Writing Musical Theater

by Cohen, Allen; Rosenhaus, Steven L.

• ISBN13: 9781403963956
• ISBN10: 1403963959
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-02-07
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

This complete guide to the modern musical covers the entire process of creating a show, from finding and working out the initial idea, through the writing of both songs and libretto, to the ways in which writers can market a finished show and get it produced. This comprehensive book, for the interested theatergoer and writers, new or experienced, is written in a lively and user-friendly style and illustrated with numerous examples, containing a how-to tutorial approach to its subject matter that has never appeared in print. With years of theatrical experience between them, Steven L. Rosenhaus and Allen Cohen have written the best and most comprehensive guide to the Broadway musical.

Author Biography

Steven L. Rosenhaus has written music and/or lyrics for several musicals, as well as incidental music for plays, film scores, and commercials. His concert works in a variety of genres have been performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. He has over a hundred original works and arrangements in print, and several works recorded on compact discs. Dr. Rosenhaus serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Composition at NYU, teaching both classical and musical theater composition, and also teaches songwriting and other subjects at Nassau Community College.

Allen Cohen has written the scores for several musicals, four films, and two off-Broadway plays. He has conducted, or written dance music for, six musicals on Broadway and many shows off-Broadway and around the country. His concert music has been performed throughout the world and recorded on several compact discs. Currently Assistant Professor of Music at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Dr. Cohen is a former member of the BMI and ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshops. He is the author of Howard Hanson in Theory and Practice and the children's book That's So Funny I Forgot to Laugh!, which has sold more than half a million copies.

Table of Contents

Permissions Acknowledgments	viii
Acknowledgments	x
Introduction	xi
PART I: THE ELEMENTS
CHAPTER 1 THEATER BASICS	3	(12)
Stages and Theaters	3	(7)
Types of Stages	3	(3)
Theater Size	6	(1)
Stage Geography	7	(1)
Scenery, Props, Lighting, and Costumes	8	(1)
Orchestras	8	(2)
Types of Musicals	10	(5)
Book Shows	10	(1)
Revues	11	(1)
Musicals for Children	12	(1)
New Genres	12	(1)
Adaptations and Originals	13	(2)
CHAPTER 2 THE IDEA	15	(8)
Why a Musical?	15	(2)
What Makes a Good Story for a Musical?	17	(6)
CHAPTER 3 THE LIBRETTO	23	(58)
Dramatic Essentials	24	(16)
What Makes Drama?	24	(3)
The Needs of the Libretto	27	(2)
A Golden Rule (and its Corollaries)	29	(4)
Forms and Formats	33	(2)
Modes of Storytelling	35	(2)
Theatrical Styles	37	(2)
Balancing the Elements	39	(1)
Translating the Story into a Script	40	(41)
Adaptations of Plays and Movies	41	(11)
Adaptations from other Literary Genres	52	(7)
Adaptations of Myth and Folklore	59	(1)
Originals	60	(2)
Subplot	62	(1)
Functions of Theater Songs	63	(6)
Song Spotting	69	(3)
Conventions of Musical Theater	72	(2)
Establishing Time and Place	74	(2)
Script Conventions	76	(5)
CHAPTER 4 THE CHARACTERS	81	(10)
Establishing Characters	81	(2)
Cast Size	81	(1)
Main Characters	82	(1)
Secondary Characters	82	(1)
Ensembles	83	(1)
Bringing Characters to Life	83	(8)
Physical Types and Vocal Ranges	84	(1)
Psychological and Emotional Makeup	85	(1)
Speech Patterns, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Dialect	86	(3)
Practical Considerations	89	(2)
CHAPTER 5 THE LYRICS	91	(30)
Before Writing	91	(1)
Terminology	91	(2)
Types of Songs	93	(4)
Ballads	94	(1)
Comedy Songs	94	(1)
Rhythm Songs	95	(1)
Charm Songs	95	(1)
List Songs	96	(1)
Musical Scenes	97	(1)
Song Structure	97	(10)
Ballad Structure	102	(2)
Comedy Song Structure	104	(1)
Rhythm Song Structure	105	(1)
Charm Song Structure	106	(1)
A Note on Musical Scenes	106	(1)
Titles	107	(1)
Rhyme	108	(5)
Three Principles	113	(4)
Concision	113	(1)
Comprehensibility	113	(2)
Particularization	115	(2)
The Balance of Illusions: Poetry versus Conversation	117	(4)
CHAPTER 6 THE MUSIC	121	(40)
Song Basics	121	(23)
Melody	121	(6)
Setting Lyrics	127	(2)
Accompaniments	129	(8)
Adding Subtext	137	(1)
Variety	137	(3)
Voice Leading, Step Motion, and the Long Line	140	(2)
Formats	142	(2)
Writing for the Voice	144	(6)
Ranges	144	(2)
Lyrical Considerations	146	(1)
Breathing	146	(1)
Writing for More than One Voice at a Time	147	(2)
Keys	149	(1)
Beyond the Songs	150	(1)
The Musical World of the Show	151	(10)
Suggesting Time and Place	151	(2)
Theater Music and Popular Styles	153	(2)
Unifying the Score	155	(6)
PART II: WRITING A SHOW
CHAPTER 7 GETTING STARTED	161	(30)
Sample Project A: An Adaptation	162	(16)
The Story	162	(2)
The Characters	164	(4)
The Libretto	168	(10)
Sample Project B: An Original	178	(13)
The Story	178	(2)
The Characters	180	(5)
The Libretto	185	(6)
CHAPTER 8 WRITING THE SCORE	191	(64)
Song Spotting	191	(14)
The Adaptation	192	(5)
The Original	197	(5)
The Next Step	202	(3)
Writing a Ballad	205	(12)
Writing a Comedy Song	217	(20)
Writing a Charm Song	237	(8)
Writing a Rhythm Song	245	(9)
The Rest of the Show	254	(1)
CHAPTER 9 REWRITING	255	(4)
APPENDICES
A. A BRIEF HISTORICAL OVERVIEW	259	(6)
Beginnings	259	(1)
The Song Era	260	(1)
The "Golden Age"	260	(1)
Rock and the Concept Musical	261	(2)
Pop Opera	263	(1)
The Present Outlook	263	(2)
B. TOOLS	265	(4)
For Everyone	265	(1)
For Librettists	266	(1)
For Lyricists	267	(1)
For Composers	267	(2)
C. LOGISTICS AND LEGALITIES	269	(12)
Collaboration	269	(3)
Collaboration Agreements	272	(1)
Adaptation Rights	273	(2)
Copyrighting Material	275	(1)
Writing Workshops	275	(1)
Auditioning a Show	276	(1)
Agents	277	(4)
Production Possibilities	278	(1)
Readings and Staged Readings	278	(1)
Workshop Productions	278	(1)
Showcases	278	(1)
Educational Productions	279	(1)
Regional Productions	279	(1)
Full-scale Commercial Productions	279	(2)
D. REQUIRED READING (AND LISTENING)	281	(2)
Classic Shows of the Golden Age	281	(1)
Other Important Shows	282	(1)
Important Songwriters	282	(1)
Index	283