Musicals have five major characteristics:
First, comprehensiveness, which refers to the organic combination of music, dance, drama performances and other art forms.
The second is modernity, using singing methods that best meet the needs of contemporary audiences, and using a variety of modern dance vocabulary and advanced stage technology.
The third is diversity. There are classical singing methods and various popular singing methods. The themes range from ancient times to modern times, from science fiction to mythology. The music is eclectic.
The fourth is flexibility. There is no dogmatism and it is relatively bold.
The fifth is a high degree of commercial operability.
Characteristics of French musicals:
Stage: Let’s start with the overall style of the stage. French musicals are very modern and incorporate a variety of modern styles, such as Paris from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The creation of stage design started with some elements of Notre Dame, which is a great innovation. Compared with the flashing neon stage of Broadway, the stage of French musicals is more acceptable to modern people.
Clothing is more modern.
Music: The music of French musicals is very modern, and there are also musicals that incorporate rock style. Broadway musicals mostly feature jazz, as well as can-can dance.
Characteristics of Broadway musicals:
I used to watch "Cats" in junior high school and "Les Misérables" in high school. When I was in my junior year as an elective course, I chose "Into the Musical". The teacher showed us "Oklahoma" during the first few classes of the semester. I thought it was also very good, so I would like to briefly recommend the musical to everyone. .
Musical is a unique art form that combines elements of music, dance, and drama. In short, it uses music, singing, and physical performance to interpret stories and promote plots. Musicals were produced in Europe from the 17th to the 18th centuries. They were called "operettas" or "folk operas" at that time. It was not until the late 19th century that people began to refer to the name "musicals"; by the mid-20th century, it had become A unique form of dramatic performance. To sum up, a musical is an art that is supported by an attractive plot and based on the actors' dramatic performances, allowing music and dance to fully unleash their potential, and integrating these factors into an organic unity. If drama itself is a comprehensive art, then compared with drama, musical is a drama form that fully utilizes "comprehensive" artistic means. The United Kingdom and the United States are the countries where musicals flourish. From the perspective of the development history of musicals, London's West End and New York's Broadway can be called the birthplaces of musicals. But musicals also have different historical backgrounds in Britain and the United States: in the United States, it is more influenced by jazz, tap dancing, and comedy.
Musical Episodes
Maybe many people have not heard of the name musical, but when it comes to famous musical episodes such as "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" and "Memory", I believe many people are familiar with it. In the 1960s, the Beatles and rock music rushed to the world from Britain. Musical composers from various countries gradually turned from resisting to absorbing this irresistible force. British musical pioneer Webb took the lead in adapting the ancient story in "Jesus Christ Superstar" The musical with sad content and serious theme uses light music and rock music to give it a modern feel. The songs become lively, popular and easy to sing; the orchestration also breaks the strict restrictions of orchestral music and introduces electro-acoustic instruments into the music. drama, thereby enhancing its contemporary feel and expressiveness. In addition, due to the update and popularization of modern audio and broadcast equipment, many popular songs in musicals quickly became popular around the world through modern communication media, such as "Argentina, Farewell" in "Evita". Cry Me!" and "Memory" from "Cats" can often be heard in concerts and street radio broadcasts, causing many people who have never seen the show to look forward to seeing it.
Narration singing
Narration singing is a feature of musicals. It can be a narration by someone who has nothing to do with the story, or it can be slightly related but still focuses on telling the story. Narrator.
When the storyline of a musical is complex, the ability of music, dance, and stage to express complex stories is limited, and other forms of help are needed, so the artistic method of narration and singing has emerged. The narrator is often the protagonist or sub-protagonist in the play. Through the narration, he runs through the plot and intricate character relationships of the story. Narration singing is a technique that can be arranged as the main song. For example, the narration singing in the famous musical "Evita" is undoubtedly musically touching.
The influence of drama and comedy with singing; in the UK, musicals are more related to operettas and dramas, especially the dramatic backgrounds of Shakespeare, Molière, and Ipson, and dance is more Close to ballet.
Expanded content
Ten classic musicals
1: The Phantom of the Opera “If you only watch one musical in your life, then It should be "Phantom of the Opera"" This shows the status of this musical! Since its premiere at the Queen's Theater in London, England, in 1986, it has been performed more than 74,000 times in 145 cities in 27 countries around the world (I remember when it was performed in Shanghai in 2013, ordinary seat tickets were sold out within a few minutes). (swept away), watched by more than 130 million viewers, with an average attendance of over 99, and a total revenue of over $5.6 billion...more than any other movie or play, including "Titanic", "Avatar" and " "Star Wars" was reduced to rubbish in seconds. This is how the "King of Musicals" came about. "The Phantom of the Opera" tells a story of a love triangle with a horror and suspense color. At the Paris Opera House in 1881, Christine, an unknown little actress, wanted to become the heroine of a play. During an audition, her beautiful singing voice impressed the ghost in the basement. This man, who was disabled on half of his face and relied on a white mask to live, fell deeply in love with this beautiful girl. In order to help her realize her wish, the ghost threatens the theater by causing all kinds of horrors. The appearance of the ghost made Christine very curious, and she followed him to the underground kingdom. However, Christine has always been deeply in love with her aristocratic boyfriend. The ghost fell in love, became very jealous, and tortured the noble man in the basement. In the end, in order to protect her lover, the heroine gave the ghost a kiss. The "ghost" was shocked by the heroine's love, so he chose to fulfill his lover and left alone. To put it bluntly, it is a sadistic love triangle between a goddess, a rich man, a handsome man, and a musical genius... The gorgeous stage style and opera-like singing are full of mysterious charm. 2: Mama Mia "Mama Mia" is a bit like a tadpole looking for its mother. It is a cheerful story about looking for its father. Sophie, who was about to get married, wanted to find her father. She read her mother's diary and letters and invited three men who might be her father. The day before the wedding, three men showed up at the same time, and single mother Donna almost fainted from excitement! Then the story begins around "Who is my dad?" This musical makes people feel very happy. Compared with the twists and turns of the funny storyline, its passionate, humorous, happy and fashionable melody is more contagious. The music of Mamma Mia is adapted from the songs of ABBA, and its style is relatively relaxed and lively. Whether you like musicals or not, you can't help but stand up, clap and sway to the beat, and forget all your worries. Hey! Hi! Hi! This musical has been adapted into a movie, with Big-Eyed Amanda, Aunt May, former 007 Pierce Brosnan, and "Mr. Darcy" Colin Firth co-starring. Before experiencing the live version, it is also very enjoyable to watch the movie. 3: Les Misérables The musical "Les Misérables" adapted from the novel of the same name by the literary giant Victor Hugo is so majestic that it has been translated into 21 languages ??and performed around the world, with many popular songs. Describes the magnificent era of the French Revolution. In 19th-century France, Jean Valjean was imprisoned for many years for stealing bread for his hungry family. After being paroled, he broke the law again and had to flee.
