Musicals

Musicals are a form of theatre that combines music with other elements such as songs, dialogue and dance. Some musicals are composed purely of music and songs and others will also incorporate dialogue as well as dance elements. The aim with a musical is to tell a story so many people view this kind of entertainment as a play with music.

Musicals come in many forms and are widely performed all around the world in many languages. Some will be produced solely in their land of origin whilst others will be performed all over the world and will be translated into many languages. And, many of the major musicals will also be turned into films into the bargain.

Professional musicals can be performed in many different types of venues. The larger musicals will have a 'run' in a major theatre, some may be taken out on tour across the country and other (generally newer) musicals will be performed in smaller venues. Musicals are also popular as amateur productions and as such may be performed in schools, local theatres and halls and in other types of smaller venues.

Some of the most popular musical writers and musicals of recent years include:

Rodgers and Hammerstein (Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music).
Irving Berlin (Annie Get Your Gun).
Loesser and Burrows (Guys and Dolls).
Lerner and Loewe (Paint Your Wagon, My Fair Lady).
Bernstein and Sondheim (West Side Story).
Herman (Hello Dolly, La Cage Aux Folles).
Kander and Ebb (Cabaret).
Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber (Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and His Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat).
Andrew Lloyd Webber (Evita, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera).
Schonberg and Boublil (Les Miserables).
Disney (The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast).

In recent years Disney have also helped bring the musical back into favour with a younger generation via their High School Musical series. These musicals are first premiered on TV rather than on the stage and have proven extremely popular with children of all ages.