How Is Music Used in Musical Theatre?

Musical Theatre|Theater

Musical theatre is an art form that has captivated audiences for centuries. It combines music, lyrics, and acting to tell a story in a unique way. Music is an essential part of musical theatre, as it has the ability to evoke powerful emotion from the audience and create a visceral reaction.

In musical theatre, music often serves as the driving force behind the plot. It helps to establish tone and mood, and can even be used to move the action forward.

Music also serves to communicate underlying themes or messages in the show. For example, in “Les Miserables” the lyrics of each song help to convey Jean Valjean’s internal struggle between right and wrong.

The structure of musical theatre is centered around songs which are woven together throughout the show. These songs often have a specific purpose in terms of plot progression or conveying emotion, but they can also be used simply for entertainment value. In some cases, they are even used to provide comic relief or break up tension within a scene.

In addition to its role in plot progression and providing entertainment value, music can also be used as a tool for underscoring dialogue or other onstage action. This technique is known as “underscoring” and involves playing music underneath spoken dialogue or action onstage. Underscoring allows for heightened emotion from both actors and audience members alike, as it creates an atmosphere that is both exciting and suspenseful.

The use of music in musical theatre also extends beyond just plot progression and underscoring dialogue; it can also be used to introduce characters or set scenes through its use of melody or lyrics. For example, in “Wicked” each character has their own theme song which helps establish who they are and what their motivations are within the show.

Overall, it is clear that music plays an integral role in musical theatre by helping to further develop characters, set scenes, move plots forward, evoke emotion from audiences, provide entertainment value, and underscore dialogue/action onstage; all while creating an atmosphere that is both entertaining and engaging!

Conclusion

It is clear that music plays a crucial role in musical theatre by helping to further develop characters and set scenes; move plots forward; evoke emotion from audiences; provide entertainment value; underscore dialogue/action onstage; all while creating an atmosphere that is both entertaining and engaging!