OSHER 36 - Hit Songs and Structure of the American Musical

The principal emphasis in the course will be on the usual structure of a successful Broadway show and will demonstrate many of the hit songs that have made Broadway and film musicals romantic and memorable. The course will cover the classic shows produced during Broadway's Golden Age--shows and films from 1943 (Oklahoma) to 1975 (A Chorus Line). Participants will find out how musicals happen, what makes them work, how they captivate audiences, citing examples from hit shows (South Pacific, Guys and Dolls, The King and I, The Music Man, Gypsy, Hello Dolly, Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret and others). A sub-theme of the course will be to explain why the art form declined. Participants will learn the magic of a hit, how to appreciate the best songs from musical theater and their adoption into other idioms such as popular music and jazz. The class will include brief lectures, clips from films and stage productions, recordings from soundtracks, and live performance of key individual songs.