Movie musicals have been around since the early days of film production, blending two art forms, the stage musical and the motion picture. Many of these musicals are revived for contemporary audiences, but are a great way to watch musical theatre without the high ticket prices! In 2025, we also see stage musicals being recorded with a live audience straight from the theatre for at-home viewing (Hamilton, etc). These film reviews are designed to get you thinking about how the different aspects of musical storytelling come together to make a cohesive (or not in some cases) show for the viewer. Some are truly classics, while others can feel flat or outdated, even though they premiered in a contemporary society.

I am asking you to choose one from the list below and to cover the following in your response paper:

• Nuts & Bolts who are the authors, designers, characters, and overall plot and design aesthetic.
• Dont spend too much time on this section.
• Connect the relationship between artistic elements (music, lyrics, choreography, sets, costumes, lights) and the dramatic ones (plot, story, character arcs).
• How do these different areas affect your experience? Do they help to tell the story? How so?
• What areas of production work well together? What areas do not, if any?

This level of decoding asks you to deconstruct the elements above and their relationships to each another as well as their position within the larger context of the shows narrative, historical timeline, etc. Some of the older shows might feel outdated in 2025. Think back to the culture in the decade they premiered. What was going on in American history at that time? You may find some of them were more groundbreaking than you thought!

Preparation:

• Do your background research on the who, what, when, where (this should be straightforward).
• Also include the historical reference what was happening in the world when this came out?
• Is there any connection here?
• Plan to watch the film twice.
• Try to focus on individual elements each time, it will help you take better notes.
• This takes more time, but I know you will find new information the second time you watch.
• Write notes as you watch, both detailed and summary, one-word or phrased thoughts. Pause the movie as needed to do this. Think free association. Dont censor your note-taking or get caught in writing a novel.
• Once you finish the film, spend some time going through your notes while everything is fresh in your mind.
• DO NOT WAIT TO DO THIS.
• Begin to unpack what you wrote down and connect them to your other notes/research.

Make a plan to watch the film again and repeat the above steps, looking for new clues you didnt catch the first time.

Response papers should NOT exceed one page in length.

WORKSHEET

1.Identify the elements of the show.

• Title, authors, designers, composers/lyricists, choreographer, year premiered, etc.
• Characters and plot line(s)
• Themes = time/place/environment
• Major incidents or events that the plot revolves around
• Style/Genre = musical style, sets, costumes, etc.
• Instrumentation (vocal and orchestral)
• Use of melody/harmony in solos/duets & ensemble singing.
• Motif (these are melodies and rhythms that reappear throughout as thematic material)
• Song Structure and Form (dance breaks, dream ballets, patter songs, I Want songs, etc.)

2.Identify the WHY in #1.

• WHY do these characters speak/look/act the way they do?
• How do the music and lyrics reflect the dramatic action in particular scenes and as a whole throughout the movie? Are they specific to a character or a larger theme or idea about the plot?
• Is the text/music aggressive or sweet to evoke a sensibility? Does the music indicate to you when something is about to happen or just happened?
• In what ways do specific songs help to construct the arc of a characters story as well as the musical as a whole?
• How do the different design elements work together (sets, costumes, lighting, etc.) to create a convincing aesthetic? What doesnt work?
• Describe the way that the story is told and portrayed given the year in which it premiered. What was happening in history during the time and how do the two connect or reject one another?

You will not answer EVERY question on the worksheet above, but use these as a starting point to understand why certain choices were made to enhance the story being told in music & lyrics or other design areas.

THE LIST

42nd St

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum

Allegiance

Bandstand

BKLYN – The Musical

Cats

Chicago

Company

Falsettos

In the Heights

Jesus Christ Superstar

Kinky Boots

Legally Blonde

Les Misrables

Sweeney Todd