What makes a great musical?

Category: fine art theater
4.9/5 (89 Views . 19 Votes)
Connection, the ability to transport, strong drama/stories/characters, charm and enchantment, great direction, and soaring scores all have their roles in making for great musicals. Each great show uses a different formula, but all of them ultimately have several, if not all, these elements present.



People also ask, what makes a musical Theatre show successful?

For a successful show, there must be good music and book, with the main cast and ensemble being excellent in what they do, and that is to sing and act, and if the part requires it, to dance. A single actor won't very often make a musical (successful) but a musical can make (the career of) an actor.

One may also ask, what makes musical Theatre unique? Musical theatre is different to dramatic theatre in that it combines songs, spoken dialogue, and dance to tell a story. A musical is also different to a play with music, in that it gives as much importance to the songs and music as other elements of the production.

In this regard, what are the 3 main components of a musical?

The three main components of a book musical are its music, lyrics and book.

What are the key features of musical Theatre?

Musicals set out to entertain through a combination of:

  • catchy music in a popular style.
  • solo songs, duets, choruses and ensembles.
  • orchestra or band accompaniment.
  • spoken dialogue.
  • dance sequences, stage spectacles and magnificent costumes.

37 Related Question Answers Found

What are the elements of a musical?

A commonly used list of the main elements includes pitch, timbre, texture, volume, duration and form. The elements of music may be compared to the elements of art or design.

What qualifies as a musical?

Musical film is a film genre with many songs in the movies. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate "production numbers."

Why are musicals so popular?

Musicals (Musical Theaters) are so popular because they use song and dance to enhance a given story. There is something about the musicals that keeps people wanting more, and this is why musicals have taken the Broadway stage by storm. Musicals make people think of the old memories.

What makes a musical a Broadway musical?

In general, a Broadway theater is defined as one that's located in Manhattan and seats at least 500 people. If the facility hosts concerts and dance shows more often than it does plays or musicals, it isn't considered a Broadway theater, regardless of the seating situation.

Are Disney movies musicals?


At that time, Disney movies are not in form of musical too. Same as musicals, Disney movies experienced a time of desolation. In 1989, The Little Mermaid came out as a success. A renaissance of Disney movies in Broadway musical style is occurring.

What is the first song of a musical called?

The Main "I Want" Song comes early in the first act, with one or more of the main characters singing about the key motivating desire that will propel everyone (including the audience) through the remainder of the show.

What is the last song of a musical called?

In music, a reprise (/r?ˈpriːz/) is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repeated section, such as is indicated by beginning and ending repeat signs.

What are the basic elements of musical play?

According to the first theatrical scholar, Aristotle, the six elements that make up any drama are: plot, character, thought, diction, music and spectacle. Other traditions of theatre from Asia, Africa, and elsewhere, share in the essential nature of music in theatre.

What makes a musical a musical?

musical (noun): a stage, television or film production utilizing popular-style songs - dialogue optional - to either tell a story (book musicals) or showcase the talents of the writers and/or performers (revues). Courage – the guts to do something creative and exciting.

What are the 4 types of musical form?


Four basic types of musical forms are distinguished in ethnomusicology: iterative, the same phrase repeated over and over; reverting, with the restatement of a phrase after a contrasting one; strophic, a larger melodic entity repeated over and over to different strophes (stanzas) of a poetic text; and progressive, in

What is the difference between a musical and a play?

Generally speaking, plays stick to spoken dialogue in order to tell a story, while musicals do it with song. Plays focus on the spoken word, while musicals set those words singing (so does opera, but that's another topic) and even dancing. But wait. Turns out, lots of plays incorporate music in one form or another.

What are the four characteristics of musical sound?

-Music is part of this world of sound, an art based on the organization of sounds in time. Properties of musical sounds: -We distinguish music from other sounds by recognizing the four main properties of musical sounds: pitch, dynamics (loudness or softness), tone color, and duration.

What is the smallest unit of music?

White defines a phrase as, "the smallest musical unit that conveys a more or less complete musical thought.

How many songs make a musical?

how many Musical Numbers makes a musical? Six.

What is so special about Broadway?

This famous section of Broadway is known as the Theater District. You will also often hear it called “The Great White Way." This nickname came about because Broadway was one of the first streets in the United States to be lit with electric lights. The Theater District is home to 40 large professional theaters.

Is Theatre a dying art?

Acting out stories live has been a form of entertainment and a way of immortalizing tales long after the author has passed on, making theatre a truly timeless art form. Long ago, the plays of William Shakespeare would grace the stage, captivating queens and beggars alike. However, theatre today is dying.