Author: Tom Fettke
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780767303682
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Get Book Here

Book Description

Author: Paul R. Laird
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 0810891921
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 481

Get Book Here

Book Description
As the composer/lyricist for Godspell, Pippin, Wicked, and other musicals, Stephen Schwartz has enjoyed one of the mostsignificant careers in American musical theater for more than four decades. Schwartz has also achieved success on the big screen, contributing to such films as Enchanted, The Prince of Egypt, and Pocahontas. For his work, he has received six Tony nominations, three Grammys, and three Academy Awards. The Musical Theater of Stephen Schwartz: From Godspell to Wicked and Beyond is a detailed examination of Schwartz’s various projects throughout his career. Musicologist Paul R. Laird discusses at length Schwartz’s major shows and also considers his other ventures, such as the music and lyrics for animated features from Disney and Dreamworks. The book focuses on two major aspects of Schwartz’s creations: the process of collaboration resulting in a project’s completion and a descriptive analysis of his music and lyrics. Laird also describes each show’s critical reception and its place in the larger history of musical theater. Based on extensive interviews with Schwartz and a number of his major collaborators, this book provides a rare look into the creation of the composer and lyricist’s shows and films. The Musical Theater of Stephen Schwartz is intended for fans as well as students and professional researchers in music, theater, and the musical theater.

Author: James Olm
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350199362
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 249

Get Book Here

Book Description
How many times have you experienced a musical that was fabulous or just didn't work at all, but you had no idea how to communicate why? How do you differentiate between a flaw in the performance portrayal of a character to a structural flaw in the musical itself? How do you analyse musical theatre songs that are so subjective in its very nature? Is there even a common link of analysis between musicals from the Golden Age and musicals from the present day? Musical Theatre Script and Song Analysis Through the Ages answers these questions and gives students of musical theatre the tools they need to understand and articulate how musicals work. At the heart of any musical lie its music and lyrics, yet it is this area that is least understood. This book offers a brand new terminology of analysis that gets to the core of what holds a musical together: the libretto, music, and lyrics. Through identifying methods of lyric and musical analysis and applying these to ten different musicals throughout history, students are able to ask questions such as: why does this song sound this way?; what is this lyric doing to identify character purpose?; and how is a character communicating this feeling to an audience? From classroom analysis through to practical application, this text guides readers through a structured approach to understanding, disseminating and more importantly, articulating how a musical works. A perfect tool for students of musical theatre, its practical benefits of understanding the form, and realizing that it can be applied to any age musical, will benefit any theatre person in helping articulate all of those abstract feelings that are inherent in this art form. It offers a roadmap to the musical's innermost DNA.

Author: Ian C. Bradley
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
ISBN: 9780664228545
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 260

Get Book Here

Book Description
Arguing that the musical is the "most ubiquitous and dominant cultural icon of our age," scholar Ian Bradley unpacks the theological significance of the musical. Bradley argues that musicals provide millions of people around the world not just with entertainment but also with spiritual and theological values, a philosophy of life, and an encounter with God. In addition, he offers his thoughts on what the popularity of the musical might mean for the future of the church.

Author: Elysa Gardner
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1493064363
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 251

Get Book Here

Book Description
In Magic to Do, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Pippin's opening, two-time Pulitzer Prize jury member Elysa Gardner turns her attention to this innovative show, the musical retelling of the story of Prince Pippin, son of Charlemagne, and his quest for an "extraordinary life." Magic to Do dives deep into the legendary clashes, backstage drama, and incredible artistic synergy that produced one of Broadway's most influential musicals, a show that paved the way for the pop-informed musicals that we know and love today. Full of big personalities, brilliant creative minds, and never-before-told stories, Magic to Do is an intimate look at a moment in history, a time and a place in which popular culture was as defined by conflict—between the young and the old, idealism and cynicism, creation and destruction—as anything else. Gardner draws out this friction through her examination of the creative struggles between Pippin's director/choreographer, the iconic Bob Fosse, for whom the show would mark a massive career resurgence, and its young composer/lyricist, Stephen Schwartz (of Wicked fame), who was making his Broadway debut. Magic to Do, named for the opening song of the musical, clearly marks the lasting cultural significance of Pippin, which derives in large part from the timelessness of the search for self, one that presents itself anew to each succeeding generation, accounting for the show's enduring popularity around the world. Infused with R&B sounds and a universal message, it is fair to say that, without Pippin, there is no Spring Awakening, Dear Evan Hansen, or even Hamilton.

Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 64

Get Book Here

Book Description

Author: David P. DeVenney
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 0585040192
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 228

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Broadway Song Companion is the first complete guide and access point to the vast literature of the Broadway musical for the solo performer. Designed with the working actor in mind, the volume lists every song from over 210 Broadway shows, giving the name of the character(s) who sing(s) the song, its exact vocal range, and categorizing each by song style (uptempo, narrative ballad, swing ballad, moderate character piece, etc.). A number of indexes to the volume list titles of songs, first lines, composer's and lyricist's names, and each song by voice type. For instance, a soprano looking for a ballad to sing will find every song in that category in the index. All solos, duets, and trios are indexed in this manner, with quartets and larger ensembles listed by voice type. Furthermore, the instant breakdowns (how many lead characters, who sings what song, and the range requirements of each character) will be a valuable resource to directors and producers.

Author: Henry Carl Bial
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
ISBN: 0472121510
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 261

Get Book Here

Book Description
Biblical texts have inspired more than 100 Broadway plays and musicals, ranging from early spectacles like Ben-Hur (1899) to more familiar works such as Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar. What happens when a culture’s most sacred text enters its most commercial performance venue? Playing God focuses on eleven successful productions, as well as a few notable flops that highlight the difficulties in adapting the Old and New Testaments for the stage. The book is informed by both performance studies and theater history, combining analysis of play scripts with archival research into the actual circumstances of production and reception. Biblical plays, Henry Bial argues, balance religious and commercial considerations through a complex blend of spectacle, authenticity, sincerity, and irony. Though there is no magic formula for a successful adaptation, these four analytical lenses help explain why some biblical plays thrive while others have not.

Author: David Brown
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199231826
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 459

Get Book Here

Book Description
An exploration of the ways in which the symbolic associations of the body and what we do with it have helped shape religious experience and continue to do so. David Brown writes excitingly about the potential of dance and music - including pop, jazz, and opera - to enhance spirituality and widen theological horizons.

Author: David P. DeVenney
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 0810869446
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 298

Get Book Here

Book Description
This is a completely revised and expanded second edition of The Broadway Song Companion, the first complete guide and access point to the vast literature of the Broadway musical for the solo performer. Designed with the working actor in mind, the volume lists every song from over 300 Broadway shows, including at least 90 more than the first edition. Organized by show, each song is annotated with the name of the character(s) who sing(s) the song, the vocal range, and a style category, such as uptempo, narrative ballad, swing ballad, moderate character piece, etc. Several indexes are supplied, organizing the songs by voice type (soprano, baritone, etc.) and song style, vocal arrangement (duets, trios, chorus, etc.), and composer and lyricist, allowing increased access to the repertoire. For instance, a soprano looking for a ballad to sing will find every song in that category in the index. All solos, duets, and trios are indexed in this manner, with quartets and larger ensembles listed by voice type. Furthermore, the instant breakdowns (how many lead characters, who sings what song, and the range requirements of each character) will be a valuable resource to directors and producers.