer!

Video: watch fragments of popular musicals