Musical Theatre creator inspirations

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 5/1/16 at 1:52am

I was thinking today about this, what shows or composer/lyricists or even songs have writers in the industry cited as influential to them?

For example, Sondheim has said the Kern show VERY WARM FOR MAY had a profound impact on him.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/1/16 at 8:50pm

I think almost every writer under the age of 70 was heavily influenced by the one, two, three punch of COMPANY, FOLLIES, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC.

For the previous generation, it was the R&H musical plays and MY FAIR LADY. By the 1950s, even straight-up musical comedies (see GUYS AND DOLLS) and shows by the old masters (Porter, Berlin) showed the influence of OKLAHOMA!'s structure. (Main couple, secondary couple; two cultural groups--gangsters/missionaries, hicks/show folk, management/labor, etc., coming together; reprise-heavy second act.)

[StephieElise]

Posted: 5/2/16 at 4:40am

Having seen Tick, Tick...Boom! over the weekend - Jonathan Larson and Sondheim. Larson himself (or  Rent more specifically) has surely then be influential for the next generation of composers, including LMM. 

[aaaaaa15]

Posted: 5/2/16 at 5:29am

Yes, Larson definitely for Lin. This article Lin wrote whilst playing him proves that:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/theater/lin-manuel-miranda-pays-tribute-to-jonathan-larson.html

Also this quote written by a theatre critic in 2001 on whether Larson would leave a legacy or not is absolutely spot on with what ended up happening:

'The other young composers making their marks on Broadway are following more in the tradition of Sondheim's sophisticated, complex musicals than following Larson's populist lead. … Maybe the only hope resides in a new voice we haven't heard yet, that will appear on the scene as suddenly as Larson's did, who will finish the work of putting musical theatre and pop music back together again, without sacrificing the integrity of either, the way Larson did so brilliantly and so lovingly.'