What makes a great musical? - 2007/06/30 00:23In your opinion,what's makes a musical so great? What qualities should every good musical have? What is it that makes plays like RENT,and Wicked capture everyone's heart? I just can't seem to put it into words myself .."Elphie... you mustn't blame yourself. It's dreadful, it is, to have a house fall on you, but accidents will happen..." -Glinda (Wicked)
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21stCenturyEvita
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2007/06/30 12:07Different things...I love Footloose because it's high energy, but I love South Pacific because it's deep, etc. It depends...Psalm 42:8
All the world's a stage....
Currently: Ensign Cora MacRae in South Pacific Just finished: The Ayah in the Secret Garden
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Dreams4Drama
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2007/07/05 23:06Definitely a strong ensemble My Name Is: Lisa! And I'm fifteen! Upcoming Auditions:The Pajama Game Favorite Roles: Tumnus in Narnia The Musical & the Narrator (the Artful Dodger) in A Christmas With Scrooge.
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ASHS_theatre
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2007/07/09 12:59I think it's has to have a strong mix of things. The music needs to be good, something that you can sing along to (but still be blown away when it's sang well). The ensemble has be engaging and bring the world of the musical to life. The characters need to be relateable and interesting. The stage has to look great and....it's such a huge math problem.Shelby Jr. Moderator
Currently: Fritzi Bonwit in M*A*S*H
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mrmistofolees19
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2007/07/09 23:06It needs likeable characters, or characters with interesting stories. It needs a love story and at least one love song (hehe) It needs at least a few big signature songs, at least one dance number, a big opening, and big act 1 and act 2 finale songs. And great actors/ singers.
upcoming auditions: The Pajama Game, Seussical currently: The Sound of Music (Nun Chorus)
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Johnnyonenote
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2007/07/10 08:35If you mean in general, like how did RENT get so popular etc and not what makes a great musical when YOUR company does it, that isn't easy.
Timing. Pure and simple. It was TIME for something like Rent - of course publicity did not HURT Rent any. Shame Mr. Larson had to die, but I seriously wonder if Rent would have been as popular.
There is something NEW and FRESH about certain shows. A landmark one could say. Oklahoma - First musical to tell the story through the music (made musical theater as we know it) JCS - first Rock Opera Sweeney Todd - a whole new idea, daring and shocking moved musical theater forward Rent - Music for the people of "Today" Wicked - A strange case but I believe it is because it went BACK to the basics of good old broadway shows - plus the content - something everyone is familiar with and for once it was from an American and not an English import.
And of course having a couple billion in marketing doesn't hurt. People buy what advertisers tell them to.
The idea that a musical has to have hummable songs, cute, likeable charaters, big opening numbers, doesn't matter. It is how the audience reacts to it. It hits a nerve somewhere - and no one ever knows when that will really happen. If they did all musicals would be hits.
Currently In - Jan 11 - Feb 3 2008 Moonlight And Magnolias - Ben Hecht (non musical)
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bjgruber
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2008/01/10 14:55Good musicthat isn't too redundant. I liked Sweeney Todd but the songs seemed to have 3 or 4 different melodies altogether. I guess it could be used to show the same consistent feelings that the characters are experiencing, but in my opinion it gets a little boring. And a lot more. That's just what came to mind first.Favorite Shows: Spring Awakening, Avenue Q, Hairspray, Assassins, Parade Dream Role: Melchior or Moritz/Spring Awakening Current Role: Bishop/Comberferre in Les Miserables Upcoming Auditions: Busch Gardens, Thoroughly Modern Millie, All Shook Up, VCU (Classical)
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JChris
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2008/01/10 17:52Funny Thing this forum came up, I actually wrote a thesis paper on my theory on the success of musical theater, its only like 5 pages and its still in rough draft form but I would love some feedback if anyone wants to read it, if your interested just send me a message on my page and I will forward it to youJ Chris
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broadway bound
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2008/01/24 19:53Well everyone knows "you can't suceed on Broadway if you haven't got any Jews!"
But to be more serious...I think that a good musical must have (obviously) a genius composer (like Sondheim) and a solid story. Also, the songs should further the story, I get so annoyed when a song doesn't seem to have much meaning in the story (like "Soft Shoes" or what ever its called in Once Upon a Mattress). And if a really good musical is performed by not so talented people, it isn't as good. Therefore, casting is very important.
Wow. Some of that sounded really cocky. I'm not trying to be lol!
Post edited by: broadway bound, at: 2008/01/24 19:53Is that the smell of sulfur? Oh its a stage effect!
Release your davits and jump!
-I've had a vision! -Of disaster? -No, of azaleas!
There is a curious paradox that no one can explain: who understands the secrets of the reaping of the grain? Who understands why spring is born out of winter's laboring pain, or why we all must die a bit before we grow again? I do not know the secret, although I know it's true. I hurt them for that reason. And myself a little bit too.
