THE AMERICAN MUSICAL: A HANDBOOK FOR TEACHERS

WELCOME
We look forward to welcoming you and your students for the presentation of “The
American Musical” at the Sheldon Concert Hall. We hope that the perfect acoustics and
intimacy of the hall will make this an important and memorable experience.

ARRIVAL AND PARKING

We urge you to arrive at the Sheldon Concert Hall half and hour before the start of “The
American Musical.” This will allow you to be seated in time for the performance and will
allow a little extra time in case you encounter traffic on the way. Seating will be on a first
come-first serve basis as schools arrive. To accommodate school schedules, we will
start promptly at show time.

The Sheldon is located at 3648 Washington Boulevard, just around the corner from the
Fox Theatre. A map is enclosed. Parking for school buses will be available on
Washington near The Sheldon. Please enter by the steps leading up to the concert hall
front door. If you have a disabled student, please call The Sheldon (314-533-9900) to
make arrangement to use our new street level entrance and elevator to the concert hall.

CONCERT MANNERS
Please coach your students on good concert manners before coming to the Sheldon
Concert Hall. Good audiences love to listen to music and they love to show their
appreciation with applause, usually at the end of an entire piece and occasionally after a
good solo by one of the musicians. Urge your students to take in and enjoy the great
music being performed.

Food and drink are prohibited in the Sheldon Concert Hall.

Any device (telephone, alarm watch or toy) that makes noise is a distraction for both the
musicians on stage and your fellow audience members and should not be brought into
the hall.
 A Short History of the American Musical

The musical is America’s most popular form of live theater, combining drama, music and
dance with dazzling spectacle. Of course, drama and music have been performed
together throughout history. In the 18th century, Europeans enjoyed opera, operetta and
ballad operas, which incorporated popular songs of the day into a comic or serious play.
In the 19th century, European and American theaters performed melodramas, plays with
live background music that emphasized the emotions of the characters, much like
today’s film scores.

Most historians call The Black Crook, produced in 1866, the first American musical. A
French ballet troupe was scheduled to appear at the Academy of Music in New York City
in that year, but the Academy theater building burned down. In desperation, the
producers approached the manager of another New York theater, Niblo’s Garden.
Niblo’s was rehearsing a new melodrama set in the Alps, called The Black Crook. So the
ballet producers persuaded Niblo’s manager to incorporate a series of ballets into the
drama. The beautiful French dancers, the dramatic story, elaborate Alpine settings and
costumes all combined to make a hit, and the American musical was born.

The first full-length musical written and performed by African-Americans, In Dahomey,

starring the comedy team of Bert Williams and George Walker, opened in 1903. By
World War I, African-American influenced music and dance forms such as ragtime, jazz
and tap dance, were incorporated into many musical theater productions composed by
both blacks and whites.

Two distinct styles of musical theater began to emerge in the early years of the 20th
century, and both have continued up to the present. One, the small-cast, contemporary
show with a jazz-influenced score, had its first big hit with Very Good Eddie, a comedy of
mistaken identities among honeymooners with a score by Jerome Kern that opened at
the Princess Theatre in 1915. The other style, showing a European, operatic influence,
can be seen in shows like Babes in Toyland (1903) with music by Victor Herbert, The
Firefly (1912) with music by Rudolf Friml, and The Student Prince (1924) composed by
Sigmund Romberg.

Although the musicals of the twenties had some sort of plot and characters, they were
usually flimsy, and little attempt was made to integrate the music and dance into the
drama. When Showboat, by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, premiered in 1927,
it was the first Broadway show to combine American forms of music with a serious plot
and well developed characters. Though Showboat was a long-running hit, this new
integration of all the elements did not become a trend until 1943, when Richard Rodgers
and Oscar Hammerstein II’s Oklahoma opened on Broadway. Like Showboat, Oklahoma
was an adaptation of a serious novel with well developed characters. Oklahoma’s music
and choreographer Agnes DeMille’s dances advance the plot and reveal the characters’
inner thoughts.

