How are musicals created? How does a stage musical come from an idea to reality? And who are the people who create, operate, and produce musicals? In this chapter we will explore this topic further.

The elements of a musical include: music score (The Score), script (The Book), main creative personnel, etc. The process of creating a musical generally includes: planning, conception (Getting The Idea), collaborative creation (Workshops), raising funds (Raising the Money), recruiting actors and auditions (Auditions), rehearsals (Rehearsals), and auditions. (Tryouts), previews (Previews), premiere (Opening), official performance (Running), etc. The following will tell you one by one.

Music - one of the elements of musicals

Almost all musicals in the United States are created using the AABA format. It has been gradually formed since the beginning of the 20th century. A is the main melody, which is repeated three times, so it is easy to remember; B is the release or bridge, which contrasts with A as much as possible. This technique was the only format for musicals and pop music at the time. Although it had many limitations, it was still very beneficial for composers and lyricists to create effectively. Many songs also have variations, but AABA remains a primary songwriting model.

Of course, there is also a small amount of music that does not use the AABA method. However, from "American Playboy" Gohan to Jonathan Larson, who has difficulty paying "rent", the core of all modern Broadway composers' creations is still AABA.

You can hum some famous Broadway musical songs and you will find this pattern used again and again. In fact, until the emergence of heavy metal rock in the 1960s, this was also the way popular music was created.

1. Song style

Songs created in the AABA mode can express most dramatic emotions. And there are usually the following types. Here we can take "My Fair Lady" created by René and Royvy as an example.

Ballads are usually love songs, such as: "On the Street Where You Live" (On the Street Where You Live), and they can also be used for relatively strong emotional catharsis, such as: "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face".

Charm Songs are usually the type of songs that communicate with the audience, creating an emotional connection between the characters and the audience, such as "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" .

The purpose of comedy songs (Comedy Numbers) is for pure comedic effect, to elicit laughter from the audience, such as "A Little Bit of Luck".

Musical Scenes are songs mixed with dialogue, such as "You Did It".

Traditional American musicals have various song types, but contemporary musicals focus more on ballad-style songs.

2. Song arrangement

Songs are not randomly inserted into a musical. They must be placed in small emotional climaxes. When the dialogue is not enough to express the character emotions. For example: In the musical "Hello, Dolly", when Mrs. Dolly Reeves walked down the stairs of the Harmonia Gardens Hotel, she and the hotel waiter sang the song "Hello, Dolly" " is the strongest emotional expression. If the hotel manager just said "I'm glad you can come again" to his old friend Dolly at this moment, it might be closer to reality, but it would seem too bland.

It has become a rule of musical theater creation that composers and lyricists must discuss the arrangement of songs with the script author. There are three other points that are very important in most musicals:

The opening music is usually designed at the end. For example: the opening music of "Interesting Things Happened on Forum Road" was originally a love song "Love Is In the Air". Considering that the audience who is infected by the romantic mood can only spend the first half Time gradually adapted to the style of later comedy, so Sandham later replaced the opening music with a provocative song "Comedy Tonight" (Comedy Tonight). After the replacement, the structure of the entire musical became It seems natural.

In “My Fair Lady”, the opening song “Why Can’t the English Teach Their Children How to Speak?” was released after a long dialogue.

3. Lyrics: Do you want it to rhyme?

Do the lyrics need to rhyme? The answer is yes. Rhythm is very important for songs in musicals. Since the 1880s, master William Gilbert's skillful creative techniques have written a glorious page in the history of musical theater.

One of the most effective weapons for a lyricist, especially in comedy, is rhyme. A good musical comedy should have creative rhymes, including end rhymes, middle rhymes or waist rhymes, and alliteration.

End rhyme is the most common rhyme method, and various complex rhymes must be formed on this basis. Since most drama poems have a clear dramatic mission and are therefore quite long, their rhyme scheme cannot be rhymed to the end, so rhymes and cross-rhymes are often used.