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Jbug
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2008/02/26 13:47Everything written so far contribute to making a musical great. But the key ingredient has to be there also. I believe it is a chemistry of the cast that makes a show click. I remember going to see "Les Mis" for the 1st time many years ago. It was a National Company production based in Los Angeles that had been playing there for a while. I even knew a couple of cast members. I remember thinking that the show was good, but it didn't wow me over. I enjoyed it very much, but there was something missing. I was already familiar with the music as I had a recording.
Many years later, I went to see a "Les Mis, Jr." production. The sets weren't as good and the actors were all teenagers. I didn't know anyone in the cast but I went with a friend who was a friend of a cast member. The show blew me away!!!! It was so much better than the professional company, I couldn't believe it. The 15 year old student who sang "Bring Him Home" sang it better than anyone I had ever seen do it! just fantastic! Believe me, I'd seen many other grown men (including the original) sing it and they weren't near as good.
It was just a better combination of actors who were having a good time and took their job seriously. The cast makes all the difference. They were excited to be there, they worked hard, they were all talented, it seemed that they were a team. It wasn't just a job - like some professional companies I've seen. Sometimes productions that run a long run - you can tell that the actors are just going through the motions. I can say from my own experience, it is important to have a cast the enjoys being together. Shows where there is conflict, back stabbing, jealously, gossip - that kind of energy will come across on stage. I'm not saying that was the case with the 1st company of "Les Mis" I saw, but it certainly is with shows I've been in. Casts that grow close are always the most fun shows to be in. I'm sure all of you know what I mean about that. The positive energy comes across to the audience.
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mslexy403
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2008/02/26 14:31I agree with two of the things already stated. A lot of sucess from musicals rely on the audience. Whatever hits home, makes em' laugh, is thought provoking, chills them to the core. Maybe it's ecclectic, unusual, typical, fun, funny, whatever. Also, it has to to do with the cast. If it's evident that there is something wrong with the mix of cast then nothing will be believable. I don't think it has so much to do with BIG musical numbers and showstopping dance. It's whatever the viewer likes. That's why there so much variety in shows. Some people love things like Xanadu and others go for much deeper things like Sweeney. In London, I went to see Mary Poppins, Lord of the Rings and a small play called "The Woman in Black." I went in expecting to love both of the musicals and maybe stay awake through the play. I'm much more biased to musical theatre having been raised a singer. Needless to say, the play was one of the most amazing things i've ever seen on a stage. It was a small play with only three actors, two that had speaking roles. It blew me away and left me speechless. I didn't expect any of this to happen and it wasn't because there was a huge dance number at the end. It was simply great acting. The sole of musicals and plays is to indulge yourself so far into a character that it becomes who you are. If you don't do this, you're not acting, you're simply lying. Truly being your character is what, ultimately, makes a show into a masterpiece."If life seems jolly rotten, there's something you've forgotten. And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing"
Currently: Cosette in Les Miserables
Favorite Roles: Truvy in Steel Magnolias
Dream Roles: Lady of the Lake (Spamalot), Val (A Chorus Line), Ms. Lovett (Sweeney Todd)
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bwaybound77
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2008/02/26 19:40Jbug wrote: The 15 year old student who sang "Bring Him Home" sang it better than anyone I had ever seen do it! just fantastic! Believe me, I'd seen many other grown men (including the original) sing it and they weren't near as good.
It was just a better combination of actors who were having a good time and took their job seriously. The cast makes all the difference.
Oh, I totally agree. I have seen some performances where if I weren't already familiar with the musical, I would think it was nothing special not so much on how they sound or act but what is behind it - how everyone clicks, that everyone is enjoying themselves no matter what age. And vise versa - I've listened to OBC's and not really had a thing for the music, but I see a national tour or high school production and I have been blown away! So agree with what has been said, the audience and the cast make or break the show!Name: Devyn
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broadway4LIFE
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2008/03/03 14:20personally, i think it all comes down to the story. anybody can put on the production of a musical, meaning it can't matter on casting, because that will never is the same, or sets, lighting, etc. music is definately an important part, but the music should be there to help futher the story along, not the other way around. If the story is not good, nothing can help it. The story is the musical.~ Kaitlin ~ Always Rockin The Boat ~
Favorite Shows: Young Frankenstein, Curtains, Little Shop of Horrors, The Producers Dream Roles that I have NO CHANCE of Getting Because of Something i Have no control over: Ulla from the Producers or Inga from Young Frankenstein (neither tall nor blonde - such a shame too, because this is one of my favorite "character roles" to play), Igor from Young Frankenstein (i'm no man, no matter how many times i play one), Gary Coleman from Avenue Q (skin color) SEEING ON MARCH 29TH ON BROADWAY - YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN ^^ AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
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the_Megster
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2008/03/11 13:10i agree! When i saw Wicked it was one of the things that amazed me the most.
I also think it has to do with the affects... would Defying Gravity be the same with out the lift at the end?Megan
Currently: lost boy in "Peter Pan"
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kristine415
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Re:What makes a great musical? - 2008/03/26 21:02I think the biggest reason I love musicals is the sur-reality. I mean seriously, I get enough of real life in real life. I don't want my entertainment to be that way. Musicals are what I wish reality was.
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And I'm fifteen!