Small-cast, contemporary shows have continued in popularity, including the long-running

favorite The Fantastiks (1960), Stephen Sondheim’s Company (1970) and the recently
revived You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (1967). At the same time, Andrew Lloyd
Webber’s Phantom of the Opera (1986) continued the tradition of the large-scale,
operatic spectacle. Shows like Starlight Express (1984) and Miss Saigon (1991) blend
contemporary music with spectacular technical feats like rollerblading ramps and lifesize
helicopters.

Broadway was slow to join the rock music bandwagon. Although Bye, Bye Birdie (1960)
incorporated some rock and roll music to tell its story, Hair (1968) was the first true rock
musical to achieve mainstream recognition. Jesus Christ Superstar followed in 1971 and
Grease in 1972. Today, Rent (1996) is the long-running exemplar of a contemporary
rock sound on Broadway.
 Glossary

Adaptation: A different version, created for a new purpose. For example, a novel’s
characters and plot can be adapted to create a musical theater production.

Ballad Opera: A form of 18th century musical drama that used popular songs of the day,
sometimes with new lyrics, in the presentation of a play.

Book: The script and lyrics of a musical.

Characters: The people in a play. They are defined by the stage directions, by their
words, actions, and appearance, and by what others in the play say about them.

Choreographer: The person responsible for creating the dances.

Director (or Stage Director): The person with primary responsibility for interpreting the
script, rehearsing the actors, and coordinating all of the elements of a play or musical.

Lyrics: The words of a song.

Melodrama: A form of drama popular in the 19th century that tells a serious story pitting
good against evil, in which justice triumphs in the end. Melodrama used live music to
create mood and underscore the emotions of the characters.

Musical Director: The person responsible for training the singers and conducting the
orchestra.

Musical Review: Performance of a series of songs and dances, sometimes loosely tied
together with a plot or theme.

Opera, Operetta: An opera is a drama set to music for singers and instrumentalists.
Opera began in Italy in the 16th century. An operetta is a shorter, more comic form of
opera.

Plot: The story of a play or musical. Usually presents a conflict: a problem, question or
series of obstacles that the protagonist must overcome.

Protagonist: The main character in a play or musical.

Score: The music written for a musical.

Spectacle: All the visual elements of a play including costumes, makeup, settings and
props.

Theme: The ideas in a play or musical, the view of human nature that the play presents.
 LIST OF MUSICALS AND COMPOSERS AND LYRICISTS

GYPSY Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE Stephen Sondheim

WEST SIDE STORY Leonard Bernstein

and Stephen Sondheim

THE LION KING Elton John and Tim Rice

CHICAGO John Kander and Fred Ebb

GREASE Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

WICKED Stephen Schwartz

DREAMGIRLS Henry Krieger

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Andrew Lloyd Webber

ANYTHING GOES Cole Porter

HAIRSPRAY Marc Shaiman

GUYS AND DOLLS Frank Loesser

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY Stephen Sondheim

TO THE FORUM

OKLAHOMA! Richard Rodgers

and Oscar Hammerstein II

RENT Jonathan Larson

 MUSIC YOU’LL HEAR IN OUR PROGRAM

Song Musical

Overture GYPSY

“Putting It Together” SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

“Cool” WEST SIDE STORY

“One Hand, One Heart” WEST SIDE STORY

“America” WEST SIDE STORY

“Circle of Life” THE LION KING

“ And All That Jazz” CHICAGO

“What is this Feeling” WICKED

“Summer Nights’” GREASE

‘’The Music of the Night” PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

“Anything You Can Do” ANNIE GET YOUR GUN

“You Can’t Stop the Beat” HAIRSPRAY

“Sit Down Your Rockin’ the Boat” GUYS AND DOLLS

”Lovely” A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO

THE FORUM

“Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” OKLAHOMA!

