Musical theater evolved from comedy operas and operettas (or "operettas"). It was called "musical comedy" in the early days, and later simply "musical theater". It was a 19 An opera genre that originated in England at the end of the century, it is a dramatic form that combines dialogue and singing. The musical combines drama, music, singing and dancing, and is full of humor and comedy. Its music is easy to understand and therefore very popular with the public. Musicals are performed all over the world, but they are most frequently performed on Broadway in New York City in the United States and in the West End of London in the United Kingdom. Therefore, the term Broadway musical can refer to musicals performed on Broadway, and often refers to all musicals similar to Broadway style.

The origins of musical theater can be traced back to operetta, comedy and minstrel shows in the 19th century. The early musicals did not have a fixed script and even included acrobatics, circus and other elements. Since the performance boat (Hua Fangxuan Palace) began to focus on text in 1927, musicals began to enter its golden years. Musicals of this period mostly promoted optimistic ideas and often ended with happy comedies. Until the popularity of rock music and television in the 1960s, musicals were the most popular form of entertainment and entertainment among Americans. Since the 1980s, musical theater performances in London's West End (West End) have flourished and have caught up with Broadway. As British and American musicals often tour around the world, musicals have also become popular in Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and other Asian regions.

In 1893, Jones, a once active Englishman, completed a musical "The Happy Maiden" that later went down in history, which aroused enthusiastic response from the audience when it premiered at the Prince's Theater in London. The story is vivid and coherent, and the dancers are the characters in the play. It uses relevant dance movements and drama-style harlequin narration to clearly narrate the story of how these actors do everything possible to join the aristocratic society. The natural combination of plot, music, dance, comedy performances and many other elements is refreshing. This nascent musical drama absorbs the performance elements of 18th-century folk operas and 19th-century comic operas and operettas, and integrates classical dance, folk dance, drama performance and other factors to become a unique new stage art. category.

After World War I, musicals later spread to the United States, where they were highly refined and developed. Broadway in New York, USA, regards it as the center of musicals and even refers to musicals as Broadway musicals. The content of American musicals focuses on romance and humor, the music is light and cheerful, and the performance methods are often more magnificent, but still maintain their main style. Its typical representative, Cohen, is known as the "Father of Broadway Musicals."

Also eye-catching in the 20th century are Gershwin's "The Music Begins" (1927), "Crazy Lady" (1930), "I Sing for You" (1931) and The black folk musical "Porgy and Bess" was created in 1935. Among them, "I Sing for You" was warmly welcomed by the audience because it satirized the shortcomings of the US presidential election and became the first to win the "Popular" award. Litzer Prize" musical.

Since the 1920s, Broadway celebrities have emerged in large numbers, classic masterpieces have frequently appeared on the stage, and commercial operations have flourished, continuing to create glory for decades. In the history of Broadway musicals, in addition to influential figures such as Cohen and the Gershwin brothers, composer Rogers and playwright Hammerstein, who worked closely together in the 1940s and 1950s, also made great contributions to the musical industry. Their collaboration "Oklahoma" premiered at the St. James Theater in New York in March 1943 and achieved unprecedented success. This is a story that reflects the love life of rural youth. Among them, the heroine Laurie's dream scene describes the lingering love between her lover Clay in the dream - the hired worker Gard and Clay fight, Laurie blocks each other - Laurie runs and struggles with Gard chasing... and finally emerges from the dream Wake up with a start.

DeMille cleverly uses pas de deux and pas de deux here, and combines them harmoniously with the plot. The dance steps have been reformed into folkloric and American styles to distinguish them from the classical concept of ballet. "Oklahoma" is a landmark work that successfully implements the perfect synthesis of multiple elements. Since then, Rogers and Hammerstein have collaborated on "Carousel," "South Pacific," and "The King and I." There is also a musical that is very familiar to Chinese audiences. This is "The Sound of Music." This musical was later put on the screen, and many of the songs in the work were very popular and widely circulated.

The formation of American Broadway musicals has diversified musical content. It started from the folk operas that appeared in the 1730s, and continued to integrate the performance characteristics of other European songs and dances, coupled with the early blackface of black people. People's entertainment performing arts laid the foundation for the formation of musical performing arts by the end of the 19th century. Throughout the 20th century, American musicals developed in various ways. Popular entertainment and commercial profitability are the specific manifestations of Broadway musicals.