Plays with Music (Opinions Greatly Appreciated)

Hey all!

It's weird to post here for I haven't in years but I thought I give it another go. I am doing this project for an internship I have and I was wondering what other people's opinions are on the topic.

We know that we have straight plays and then full blown musicals. But then we have that gray area that is plays that have music in them. They aren't musicals persay but they aren't really straight plays anymore are they?

I just wanted to know from you all is, where is that line for you? What do you consider to be a play and what do you consider a musical? Lists opinions, types of plays or musicals. I have a lot of lists forming and I wanted to try and start to sort all my information. (I have examples such as Coram Boy, Rock n Roll, Hamlet to name a few)

Any opinions you can give me would be much appreciated.
Thanks so much.

I think it's to do with the function of the music rather than the amount. If the songs in the piece are diegetic, i.e. the characters themselves are singers singing the songs within the story, then it's a play with music. If the songs are non-diegetic, it's a musical.

Updated On: 10/13/09 at 11:22 AM

When I think of a play with music, the first thing that comes to mind is Master Class.

---

I've always considered both THREEPENNY OPERA and MOTHER COURAGE as plays with songs. MARAT/SADE has a fantastic score, too.

I've always considered Threepenny Opera a musical. It really has the basic elements of a musical including an Overture and finales for each act as well as many songs firmly integrated into the plot.

One of my favorite examples of a play with music is The Grapes of Wrath. The songs and musicians were brilliantly used as backdrop and setting. And though it was categorized as a musical, I always felt The Dead played more as a play with music rather than a musical.

I don't think there is any steadfast cut-and-dry definition that delineates the play with music and musicals. It's really a combination of the amount of music, characters' involvement, the use of the songs, choreography, and the overall tone and intent of the piece. For example, Jersey Boys is very much about the music and the way the songs are performed and featured suggest that the show was intended to be a musical. In The Dead, the songs are performed by the characters, but mostly in meta form where most of the songs themselves have little to do with the plot, but rather abstractly define the characters, the period and the setting.

---

haha, I don't know if I personally could make a good argument for it. But I can see how someone could.

---

Yes, of course...because the characters are seemingly unaware that they are singing.

---

"Dark of the Moon" is an excellent example of a Play which uses music throughout; most of it being "folk" music of the time and place. The piece is so operatic in its attitude, you can understand why the playwrights determined this approach.

The original "Peter Pan" (the play) has songs indicated throughout. It also cries for a musical score -- Leonard Bernstein wrote a score for the early 50's production with Jean Arthur and Boris Karloff. There were songs as well as underscoring. Back in 1978 I was paid to write a score for a production in LA, and we took the same concept. The play kinda needs the music.

Many consider "Lady in the Dark" a play with music. The writers did; it's just that the score became more popular and famous ("Saga of Jenny", "Tchaikowsky", "My Ship", etc.) and less dated than the HUGE script ever did, so it's usually called a musical nowadays.

I say 1776 is more of a play with some music... There are very long dialogue scenes taking up most of the show, and on average a few have the characters have their "one" song. That show is more of a play to me than a full blown musical. Don't get me wrong though, I'm a a big fan of the show.

"I say 1776 is more of a play with some music... There are very long dialogue scenes taking up most of the show, and on average a few have the characters have their "one" song. That show is more of a play to me than a full blown musical."

I completely disagree. The information you note above only shows that it is a great musical, one that doesn't conform to any need to have a song every x number of minutes, nor to songs written to show off a performer. The songs are perfectly integrated into the story. The world could use more musicals like 1776.

---

Thanks so much everyone! This is all extremely helpful!

Piaf is a play with music, and def not a musical.