Course Offerings

courses > 2023 spring

American Musical Theatre

THAR 0271.401

crosslisted as:
CIMS0271; ENGL0381
instructor(s):
Monday & Wednesday 12pm to 1:30pm

The American musical is an unapologetically popular art form, but many of the works that come from this tradition have advanced and contributed to the canon of theatre as a whole. In this course we will focus on both music and texts to explore ways in which the musical builds on existing theatrical traditions, as well as alters and reshapes them. Finally, it is precisely because the musical is a popular theatrical form that we can discuss changing public tastes, and the financial pressures inherent in mounting a production. Beginning with early roots in operetta, we will survey the works of prominent writers in the American musical theatre, including Kern, Berlin, Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers, Hart, Hammerstein, Bernstein, Sondheim and others. Class lecture/discussions will be illustrated with recorded examples.

The Spring 2023 section of American Musical Theatre will be offered as a First-Year Seminar.