Musicals Since the dawn of the classical Broadway musicals like Oklahoma! And My Fair Lady, musicals have captivated audiences in America and worldwide. The power of the musical cannot be underestimated. As Chapter 13 points out, musicals have their roots far back before New York City or Broadway. China has a long tradition of opera, in which dramas are set alongside poignant musical numbers. European operatic traditions are also the forebears of the modern stage musical. Musicals can be funny, like Guys and Dolls and The Book of Mormon, or straight like West Side Story and Wicked. Rock musicals add to the canon of tradition that graces stages worldwide. Even television shows have embraced the musical fully, capturing the sense that some emotions and ideas cannot be conveyed in any other format. For example, both The Simpsons and South Park have created whole musical episodes out of animated comedy.

The future of musicals is likely to follow much...

Just as literature adapts itself to changing political climates, social norms, and consumer tastes, so too will stage plays and musicals. Although the general concept of the musical remains the same, current productions like The Book of Mormon offer snapshots of today's audiences just as My Fair Lady did in its day. Current musicals are likely to remain sardonic, if not outright sarcastic. Camp -- in the sense of bawdy humor -- will remain integral to the production of musicals. Musicals have the power to address serious themes in ways that do not weigh down the audience, even when the production is relatively serious in tone. For example, The Book of Mormon creates an ideal balance between serious subject matter and biting comedy.
There will always be room for the lighter numbers, like Mama Mia! And similarly silly musicals that lack thematic depth. Yet even Mama…