How to Watch a Musical Like an Insider
5 tips for what to pay attention to that you might miss
Assistant Professor of Music Alex Bádue is a musicologist whose research focuses on the American musical as a genre. He examines musical and dramatic aesthetics, conventions, and originalities that various composers, lyricists, and book writers employ to create musicals throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.
1. Don’t miss the opening number.
Not only does it establish the main characters, setting, and time period in which the story takes place, it also introduces the soundscape of the musical: the styles and genres that make up the score.
Examples
“Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” from Oklahoma! and “Alexander Hamilton” from Hamilton
2. What do the characters sing about?
Theater composers look for juicy moments in a story that can be expanded through song: a soliloquy, a monologue, an important dialogue, or even an entire scene. It’s worth thinking about what’s happening or being introduced in song (both musically and lyrically) that did not happen previously in dialogue and what we learn about the characters that sing the number.
Examples
“One Song Glory” from Rent and “The Wizard and I” from Wicked
3. Different productions will present a song in different ways.
Directors, choreographers, and actor-singers consider carefully whether or not a character moves around the stage while singing and how other characters react when another character begins to sing. The set and lighting designers contribute too. Do the sets change during a song? Do the lights change, creating a new environment? All this allows us to read the characters in innovative ways.
Example
In the 2013 revival of Pippin, Andrea Martin sang “No Time at All” while doing aerial acrobatics.
4. Choreography adds to both character and plot development.
Like music, the choreography of a musical will have its own style, borrowing from traditions like ballet, tap dance, jazz, hip-hop, etc. Like singing, it’s worth reflecting on why characters dance and what we learn about them when they do. When the ensemble joins the protagonists in singing and dancing, we’re reminded that we can suspend disbelief: anyone can break into song and dance to express themselves and tell the story.
Example
Sally and the Kit Kat Klub girls singing “Mein Herr” in Cabaret
“Like singing, it’s worth reflecting on why characters dance and what we learn about them when they do.”
5. Listen for musical cues.
Many elements in a performance can enhance your experience, such as if a character sings high or low notes, or if they change dynamics. If two characters sing the same melody, they are in agreement; if their melodies in the same song are different, the characters disagree. The orchestra might reprise musical themes heard previously in the show, reminding us of something that happened earlier in the story or connecting different moments of a character’s dramatic journey.
Examples
Valjean and Javert singing “Confrontation” in Les Misérables; and the “Bobby baby” theme that recurs in the musical Company.
“If two characters sing the same melody, they are in agreement; if their melodies in the same song are different, the characters disagree.”
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How to Watch a Musical Like an Insider
5 tips for what to pay attention to that you might miss from Assistant Professor of Music Alex Bádue.
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