The American Musical and the Golden Age

The American Musical began as an offshoot of the operetta, a form of musical theater that has its roots in the European opera tradition. Operettas, unlike operas, have much lighter music and subject matter. The drastic change from the dramatic plots and musically-driven operas to their lighter, comedic counterparts eventually gave way to the American musical in the early 1900’s, with each separate form influencing each other. 

My Fair Lady

Though there are many similarities among the musical and the operetta, there are certain traits that delineate the two. Operettas are best described as light operas with acting, while a musical would be better described as a play with singing. The actors in a musical may also be singers; however, they typically do not sing in the operatic style. Also, characters in musicals tend to be more complex than those in a operetta. Generally, this is due to much more dialogue in a musical than an operetta.

But I digress…

Hair

Around 1930, operettas like The Mikado and Candide gave way to the American musical. The 1940s saw the beginning of an era during which the musical was king, known as the Golden Age of American musical theater. Some of the greatest musicals were written during this time period: Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, West Side Story, and Hair to name a few. This age continued through the end of the 1960s.

Fiddler on the Roof

As a reflection of American society during the Golden Age, the musicals to come from this period address many social concerns. The King and I and South Pacific are both products of the American Civil Rights Movement, as both musicals focus on racial tolerance. Fiddler on the Roof was one of the first to address Jewish issues, and similarly West Side Story touched on the conflict between whites and Puerto Rican immigrants in New York. Hair was also a significant work of the era. It addressed many social issues, but most-importantly, it was the first to touch on homosexuality.

 

"Cool" from West Side Story! My favorite!

Image/Video Sources:

Club History- Florham Park Players. Web. 9 Mar 2011. <http://www.collaborations.com/FPP/HISTORY.HTM>.

Hair. Web. 9 Mar 2011. <http://www.mr-l.org/tag/hair/>.

We Were There. Web. 9 Mar 2011. <http://irvingblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/09/we-were-there-at-lyric-stages.html>.

Information Sources:

Felner, Mira, and Claudia Orenstein. The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2006. 169-71. Print.

"Musical Theater." Wikipedia.org. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 8 Mar 2011. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_theatre>.

"Operetta." Wikipedia.org. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 9 Feb 2011. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operetta>.