Opera is a musical drama that combines elements of theater with singing and instruments. The Baroque period Italy saw the birth of opera. An operas elements have not changed in name since the Baroque period. They included the overture, arias, recitatives, and ensemble numbers. Baroque period opera was often religious, historical, or mythological in nature. The comic opera was created for the middle class of the Baroque era and provided commentary on modern life. Classical opera featured two types
In 1996 the face of musical theatre was changed forever when the musical Rent was preformed at the New York Theatre Workshop. Rent, written by Jonathan Larson, is a rock opera about a set of musicians living in New York City near the end of the millennium struggling with sexuality, poverty, friendship, drugs, and AIDS. The Broadway musical follows aspiring Jewish filmmaker Mark Cohen (Anthony Rapp), who narrates the show, and his roommate Roger Davis (Adam Pascal). Roger is a singer-songwriter
Hairspray, the musical, is based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. The American musical includes music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan. The story begins with Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with an even bigger heart, who is on a mission to follow her dreams. She works hard to dance her way onto national television with the nice and rich kids in town. Tracy’s audition is a success, and she uses her fame to fight for equality during
political necessity from the white community, and inquiries of its operatic legitimacy from the theatre community. Dorothy Dandridge, William Warfield, Cab Calloway, Maya Angelou, Brock Peters, Diahann Carroll, Robert Guillaume, Leontyne Price, Etta Moten, Sidney Poitier, Sammy Davis Jr., and Pearl Bailey are just a few of the names associated with this play (Standifer). Porgy and Bess led the world of theatre on a new path, and
When George Colman’s comic opera Inkle and Yarico was first performed in London, England in August of 1787 at the Little Theatre in the Haymarket, London, it was an instant success. It soon became the most popular comic opera in England during the late eighteenth century and was put on one hundred and sixty-four times between 1787 through 1800. The audience loved it because of its forbidden romance and its message against slavery. The relationship between Inkle and Yarico allowed the viewers a more
some of the best Broadway hits and Florence Ziegfeld's production with The Follies girls is not one to be left out. The women of his show were every man’s dream, and every woman’s desire to become. The Ziegfeld Follies are a part of Broadway's musical-theatre history, not only for the beautiful women in it, but also for the production behind it. The Follies image showed the ideal woman, as perceived by society, which is one of the main reasons why the show became so popular. The Follies girls had key
then went on to the New York College of Music, then went on to Germany to study music some more. When he returned to New York City, Jerome Kern, in 1927, joined forces with Oscar Hammerstein II to change a novel into the musical “Show Boat.” After writing songs for this musical, he continued to write music for Broadway shows. Jerome Kern went to Hollywood in 1935 and wrote most of his very best music. One of these songs was for “Swing Time” and it was “The Way You Look Tonight.” Jerome Kern, over
Cathleen Turner September 24, 2014 Bowyer Broadway Research – Billy Elliot Many shows on Broadway are very popular and known worldwide by many people that aren’t even involved in the theatre industry. One show that is relatively popular is Billy Elliot the musical. Billy Elliot not only has wonderful music, but also a powerful story to go with it. This story takes place during the years of 1984-1985. During this time, there is a strike that coal miners are taking part in. The story focuses on one
boys encountered can mirror the paths of many American teenagers today. Even though the musical may be a little dated we can still see the relevant issues in today’s society. The overall production, music, and script played very specific roles in crafting the message this musical was attempting to send. We can specifically look at dramatic and production elements, which played a key role into making this musical meaningful to audiences. There are many aspects in this performance, some are new but many
Opening credits: “300 Violin Orchestra” by Jorge Quintero Obviously by looking at the cover of “True Legend” you can tell it's about basketball. I am using this song because it just gets you pumped up and is all about sports. This song is a perfect fit for the opening credits like showing highlights of Drew's basketball games. Song 2: “Ghost Walking” by lamb of god At the beginning of the story Drew Robinson thought he saw a ghost. The ghost was dressed in old school basketball clothes. He had