Sunday, January 31, 2016

A Short Synopsis

An Open Pamphlet


When you ask the average person what some of the best musicals are, the chances are that they would answer with the big names: Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, CATS, Wicked, and now the smash hit Hamilton. While this is most likely just because they are big names, there are myriad reasons as to how they reached this legendary status in the first place. Each of these shows has a production team behind the scenes which planned out every minute detail of what audiences would see, creating an experience that left people feeling satisfied and wanting more all at once. 

This is a balance which is hard to achieve, and those that do all share one thing in particular: great musical design. Even minimalist set and costume design can be overruled by a great music set, something that is seen in shows like Once and Heathers: The Musical especially. Neither of these have major set pieces, with the Heathers being an ambiguous half circle being a static piece throughout. This same thing holds true for operettas as well. Operettas are musicals that are nearly, if not all, singing and, because of this, can be performed in a concert setting and still get the story across without the physical acting involved. The most famous of these is Les Miserables, which has done it on multiple occasions, the most famous being the Tenth Anniversary concert. 

Although it may not sound it anymore, set and costume design are still integral in any show. They convey a show's tone and a character's personality before a single line of dialogue is spoken or a single note is played. This is why, for many shows, the writer will provide a general layout and description of what the set and characters should look like, so as to match their vision.

Poster design can be a bit of a vague topic to cover, but helps to create a brand for the show that can more easily be analyzed for overall impact on the show's success. It is this branding that allowed Hamilton to balloon into such a success after only a few months being open. The show has seen a worldwide following like none other due to the interaction with social media that was never taken advantage of before.

Musicals will be the main focus due to their expansive criteria influencing the overall show and overtly creative manners of storytelling and plot, but there may be some play analysis here and there for those which really broke through barriers when they first premiered. The key, however, is the analysis into more than just who is on stage, but rather how there was a spot for them there in the first place.