What's So Great about the American Musical?

In studying literature, your text is the actual document of the novel or piece that you are learning about.  There is no ambiguity.  An author wrote a piece of literature and you read it and discuss it.  But in the genre of theater, and more specifically the genre of the musical, what is the text?

Musicals are a compilation of a group of different collaborators.  There is the musical element, the choreography, the direction, as well as dialogue.  Which one of these elements functions as the driving forces of the piece?

I would argue that in order to study a musical, one has to disregard formal and traditional teachings of studying literature, and in turn opt to use other resources that aren’t as often addressed.  Each aspect of the musical is important, so you must alter your learning skills accordingly.  Music is one of the biggest driving forces of this type of art.  The musical creates the mood, the flow, and the pace of the entire production.  In order to experience this, one must focus on using your ears and your sense of hearing.  Essentially the music could be the substitute for a text in musicals because simply through the music the audience is able to derive much of the information necessary to understand the direction of the piece.  The movement and choreography is another key element to a musical, which involves the active action of viewing what is taking place.  As opposed to standard literature where the picture of what you are reading about comes from your imagination, in a musical you have a whole staff of actors whose goal and job is to make you believe in what they have prepared for you. 

This is probably the key to understanding the American musical.  As it was a major export of American culture during the 30s, 40s, and 50s, the musical’s task at hand was to create a forum for it’s audience to be both entertained with its musicality, as well as be part of a learning experience.  Generally musicals of this time focused on social and political inequalities.  Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific is an example of one of these exports.  In this musical, Nellie, a white nurse, falls in love with a French plantation owner, Emile, but when Nellie is made aware that Emile has fathered two Polynesian children, Nellie’s prejudices halt their relationship.  Through catchy songs including “You Have to Be Carefully Taught”, the music of the play helps to enhance those deep-rooted emotions.  This musical does in fact follow guidelines of American musicals of the similar time in that Nellie’s character ultimately comes to the realization that her prejudices cannot stand in the way of her love for Emile and she even comes to love his children and if they were her own. 

The musical as a vehicle for social reconstruction was a primary element of the time, and today, with the revival of time-piece musicals, they remind the audience not to forget where we came from.