Musical theatre and regular theatre are two distinct art forms, each with their own unique characteristics. Musical theatre combines song, dance, and dialogue to tell a story, while regular theatre is focused solely on dialogue and sometimes dance. Both styles have been around for centuries, but each has its own style and requirements.
The primary difference between musical theatre and regular theatre is that musical theatre requires the use of music in order to tell the story. This music can range from pre-recorded tracks to live musicians providing accompaniment. The performers in musical theatre are also required to sing and dance as part of their performance. On the other hand, regular theatre does not require any music at all.
The performers in this type of show rely solely on their dialogue and physicality to communicate the story.
In addition to music, musicals require more elaborate costumes, sets, props, and lighting than regular shows do. This is because musicals require a greater sense of fantasy or spectacle in order to keep the audience engaged. Regular shows may have some costumes or props but usually focus more on the actors’ performances than on any spectacular effects.
Finally, musicals often have a larger cast size than regular shows do due to the nature of the songs and dances that need to be performed by multiple performers at once. Regular shows often only require a handful of actors who can easily fit onto a smaller stage.
Conclusion:
The two main differences between musical theatre and regular theatre are that musicals require music as part of their performance while regular shows do not; additionally, musicals also require more elaborate costumes, sets, props, lighting and cast size than regular shows do.