STUDY GUIDE 2005 - Shaw Festival Theatre
STUDY GUIDE 2005 - Shaw Festival Theatre
STUDY GUIDE 2005 - Shaw Festival Theatre
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Theme Six<br />
THE STAGE MUSICAL TRADITION<br />
The dictionary defines stage musical as “a play in which the story line is interspersed with or developed by songs”. For most of the 20 th<br />
century, the stage musical was primarily an American creation, with performance on Broadway its goal. Written in 1959 by Arthur<br />
Laurents, Jule Styne, and Stephen Sondheim, and produced for the Broadway stage by David Merrick and Leland Hayward, Gypsy is a<br />
definitive representation of the stage musical tradition.<br />
RESEARCH<br />
The writers and producers of Gypsy were extremely important forces in stage musical history. Research the careers of:<br />
* Arthur Laurents<br />
* Jule Styne<br />
* Stephen Sondheim<br />
* David Merrick<br />
* Leland Hayward<br />
THE FUNCTION<br />
OF SONGS<br />
Songs clearly add entertainment value to the stage musical. But songs are also important in communicating the meaning of the<br />
play. In Gypsy, notice the function of songs in:<br />
* expressing personal beliefs and attitudes<br />
* revealing dreams and desires<br />
* developing character relationships<br />
* making plans and promises<br />
* foreshadowing events<br />
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