“Listen” DREAMGIRLS

“Season of Love” RENT

MATCH THE COMPOSER TO THE MUSICAL (from the list below)

Stephen Sondheim __________________________

Richard Rodgers __________________________

Leonard Bernstein __________________________

Cole Porter __________________________

Meredith Willson __________________________

Elton John __________________________

Jonathon Larson __________________________

RENT
OKLAHOMA
ANYTHING GOES
WEST SIDE STORY
SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
THE MUSIC MAN
THE LION KING

TRUE OR FALSE (circle the correct answer)

T or F WEST SIDE STORY is an adaptation of a classical Greek play.

T or F Tony and Maria are the modern-day names for Romeo and Juliet.

T or F When words are set to music and they are sung, they become lyrics.

T or F The book of a musical is the score used by the pianist.

T or F Dance is never used in a musical.

T or F The style and look of a musical are the responsibility of the director.

T or F The choreographer creates dances.

T or F The musical is a uniquely European art form.

The Performers

Alicia Revé Like is a proud graduate of the University of Missouri in Columbia with a
B.A. in music. She has been a professional actress for 4 years. Alicia has done
productions for the Coterie Theatre in her hometown of Kansas City, MO, including
working as a troupe member in the Dramatic AIDS Education Program, educating
students in classrooms throughout Kansas City. She has graced the Black Rep Stage as
Camae in The Mountaintop, Scarecrow in the extension of The Wiz and Luttiebelle in
Purlie. She was also in the world premiere of An Invitation Out at Mustard Seed Theatre
here in St. Louis. aliciareve.weebly.com

Zoe Vonder Haar toured in the First International Company of A Chorus Line for 2 ½
years then returned to her home town of St. Louis. She has since performed in over 75
shows in her career. A resident actress at Stages St. Louis, Zoe also performs regularly
at The Muny and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. She received a Kevin Kline Award
for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for Hello Dolly! and was nominated again in 2006
for her role as Ms. Pennywise in Urinetown, the Musical. Zoe shares her passion for
musical theater by teaching dance and choreographing at 9 area schools.

Justin Ivan Brown is a graduate of Ball State University’s Department of Theatre and
Dance. He has performed throughout the Midwest and even as far as London, England.
He is also a five year resident company member of Piwacket Theatre for Children and
teaches Acting at The Soulard School. Recent Theatre Credits include: Cafe Chanson
(Peter H. Leon; Upstream Theater; Directed by Ken Page); Annie (Rooster; Variety
Children's Charity); Songs from an Unmade Bed (Man; Citilites Theatre); Godspell (All
Good Gifts Soloist; Mustard Seed Theatre); and The Wizard of Oz (Tinman; Variety
Children's Charity).

John Flack has performed in Elementary Schools throughout the Midwest. He toured
with both The Muny 1st Stage and The Imaginary Theatre Company, appearing in
hundreds of schools, performing for thousands of children (and loving every minute of
it!). John also enjoys acting in front of grown-ups. He has the pleasure of being a long-
time acting company member at Stages St. Louis, where he has appeared in over 30
productions. From the several professional theatres he is associated with, favorite roles
include: Smoke on the Mountain (Reverend Oglethorpe), Art (Marc), I Do! I Do!
(Michael), Fire in the Soul (Theo Van Gogh), and the title role in Snoopy!

Larry Pry has been teaching voice, piano and musical theater for over 20 years.
He graduated from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville with his degree in
Music. After spending 18 years with The Muny theatre in St. Louis as the Assistant
Marketing Director and Publicity Coordinator, Larry has recently joined the staff of The
Ronald McDonald House Charities of St. Louis .He also serves as an adjunct professor
at Webster University in their Conservatory of Musical Theatre, where he teaches Song
Study and music directs. Larry serves as a professional musician/keyboard player
around the country. Some of his favorite musical experiences include performing with
The Beach Boys, singing/dancing with Charo, performing in London, and music directing
the Papal Visit to Denver in Mile High Stadium. Larry has been with The American
Musical since its inception.
 Musicals & Musical Theater—A Selected Bibliography
Adult Materials

Barry-Winters, Lisa. Show Time: Music, Dance, and Drama Activities for Kids. Chicago
Review, 2000. 189 p. Parent/Teacher 792.6023208