Waist rhyme means that some long sentences in drama poems are usually composed of short sentences and phrases in the same format, so that these short sentences or phrases rhyme with the same rhyme, forming a unity in change. Sometimes in a 36-bar chorus, a variety of rhymes can be mixed; alliteration, as the name suggests, is the rhyme at the beginning of the sentence. Of course alliteration can also be used in a chiasmic form. When various rhyme forms are relatively close in phonetic color, they can also be used together. This is the flexibility of rhyme. Of course, there must be a dominant dominant rhyme and a mixed auxiliary rhyme.

There is a song "Chrysanthemum Tea" in Sandham's "Pacific Overture", which contains the lyrics "an herb that's superb for disturbances at sea" (meaning: that is a confusing vanilla).

The song "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" from Cole Porter's musical "Kiss Me, Kate" also has a clever rhyme, "heinous-Coriolanus" (meaning: hateful - Carolanas) and "fussing-nussing" (meaning: making a fuss - unreasonable), etc. "nussing" in English means another joking way of saying "nothing".

Creative rhyme is an important tool in musical theater writing. Cole Porter's ballad "I Get a Kick Out of You" has a famous "five rhymes": "fly-high-guy-shy-I." When this song was first performed by Israel Menman in 1934's "Anything Goes," it left a deep impression on the audience.

Teacher Ju Qihong has a detailed discussion of "dramatic poetry" in "An Outline of Opera Art". Dramatic poetry is a marriage of literature, drama, and music. It is both literary and musical, and has a unique drama that is not found in ordinary lyrics and lyrics. At the same time, music also gives visual and concrete qualities to drama poetry. To achieve a perfect harmony between the two. Compared with serious grand operas, the dramatic poetry creation of musicals is not as good as grand operas in terms of dramatic intensity and close integration with the plot, but it is lyrical and popular, and describes and vividly reveals the natural flow of the characters' inner emotions. However, it has characteristics and advantages that grand opera cannot match. As a dramatist who writes in words, he must show profound writing skills and creative skills in exploring the inherent rhythm, rhythm and formal beauty of a certain kind of text. Oscar Hamstern is an expert in this area. The dramatic poems and poems he created follow the traditional rhyme scheme and have catchy rhythmic beauty.

In addition to increasing the rhythm and formal beauty of dramatic poetry, a large number of rhetorical techniques can also be used in creation. Of course, in addition to the use of these formal techniques, the most important thing about the lyrics is to place the lyrics in the context of the musical, reveal the characters' emotions, and show the dramatic conflicts.

Section 2 Musical Script

Musical script (book), also called "libretto", although rarely noticed, plays an important role in the creation of musicals. is the most important dramatic element. The script of the musical must arrange the lyrics according to the narrative structure of the story.

For years, most Broadway musical scripts consisted of a series of scenes, jokes, and visuals between songs. The main thing in most musicals is melodious music and performances by big stars. So in the past, audiences were satisfied when Al Jolson sang those songs that had nothing to do with the story, or when Miss Marilyn Miller did those dazzling tap dances.

By the 1940s, with the improvement of audience appreciation level, higher requirements for musicals were naturally put forward. From "Friend Joey" to "The Beguiled Woman", "Oklahoma", etc., the coordination of script and music is very important.

Nowadays, in order to reflect the entertainment function of musicals, actors sometimes pause the plot to sing or dance.

Many experts have found through research that if a musical has a perfect music score but a poor script, such a musical will not be successful. And if the music is average but the story structure is quite able to withstand scrutiny, the chance of success is much higher. After all, whether it’s a movie, play or musical, the first thing is to tell a good story.

A musical script must have the following principles:

Make the development of plot clues clear;

Write the scene when the character sings;

< p> To make the entrance of the song as smooth and natural as possible;

To write most of the plots and characters that develop into songs and dances;

To keep the audience fully entertained Enthusiasm;

Create innovative characters and don’t fall into clichés;

Of course, the most important thing is to weave them into a story with a core. Since at least 50% of a musical's time is allocated to songs and dances, not all writers can write musical scripts with ease.

