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The Jukebox Musical

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Julia LambTHTR 3011Midterm Paper15 October 2013The Jukebox MusicalThroughout American musical theater history, there have been many types of musicals that have varied in popularity during different decades. The well-known Vaudeville, which consumed the beginning decade-and-a-half of the 20th century, eventually lost its charm and America quickly fell in love with burlesque, musical comedies, escapism, revues, and many more. Among these various musical styles is the Jukebox Musical, defined by Collins English Dictionary as “a musical play or film that is based around a series of well-known popular songs” (Collins). According to various articles, the definition of a jukebox musical is not always consistent among musical theater enthusiasts, but the underlying theme remains the same. A jukebox musical is usually created to honor the achievements and influence of a particular artist or genre of music through a meaningful story that connects to its viewers. In order to be considered a jukebox musical, the production must be influenced entirely by music; either by a band or a musical genre (TV Tropes). This musical “does not change the lyrics of any of the original songs” and it is typically developed to pay tribute to the successes of the creators of the chosen music (Lyen). Although the artist or genre may not be at its peak popularity at the time of production, the jukebox musical uses “existing well-known music” that evokes nostalgia and enthusiasm in the audience (Monde). In comparison to an integrated book musical, a jukebox musical uses music as its primary influence instead of a novel. Integrated book musicals demonstrate a solid balance between text, song, and dance, incorporating the storyline and theme of its sourcematerial into the musical. The musical Show Boat, which first premiered on Broadway in1927, is considered the first attempt at an integrated book musical, based on the novel Showboat written by Edna Ferber in 1926. Prior to the integrated book musical was the revue, which usually has one single songwriter and mixes song, dance, and comedy together. Despite the integrated book musical’s attempt to include more meaning into character development and overall theme, the revue remained fairly popular until the mid 1930s, after the Great Depression. A revue typically has amazing visual attractions, is energetic and fun, and doesn’t necessarily have a meaningful plot. Compared to jukebox musicals, which are dedicated to integrating music to produce a tribute to an artist or genre, musical revues are made solely for entertainment and for the enjoyment of the audience. Finally, a concept album is an album that is created with a theme in mind that ties all the songs together. The theme can be “instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical,” and is carefully constructed in order to relate all its songs to this unified theme. Although jukebox musicals are influenced by music, they are not usually created based on a single theme.Some well-known examples of jukebox musicals are Mamma Mia!, Movin’ Out, and Crazy For You. First, Mamma Mia! was created in 1999 based on the music of 1970sband, ABBA. It is the story of a girl named Sophie who wants to discover who her biological father is so that he can give her away on her wedding day. Sophie invites all three men to the wedding, whom her mother, Donna, was involved with before Sophie was born. All three men arrive at the wedding and Sophie gets to know each of them individually. Two of her potential fathers, Bill and Sam, promise Sophie that they will give her away at her wedding as her father. Sophie’s fiancé, Sky, is unaware that Sophieis embarking on this journey but continues to be supportive after Sophie tells him how important this is for her. Meanwhile, Donna reminisces with Sophie’s third potential father, Harry, but Sophie and Sky proceed with the wedding plans. Finally, during the wedding ceremony, Donna announces that Sophie’s real father is a guest of the wedding and all three men promise to be Sophie’s father. Sophie and Sky decide to postpone the wedding to travel the world together, and Sam proposes to Donna at the end. The music of folk-pop group, ABBA, is very upbeat, sometimes strange, but extremely well known. ABBA created their first catchy song, “Waterloo,” in 1974 and continued to top the charts through the 1990s. Two members of ABBA wrote the musical“Chess,” which produced even more of the group’s hit singles. Then, Judy Craymer, the executive producer of “Chess,” helped create a musical with “an original and contemporary story” rather than simply a “tribute show to ABBA,” and soon came Mamma Mia! (Royston, p. 9). The two composers of the jukebox musical are the only two men of ABBA, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (Royston). Although the plot ofMamma Mia! is light, comical, and mostly chipper, ABBA’s songs fit well together with each situation in which they are performed. For example, Sophie’s performance of “I Have a Dream” while she’s pondering what it would be like to meet her real father is executed at the appropriate time and place in the beginning of the main character’s development. Also, Donna and Harry’s performance of “Our Last Summer” while reminiscing about the past, and the final performance of “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” when Sam proposes to Donna are properly placed and advance the plot even further. Mamma Mia! is one of the most popular jukebox musicals because of its fun-loving and relatable plot mixed with the highly acclaimed music of ABBA.Another great jukebox musical inspired by the music of Billy Joel is Movin’ Out, which first premiered in Chicago in October of 2002 (Hernando). It is a meaningful musical with little to no dialogue about five friends growing up in Long Island, NY during the Vietnam War (Murray). It differs greatly from other jukebox musicals becausethe characters do not sing, nor do they speak to each other often. However, Billy Joel’s songs are mostly integrated into the production, occasionally giving meaning and emotion to each character. For example, when the five friends reminisce about high school memories at the beginning with their performance of “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me,” it’s obvious that the plot will take a more negative turn afterward (Murray). Also, Eddie dances to Joel’s “Angry Young Man” at the beginning


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