Musical theater has a long tradition in the United States.
Musical theater has become the trademark of the American performing arts. People travel from all over the world to visit New York City, the capital of this genre. Most people are unaware of the origins of musical theater. The first American musical can be traced back to the late 1700s.
The Beginning
In a courtroom in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1735, Americans viewed the first "musical" performance. This production, known as "Flora," mixed popular songs with spoken text. Popular at the time in England, this style was known as the ballad opera. The rise in popularity of the ballad opera led to the development of burlesque in the 1800s. This burlesque focused on parody and caricature, rather than sexual content. The first widely popular burlesque was done in 1828 as a parody of "Hamlet."
Theater and the Civil War
From the burlesque style of outrageous song and dance parodies, the minstrel show developed. The minstrel show had three parts--the first two acts consisted of short comic sketches and individual talent performances. The third act served as a parody of the previous two. Burlesque, minstrel shows and ballad opera would all later be absorbed into the style of musical theater. The traces of the outrageous, the spectacular and the lyrical are still found in productions today.
The "Musical Comedy"
In 1866, the first production to embrace all of the previous qualities of burlesque and minstrel was introduced to the American stage. This show, known as "The Black Crook," contained popular effects that we would recognize today. The show incorporated chorus girls, big dance sequences and spectacular stage effects. Following the popularity of "The Black Crook," a show known as "The Brook" graced the stage. The producers of this show dubbed it a "musical comedy." This was the first time a solid plot, text, dance and music were integrated into a show.
The Modern Musical
The 1930s became a golden era for musical theater. Composers such as Gilbert and Sullivan expanded the appeal of the theater to women and children with productions such as "Pinafore." As the popularity of musical theater rose, composers felt a new desire to present the American identity and American issues in their shows. George M. Cohan was one of the first composers to begin to own the musical as an American form of entertainment. With the arrival of shows such as "Showboat," the musical was solidified as part of the American culture.
The Future
With the rise of television, radio and the Internet, musical theater has encountered new challenges. The American audience craves shows that are both more accessible and edgier. In the 1990s, American theater saw the rise of the "juke box musical," which incorporated already known songs into a storyline. Some of the most popular included "Mama Mia" and "All Shook Up." At the other end of the spectrum, musical theater has continued to address more controversial and contemporary issues. One example is the examination of mental illness in the Broadway show, "Next to Normal."