Ten years later, although he became a successful businessman and became the mayor, police officer Javier never gave up chasing him. At this time, Jean Valjean learned of the tragic experience of the prostitute Fantine and promised to take care of her illegitimate daughter Cosette. As Cosette grew up, the French Revolution began. Jean Valjean has experienced many things, and his life has come to an end... As for "Les Misérables", everyone is more familiar with it in 2012 starring Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, "Little Freckles" "The movie starred Eddie Redmayne, and Anne Hathaway also won an Oscar for her role in "Fantine". 4: Singin' in the Rain The musical "Singin' in the Rain" released by MGM in 1952 can be said to be a national treasure film in the United States, and is also known as one of the most exciting musicals in film history. , excellent acting. With such material, it would be difficult to imagine a musical version of "Singin' in the Rain" succeeding. In 2011, the musical directed by gold medal director Andrew Wright was widely praised upon its release and is one of the purest representatives of Broadway musicals. 5: Wicked (Wicked) "Wicked" is equivalent to the prequel of "The Wizard of Oz", and the adaptation is very interesting. The story cleverly takes the green-skinned, unpopular evil witch Elphaba as the protagonist. She and the blond, pretty and cute Glinda experience betrayal, failure, etc. in the process of pursuing their ideals. Each grew up and gained each other, and also formed a deep and unspeakable friendship. Finally, there was the good witch Glinda and the bad witch Elphaba. The play received numerous praises upon its release, and won three Grammys and a Tony Award for its fairy tale plot, dazzling stage design, and excellent singing.
6: Cats "Cats" is a world-shaking masterpiece by British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber. The play unparalleledly won seven Tony Awards on Broadway in 1983, and won all of them. London New York All Theater Awards. The play was once awarded the title of "Musical of the Century". Since its premiere in London in 1981, it has been performed in the United States, Japan, France, Germany and other countries. It has caused an unprecedented sensation. It is often hard to get a ticket. It is still the most popular play today. The highest-grossing musical on Broadway in New York and London. The classic love song "Memory" originated from this play has long been well-known to every household. It can be regarded as an immortal song in the history of musicals. The entire musical not only has moving music, but also a feast of dance, and it does not hesitate to use a lot of dance scenes. Showing the different characteristics and personalities of cats, there are light and lively tap dance, solemn and gorgeous ballet, and dynamic jazz dance and modern dance. It is unique, grand and eclectic. 7: Miss Saigon "Miss Saigon" is a modern adaptation of Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly", co-created by Claude Michel Schonberg and Alain Bobelli. "Miss Saigon" took place during the turbulent Vietnam War and told the story of a love-hate relationship between an American soldier and an infatuated Vietnamese dancer. In the play, an oriental woman is portrayed as an image who is devoted to love first and is willing to sacrifice everything for it. However, in the final ending, she ends her tragic fate by committing suicide for love. The heroine's persistence and loyalty in love create a shocking and deeply touching stage art work. 8: Billy Elliot This musical composed by the UK's biggest musician Elton John is adapted from the hugely successful 2000 British film of the same name. It tells a story about breaking gender barriers to pursue personal dreams and finally succeed. It is undoubtedly an inspiring and beautiful fairy tale for people who have lost their dreams and are now being polished by reality. Because it is a ballet story, the proportion of dancing in the performance is naturally much greater than singing.
This year's Burberry winter advertising blockbuster, Romeo, the second son of the Beckham family, "Dance! Dance! Dance!" together with other supermodels is a tribute to the classic film "So You Think You Can Dance". 9: Chicago (Chicago) One of the classic plays that best represents the history and characteristics of New York Broadway, it focuses on the desire, fame, wealth and money relationships between people in the capitalist world of the 1920s. It was a huge success after being released on Broadway in 1975 and is still considered one of the must-see musicals in New York! "All That Jazz", "If U leave me now" and "Cell block tango" are all classic music passages. In 2002, a film of the same name adapted from "Chicago" was released and received a very good reputation, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renee Zellweger***. 10: West Side Story The "musical" version of Shakespeare's famous play "Romeo and Juliet" was created by Leonard Bernstein, one of the most outstanding conductors of the 20th century. It is a landmark work in the history of musicals. The story tells the love story of Tony and Maria, who came from two irreconcilable gangs in the slums of the West Side of New York. Although they fell in love deeply, they both died in the hatred between the gangs. The dance in the play fully integrates elements of ballet, Latin dance, jazz dance and modern dance, and is powerful and energetic. It is also one of the must-see classic plays in New York.