“Someday, someday. Yeah, you’ll blow us all away. Someday, someday….”
As soon as the audience entered the venue, the classic scene of Dear Theodosia of the Broadway musical Hamilton caught their attention.
On May 8th, Prof. Wang Jinyuan, a famous soprano and national first-class actress, was invited to deliver a lecture themed “Immersed in the World of Broadway Musicals” in the Lecture Hall of the Wuhan University Library. The lecture was divided into four parts, an overview of musicals, the forms and characteristics of musicals, the introduction of Broadway musicals and an appreciation of musicals.
Prof. Wang delivering the lecture
At first, Prof. Wang explained that musical drama is a kind of drama carried by music, and it is also an art form that directly expresses drama through music. But unlike opera, which organically integrates relevant elements, musical utilizes music more prominently. “As defined in the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia, musicals are dramatic performances that can stimulate one’s emotions and give entertainment to people,” Prof. Wang concluded.
Then, talking about the characteristics of musicals, Prof. Wang mentioned three keywords - dialogue, performance and dance. “The core part of musical is singing, but the interaction of dialogue, performance, dance and singing adds pluralism to the forms of musical expression. What’s more, the blending of stage art and the addition of orchestra within special contexts also create a unique atmosphere for musicals.”
After learning some background information about musicals, Prof. Wang outlined several typical periods to allow the audience to gain a deeper understanding of the development of Broadway musicals,
From the late 19th century to the 1920s and 1930s, musicals entered an exploratory period. At that time, musical was seen as a ‘melting pot’. Its body flowed with the noble blood of European opera, but its skeleton was constructed by the entertainment dramas of European cities, which was not at all considered elegant. Additionally, its bone marrow still had the rhythm of black dance.
Later, in the 1930s and 1940s, musicals came into a growth period. At that stage, the formula of old-fashioned musicals began to change. Complex but not serious plots and simple but thought-provoking lyrics were introduced into the creation of musicals. Modern techniques and profound personalized writing became the pursuit of musical writers in the 20th century.
With the passing of time, musicals ushered in a turbulent period from the 1960s to the 1980s. When mentioning this period, a famous musical playwright, Stephen Joshua Sondheim, cannot be ignored.
Prof. Wang introducing the turbulent period
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is recognized as a musical genius, but also considered a ‘freak’. His works own high connotations, almost all contain cynicism about the current social situation, including a cynical streak in his characters. Company is one of the most distinctive works of Sondheim. It breaks the linear narrative structure of the traditional stage drama. The plot can only be expressed by the vague statement of “the story between a single man who escapes a marriage and his five couples of friends”. The original crucial plot has become an element that can be abandoned in the play, for which Sondheim is called ‘the ancestor of concept musical’.
After the turbulent period, musicals matured through the period of large-scale production and the period of adaptation, gradually becoming the form of musicals which people are familiar with today.
In the fourth part of the lecture, when asked how to enjoy musicals, Prof. Wang said, “I hope that you can experience the charm of musicals personally.” She specially invited the students from the Wuhan Conservatory of Music and professional musical actors to bring the performance of classic musical episodes to the audience, which won applause and pushed the atmosphere to a climax.
You’ll be back from Hamilton
The musical Murder Ballad
At the end of the lecture, Prof. Wang had a cordial exchange with the audience. Asked how to better promote musicals in China, she said, “Now, we are trying to cultivate our own musical creation teams, and hopefully, you can enjoy original musicals with Chinese characteristics and reflect local Chinese culture in the near future.”
Immersed in the charm of musicals, two hours quickly flew by. Through Prof. Wang’s lecture, the audience not only gained a deeper understanding of the development process of Broadway musicals but also experienced the joy of appreciating musicals on site. Undoubtedly, everyone gained a lot.
Photo by Liu Xuan & Xu Yirui
Edited by Li Hefeng, Li Jing, Qin Zehao, Sylvia, Xi Bingqing
