Lesson Overview:
Working as a class and in small groups, students explore the genre of musical theatre and examine the ways that musicals reflect the cultural context in which they were developed. They are also introduced to famous composers, lyricists, and choreographers in the musical theatre genre. Finally, students draw conclusions about the extent to which the concept of Broadway has permeated American culture.
Length of Lesson:
Five 45-minute periods
Instructional Objectives:
Students will:
- expand their knowledge of specific aspects of the genre of musical theatre.
- explore various ways segments of musicals can be interrelated to build a production.
- become acquainted with key composers, choreographers, lyricists, and book authors associated with the development of musical theatre.
- gain an understanding of the ways stage sets can contribute to a production.
- become acquainted with "Broadway" as a vital force in American
culture.
- build a frame of reference in which to embed the study of Stephen Sondheim and his work into musical theatre.
Instructional Plan:
Activity A
Initiate an open class discussion of students' perceptions of the definition of "musical comedy" or "musical theatre." Encourage students to share their experiences attending or participating in a musical. Explore the following questions:
Are the terms "musical comedy" and "musical theatre" interchangeable? Examine both the denotative and connotative implications of the two terms. Which term would you apply to the musical(s) you saw or participated in? Why?
What is/are the plot(s) of the musical(s) you have seen or participated in?
Do you remember any of the songs? What did the song(s) contribute to the plot? Did they move the narrative forward? Enhance the characterization? Reinforce an action or an event? Deepen the emotional context?
Was there dancing in the musical? Did one genre of dancing prevail or were diverse genres used?
What, in your opinion, was the artistic purpose of the dancing? Again, did it move the narrative forward? Enhance the characterization? Reinforce an action or event? Deepen the emotional context?
What kind of stage setting(s) was/were used? How did the setting(s) create an environment that aligned with other elements of the musical (narrative, action, theme, songs, dance. etc.)? Be specific.
What was the tone of the musical(s)? Lighthearted? Serious? Dark? Serio-comedic?Explain.
How did the technical elements reinforce the development of the musical? Consider lighting, costuming, props, spatial alignment of setting, entrances, exits, special effects, etc.
How did the show open? With an overture? With a flashy production number? With just one or a few characters? What artistic purpose was served by the way the opening was constructed?
How was the closing handled? With a big production number? With one or a few characters developing a denoument? What artistic impact was achieved by the nature of the closing?
Activity B
Divide students into collaborative teams (3 to 5 in a group) to research and report back on one of the following topics. Musicals101.com, Musicals.nu, and Musicals.net are good Internet resources to try. Suggest that each participant in the group take on an individual responsibility related to the topic, and that they synthesize their findings into an oral and written report. The topics include:
General history of the development of musical theatre. What were the roots?
The ways musical theatre differs from opera and operettas.
Key musical theatre composers and lyricists, for instance: Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Leonard Bernstein, and George and Ira Gershwin. What musicals did they
compose? What are some of their most remembered songs?
Key choreographers for the musical theatre, such as Jerome Robbins, Agnes de Mille, Michael Kidd, George Balanchine (although he was mainly a classicist), Michael Bennett, and Bob Fosse. What musicals did they choreograph? What is the general nature of their dance expression?
Background of one of the pre-60's musicals, for example: The Girl Friend,
Cocoanuts, Show Boat, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Oklahoma, Anything Goes, The Sound of Music, The King and I, and My Fair Lady. Briefly delineate the plot and a few key songs. What is the general tone quality of the musical? How does the musical fit in to the cultural tone of the decade?
Famous New York theaters, such as the Ziegfield Theater, Alvin Theater, Winter Garden Theater, Majestic Theater, St. James Theater, and Shubert Theater. Consider aspects such as location, the date they were built, type of architecture, audience capacity, and famous productions that were staged in each theater.
Activity C
Initiate a large group discussion in which students summarize their perception of musicals as entertainment, and the ways in which musicals reflectthe cultural context of the time period in which they were developed. Pay specific attention to the nature of the theme and/or narrative, as well as the the tone of the book, musical score, and lyrics.
Explore the implications of colloquial terms such as "off-Broadway," "42nd Street," "Angel," "old Broadway," "hit,"
"long run," and "Broadway greats." Discuss the extent to which the idiom of "Broadway" is embedded in the American consciousness.
Assessment:
Assess the students' success in meeting the following criteria:
- Evidence of growth in explicating skills and skills of comparative analysis
- Quality of participation in discussion, collaborative, and special projects
- Discernment in constructing conclusions
- Evidence of enhanced level of self-confidence in oral presentation and performance activities
- Willingness to risk-take in problem-solving and special project activities
- Advancement in writing skills and formal oral presentation skills, demonstrating fuller development, enhanced structural power, and a more persuasive argument of point
- Sustained focus on material presented
- Evidence that the student is becoming informed about musical theatre, with increased understanding of and appreciation for the
creative process involved in developing musicals
- Evidence that the student has gained understanding of the growth of the musical as an American art form
- Evidence that the student has gained understanding of specific ways musicals fit into the cultural landscape of the performing arts of the last half of the twentieth century and the contemporary time period
- Evidence that the student perceives the interrelationships existing between musical theatre and other disciplines and other genres of the fine and performing arts
Peer evaluation should be based on rubrics that help students evaluate each other on collaborative, writing, oral presentation, and performance skills.
Sources:
Print:
- Green, Stanley. The World of Musical Comedy, Fourth Edition. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 1984.
- Sennett, Ted and Andrew G. Hager. Song & Dance: The Musicals of Broadway. New York: Friedman/Fairfax Publishing, 2001.
Web:
Authors:
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Jayne Karsten, English, Grades 9-12
The Key School
Annapolis, MD US