1. How to adapt?

Most musicals are adapted from novels such as "Les Misérables" and "The King and I"; some are adapted from dramas such as "Oklahoma" and "Oklahoma". Hello, Dolly", etc.; some are adapted from movies such as "Serenade", "9", etc.; some are adapted from biographies of historical figures, such as "Rex", "George M", "Evita" etc.; some are adapted from historical events, such as: "Call Me Madam", "Fiorello", etc.

Once a book musical is chosen to be adapted, the creative team must first decide where in the story the music will fit. Not all stories are suitable for use in the form of musicals. Some stories with a strong tragic atmosphere seem more suitable for grand operas. The most important thing in choosing the entry point for music and dance is to find a space that allows the characters to express more emotions. For example, finding opportunities to sing and dance during the transition from hope to joy, from disappointment to final victory.

Songs can make the audience emotionally invested in the characters. If the dramatic functions of some characters are not enough for us to pay close attention, such a story is not suitable for musical adaptation.

When creating images of historical figures, songs should be cleverly designed. Because perhaps many viewers enter the theater based on their own personal concepts of this familiar historical figure, and the creator must realize this. The musical "1776" successfully made historical figures John Adams and Thomas Jefferson sing songs, and American audiences did not feel awkward. However, when it was performed in London, British audiences were disgusted with the play and forced it to be discontinued after a few weeks. If the characters themselves are not lovable, no matter how big the star is, they will not be able to make a comeback. The musical "Rex", which reflects the brutal story of Henry VIII, is an example of failure, even with Jack Robinson. , Marilyn Monroe, Teddy Ruth Wilt and others joined in to no avail.

2. Scene structure

Like dramas expressed through non-musical means, an "adapted musical" must also have a clear ending that extends the story. Since good music and songs should often capture moments of excessive emotion, then a song or a re-interpreted song can usually make the ending of the musical feel less procrastinating.

This is why librettists must work together with composers and lyricists as much as possible, so that they can jointly decide where the songs are more suitable and avoid as much awkward insertions as possible Feelings and cracks. Ideally, the script should be written together with the music score, which is better than lyrics first and music second, or music first and words second.

Modern musicals usually have two acts in their scripts, and audiences are very familiar with them. Show-related items will be available for sale during intermission. But the time cannot be too long, otherwise the audience will be impatient for the wonderful entertainment that follows. If it is a three-act musical, the break should be placed in the second act. One-act plays seem simpler, but the reality is not that simple. The musical "Man of La Mancha" is a one-act play, and what often troubles playwrights is that the performance is still interrupted by intermissions.

Therefore, for playwrights who create musicals, they also need to find a reasonable excuse for the intermission. The first act should generally not end on a cliff-hanger. But you also have to give the audience an expectation.

Here are some successful first act endings of musicals:

In "Fiddler on the Roof", a horrific mass murder (pogrom) forced the wedding to be interrupted, and the protagonist Dee, who was still suffering from the disease, What will be the fate of Wei He and his family?

In "My Fair Lady", Lisa begins a sexual dance with the scheming linguist Zoltan Karpas. Will her secret be revealed? Will Professor Higgins' career be ruined?

In "Les Misérables", at the end of the first act, the audience will ask similar questions: Will the characters in the first act turn the corner in the coming revolution?

If the ending of the first act seems ill-conceived, it does a disservice to the entire work. The stage version of "Meet in St. Louis" designed "The Trolley Song" as a dream scene, which did not make much sense for the unfolding of the story in the second act. The stage version of "Affairs of State" ends with "It's a Grand Night for Singing," which is a very powerful song, but it unfolds the plot of the second act. It doesn't work at all. Both productions failed, despite having excellent musical scores, primarily because the narrative structure of their films was not suitable for adaptation into the two-act stage format of a musical.