The Revolution of Women in Musical Theatre
The revolution of women in the theatre has changed drastically from the 19th century till today. Women in theatre were played by men and portrayed then in very stereotypical women, such as damsels in distress or seductresses. They weren’t taken seriously. Whereas now in the 21st century, the gender roles are pushed, and the variety of roles that women can have in the theatre has been expanded.
Musical theatre dates back to the 19th century, Ancient Greece. Reportedly, the world’s oldest prototype theatre is the Theatre of Dionysus in Athens, which was built in the late sixth century BC, or 534 BC. The theatre would perform shows and celebrate Dionysus, the god of wine, with a festival. The shows would consist of three people, presumably men, as women weren’t legally allowed to perform on stage till 1660, who would have speaking roles. They would wear different masks when they were playing a different character.
In the Nineteenth Century, theatre styles changed and made actors expand on their exaggeration and physical comedy and develop gags and wear outlandish costumes. Operettas and vaudeville became more popular and recognizable. An operetta is like an opera and a musical mixed into one, but it’s shorter and includes spoken dialogue and dancing. A vaudeville, however, is focused on comedy and physical characterisation but also includes song and dance. These were big influences on the theatre, as it was the start of adding music and dance as forms of entertainment in a show with dialogue. Which then had a ripple effect and is used as a form of entertainment to this day. One of the well-known composers of operetta is a man named Jacques Offenbach, considered to be the father of operetta. He has written over one hundred operettas, using what are known as romantic and ‘can-can’ songs that are uplifting and meaningful. This influenced the way that people thought about theatre and encouraged others to do the same, such as Johann Strauss II, who also made some pretty famous operettas and developed Viennese operetta, which is a theatrical genre that combines light opera with charm and musicality.
Margaret Hughes became one of the first woman known to perform on an English stage. Landing her first role as Desdemona in a version of Shakespeare’s Othello on December 8th, 1660. Shakespeare, along with the rest of the world at the time, didn’t allow women to be professional actors on the stages, so in all shows performed, men and young boys would dress up in dresses and wigs to imitate being a girl. Women were treated very differently in the 19th century; they were surrounded in a patriarchal society where men and women had different ‘roles.’ Women were given domestic jobs such as looking after the kids and staying at home cleaning and cooking. They couldn’t legally perform as professional actors on stage, but they had access to other roles, such as working behind the scenes making the wigs and costumes, or they could go to court masquerades but not be allowed to speak.
It wasn’t till six years after Shakespeare wrote Othello that Hughes was allowed to play the role.
According to Theatre, V. (2021). Women in Theatre History. [online] Village Theatre Blog. Available at: https://villagetheatre.wordpress.com/2021/03/03/women-in-theatre-history/
“Her performance marked a shift in the mindset following the Restoration that women did not belong on the stage.” Her performance showed people that women are capable of pulling off an effective performance on a professional stage to the audience. After that, other women were inspired to start acting.
Several theatre writers would consider the 1866 show ‘The Black Crook’ to be one of the first ever well-known modern musicals to exist. The musical was the first show to appear on Broadway and consists of twenty-three songs and two acts. The Faustian melodramatic romantic comedy changed/influenced the world of theatre and musicals, as it was the first play to use music and dance to tell a story, which is now what musicals do in the modern day. The cast consisted of both men and women; women were mainly the ballet dancers and part of a marching group. But it did star Annie Kemp Bowler, one of the first female stage actresses and singers.
During the 20th century is when the industry of theatre started to shift. New things like Expressionism and Surrealism were introduced. These were different from the comedic and ballet performances done; it was a new style of acting. The expressionism added exaggerated and distorted scenery to convey strong ideas and feelings of the individual character to audiences. Whereas Surrealism broke down the boundaries and expectations between reality and fantasy by downplaying dialogue and focusing on the physical characteristics of a dream world. One of the key theatre composers of the 20th century is a man named George Gershwin. He is best known for his experimenting with different styles of music, such as bringing two opposite music genres together to create a mixture in between jazz and classical. He wrote many famous songs and musicals, his most famous one being Rhapsody in Blue. Lillian Trimble Bradley gained the title of the first female director in theatre back in 1919, after she produced a Broadway musical called The Crimson Alibi. This showed women and young girls out there that there are other roles that they can do in theatre, not just being on stage singing and dancing or making costumes, but they could also write and produce shows as well.
In the 20th century, shows about topics like social and political issues. During this time Broadway rose to popularity, with the 1920s being the busiest decade for musical theatre. A variety of shows were put on, and audiences loved to go and see them. The more popular Broadway became, the more money that was being made, which encouraged others to build theatres nearby. Broadway produced many musicals during that time, comedy, social, and cultural. Many popular musicals were created, such as The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, and West Side Story.
Now in the 21st century, things have improved in terms of value and production. Technology has changed over time, and lights and sounds are used to provide a better production and drama to the stage. We can use things like projection screens to add realism or comedy scenes. The theatre is loved by so many, as it provides live entertainment and provides representation to many genders, ethnicities, and sexual orientations, as well as dealing with serious topics. One of the well-known musical composers of the 21st century who has influenced this is Lin-Manuel Miranda, who has produced Broadway shows like Hamilton and In the Heights. He makes his music, inclusive to all, and he isn’t afraid to perform shows dealing with race and diversity. However, although musicals are popular, over the years they haven’t been as popular as they used to be. With technology, people prefer to stay at home and watch movies from home on their phones and TVs instead of seeing them live in front of them. Also now in this century the prices to go watch a Broadway musical have gone up massively; in the 1900s, theatre tickets would range up to 8p to £22; now a musical theatre ticket averages around £130.
Broadway performed various types of musicals, such as Disney, book, jukebox, concept, etc.
Disney musicals are musicals that come from or that are inspired by Disney movies, such as Beauty and The Beast, which was the first Disney musical to be performed on Broadway in 1991, and the most popular Disney musical, The Lion King. Disney makes musicals inclusive and entertaining for children and families. Book musicals use song and dance integrated into a story to get emotions/a reaction out of the audience, other than laughter. Shows include West Side Story, Oklahoma!, and The Black Crook. These add narrative and meaning to the story. Jukebox musicals use preexisting songs and/or artists to tell the story. Such as Mamma Mia!, which uses soundtracks from ABBA and We Will Rock You, from the famous band Queen. This can engage the audience more and be more entertaining as they already know the song and can follow along. Concept musicals focus on the theme or the message behind the performance rather than the plot itself. Dealing with topics on social commentary, politics, and personal issues that individuals or groups of people face. Examples have been Cats and Chicago. These are just some of the different types of musicals; this shows how much theatre has changed since the sixteenth century.
It started off as a way to celebrate people and to honour their religion, and now it can be used in a way to tackle serious issues and politics and create the idea of freedom and escapism for the actors themselves and the audience. Several new techniques and styles have been developed over the years, each one influencing the next. These methods will still be used in years to come. It has also provided women who were originally forbidden to perform on stage the opportunity to now provide visibility and inclusive roles that we see today. And allowed them to play lead roles instead of side chicks or other stereotypes given to them. Despite the change and the influence theatre has had on women, it is still considered to be a man-dominated industry; there are still only 31% of women who are directors and writers in the theatre.