The Musical as Drama

by H. Scott McMillin

Derived from the colorful traditions of vaudeville, burlesque, revue, and operetta, the musical has blossomed into America's most popular form of theater. Scott McMillin has developed a fresh aesthetic theory of this underrated art form, exploring the musical as a type of drama deserving the kind of critical and theoretical regard given to Chekhov or opera. Until recently, the musical has been considered either an "integrated" form of theater or an inferior sibling of opera. McMillin demonstrates that neither of these views is accurate, and that the musical holds true to the disjunctive and irreverent forms of popular entertainment from which it arose a century ago.


Critics and composers have long held the musical to the standards applied to opera, asserting that each piece should work together to create a seamless drama. But McMillin argues that the musical is a different form of theater, requiring the suspension of the plot for song. The musical's success lies not in the smoothness of unity, but in the crackle of difference. While disparate, the dancing, music, dialogue, and songs combine to explore different aspects of the action and the characters.


Discussing composers and writers such as Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Kander and Ebb, Leonard Bernstein, and Jerome Kern, The Musical as Drama describes the continuity of this distinctively American dramatic genre, from the shows of the 1920s and 1930s to the musicals of today.

Genres: Musicals, Theatre, Music, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2006

Reviews

[Russell Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a young teen at school, I carried a book about the history of the American musical theater around with me at all times, reading over and over about various musicals when I could sneak time in class. I developed a profoundly deep love of musical theater and an appreciation of what is a uniquely American art form. Later, I became a theater professional, and working on musicals provided some of my happiest moments directing and acting in shows. So when I stumbled upon Scott McMillin’s The Musical as Drama, I felt sure this was a book right up my alley. I read the blurb, scanned the reviews, and decided I had to have this book to add to all the volumes I own about musicals. Fully knowing that this would be a more academic look at musical theater, I nevertheless looked forward to reading it. Boy, was I wrong. McMillin is apparently a professor at Princeton University who teaches a course in musical theater. But this book, in my lowly opinion, hasn’t a whiff that he has an appreciation for the art form. I came away feeling as if he didn’t even like musicals. I expected some general criticism and discussion of how musicals are as fine as great books and the dramas of Shakespeare, Williams, Miller, et al. Instead, McMillin tears various shows (and he focuses on a paltry number of them) into minute elements. He particularly is fond of pointing out that many, many songs in musical theater are AABA format. Furthermore, he tells us of flatted fifths, major and minor triads, and endless other musical terms that I doubt most readers would not be familiar with, much less understand. I admit to enjoying some of his analysis, but I did get oh, so bogged down in it all, and I hold degrees in music and theater and have taught both. I suppose this book could be useful as a college text, particularly for those who are studying the writing of musicals. But for the rest of us, it is much too academic to add to the appreciation of musical theater. I love musicals because they sing, they have emotions expressed through song and dance, they have relatable characters, they have gorgeous orchestral accompaniments, they have beautiful or at least inventive costuming and scenery—in short they entertain. Running a fine-toothed comb through them is no way to enhance that experience.

[Mark Woodland]

It's high time that someone wrote a book like this. While I have no objection to musical theatre that can merely be described as a "show" (people like it, who am I to say?), I SO much prefer those that have a worthy story to tell. This book is specifically about that kind of musical, and a reader can learn a great deal about the process and why certain musicals are so effective on a purely dramatic level (Hint: If you can read the book & libretto and tell yourself that it's a good PLAY in its own right, then it's the kind of musical that his book is talking about). I recommend this to anyone with an interest in musical theatre, especially those who think that something like "Cats" is the ultimate in music theatre. Think again! This book will help you do just that.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am currently writing a musical comedy and found this book to have some great insight into what makes a good musical good.

What's that? Oh, my musical is about Lewis and Clark but it's very poorly researched and inaccurate. You can read about it by searching for #LewisAndClarkMusical on Twitter or going to kfcomedy.com.

Sorry, what was that? Oh, you weren't asking and I'm talking to myself? Got it.

[Laura]

The narratologic analysis was good, but the author's America-centered and elitist attitude was a bit annoying. I'm not a fan of Andrew Lloyd Webber, for example, but I'm sure it would have been possible to find also positive examples in his musicals instead of hiding behind the obligatory Sondheim worshipping. I also disagree with the author's idea that all "real" musicals are not-sung-through.

[Aaron Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterful and brilliant.