Bloom, Ken. Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time. Workman, Black
Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2004. 336 p. 782.1409747

The Cambridge Companion to the Musical / edited by William A. Everett & Paul R. Laird.
Cambridge University Press, 2002. 328 p. 782.14

Ganzl, Kurt. Musicals: The Complete Illustrated Story of the World’s Most Popular Live
Entertainment. Carlton Books, 2001, 2004. 272 p. 782.14

Gilvey, John Anthony. Before the Parade Passes By: Gower Champion and the Glorious
American Musical. St. Martin’s Press, 2005. 320 p. 782.14

Gottfried, Martin. Sondheim. New York, NY: H.N. Abrams, 2000.

Henderson, Amy. Red, Hot and Blue: A Smithsonian Salute to the American Musical.
Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996. 288 p. 782.10973

Hischak, Thomas S. Boy Loses Girl: Broadway’s Librettists. Scarecrow Press, 2002. 288
p. 782.140922

Kander, John. Colored Lights: Forty Years of Words and Music, Show Biz, Collaboration
and All That Jazz. Faber and Faber, 2003. 256 p. 782.140922

Kimbrough, Mary. The Muny: St. Louis’ Outdoor Theater. Bethany Press, 1978. 158 p.
782.81

Laster, James. So You’re the New Musical Director! : An Introduction to Conducting a

Broadway Musical. Scarecrow Press, 2001. 176 p. 782.14145

Litherland, Janet. Broadway Costumes on a Budget: Big Time Ideas for Amateur
Producers. Meriwether, 1996. 146 p. 792.6026

Loesser, Frank. I Love You! A Bushel & A Peck: taken from the song “A Bushel and a
Peck.” HarperCollins, 2005. 32 p. E

Maslon, Laurence. Broadway: The American Musical. (Based on a documentary by

Michael Kantor) Bulfinch Press, 2004. 480 p. 782.1409747

Miller, Scott. Rebels with Applause: Broadway’s Groundbreaking Musicals. Heinemann,

2001. 198 p. 782.1409747

Novelly, Maria C. Staging Musicals for Young Performers: How to Produce a Show in
36 Sessions or Less. Meriwether Publishing, 2004 240 p. 792.60232

Ostrow, Stuart. A Producer’s Broadway Journey. Praeger, 1999. 199 p. 782.1409747

Porter, Steven. The American Musical Theatre: A Complete Theatre Course. Players
Press, Inc., 2003. 152 p. 792.6

Riddle, Peter. The American Musical: History & Development. Mosaic Press, 2003.
215 p. 782.140973

Sutherland, Susan. About Musicals. Contemporary Books, 1998. 192 p. 782.14

You Could Drive a Person Crazy: Chronicle of an American Theatre Company: New Line
Theatre. Edited by Scott Miller. Writers Club Press, 2002. 217 p. 792.645

Thelen, Lawrence. Show Makers: Great Directors of American Musical Theatre.

Routledge, 2000. 254 p. 792.60233

Reference (Non-Circulating) Books

Bunnett, Rex. Collins Guide to Musicals. HarperCollins, 2001. 448 p. Reference 782.14
Peterson, Bernard L. A Century of Musicals in Black and White: An Encyclopedia of

Musical Stage Works by, About, or Involving African Americans. Greenwood Press,
1993. 556 p. Reference 782.1408996

Books for Children

Appelt, Kathi. Bat Jamboree. Mulberry Books, 1998. 24 p. E

Hale, Bruce. Give My Regrets to Broadway. (Chet Gecko, Private Eye). Harcourt, 2004.
112 p. J

Jackson, Melanie. The Man in the Moonstone: A Dinah Galloway Mystery. Orca, 2003.
196 p. J

Ransom, Candice F. Maria Von Trapp: Beyond the Sound of Music. (Trailblazers
Biographies). Carolrhoda, 2002. 112 p. JB Von Trapp

Streatfeild, Noel. Theater Shoes. Random, 2002. 281 p. J

Prepared by staff at St. Louis Public Library, September 2005