Tag Archives: Theory and Practice

Musical Comedy vs. Musical Play

Posted on July 9, 2010 by David Fick

Following my 2010 redux blog on “Genres of Musical Theatre“, I received a message from Hans Anders Elgvang, a regular visitor of this site, asking: ‘What are, in your opinion, the differences between the form categories musical comedy and musical … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Musicals, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“Showtunes” – an all-encompassing term?

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David Fick

A recent discussion on Musicals.net that debated the terminology that could be used to classify songs from musicals caught my attention. Thinking about it carefully, I realised that I do not feel that “Broadway” or “showtune” function well as an … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadway, International, Musicals, Theory and Practice, West End | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Genres of Musical Theatre Redux: the 2010 edition

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David Fick

In a discussion around different kinds of musical theatre, I think the first step is to define the terrain of musical theatre. Musical theatre does not include all theatre that uses music. Musical theatre excludes – for example – opera, … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Dance, Musicals, Plays, Revues, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Defending Theory and Practice

Posted on July 1, 2010 by David Fick

Every now and then, I’ll get a nasty little message implying that discussions around musical theatre practice, debates around musical theatre terminology and so on are petty and worthless. Let me go on record saying that I do not think … Continue reading →

Posted in Musicals, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Rhyme in Musical Theatre Lyrics

Posted on June 25, 2010 by David Fick

Here is an interesting question that I’d like people to consider: why do we expect musical theatre to make use of pure rhyme or celebrate lyrics that are crafted using pure rhyme more readily than those that employ other kinds … Continue reading →

Posted in Musicals, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

O/T: Brecht and Didactic Theatre

Posted on June 24, 2010 by David Fick

I was recently reading a rather mundane series of posts around the issue of adaptation at Musicals.net, which then delved into the realm of Bertolt Brecht and his vision of theatre. Here’s the bit that I found interesting: Hans wrote: … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Off Topic, Plays, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Original” Musicals

Posted on June 15, 2010 by David Fick

As musicals based on movies become more and more frequently produced, discussions on musical theatre forums around the Internet regarding the lack of “original” Musicals” seem to become more and more prominent. Most people seem to forget, however, that truly … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadway, Musicals, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

SPRING AWAKENING: the Musical

Posted on June 10, 2007 by David Fick

The play upon which the musical adaptation of Spring Awakening is based was written by Frank Wedekind in 1891. The first performance of the play was in 1906 and the first English performance of the play was in 1917. Since … Continue reading →

Posted in Broadway, Commentary, In Depth Analysis, Musicals, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

RENT Rant: Cut Numbers and Spoken Lyrics

Posted on December 2, 2005 by David Fick

On stage, RENT was a rock opera. It’s unquestionable that it is one: the story is told primarily through a series of episodic and eclectic musical numbers that are grounded in the idiom of popular music. On film, RENT looks … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Movies, Musicals, Theatremaking, Theory and Practice | Tagged , , , , , , , | 11 Comments