Bella's Broadway Blog

While every musical has something about it that is unique and special, there are certain things that come up time and time again throughout many different shows. These patterns can be found in the characters, songs, and other basic elements of theatre. I’m going to discuss a few of these patterns that I find to be the most common.

First on the list is the types of songs in a lot of musicals. This one goes for both classics and contemporary. Quite frequently in a show, you’ll have a big and extravagant opening number. This starts the cycle. There may or may not be a couple more songs in between this and the next song- the “I Want” song. These ones introduce the main character. Villains sometimes also have “I Want” songs, where they reveal their own desires. A good example of the villain’s song is “Be Prepared” from The Lion King. From here, you will move on to either a love song or the meeting of the most important characters. The rest of the first act will add to rising action in the plot, so the songs are more unpredictable. The second act begins and the first song will typically reintroduce the problem or bring in a new problem, with the exception of the “plotless second act opener,” which is exactly what it sounds like. The first half of this act will be plot-heavy, and then everything will come crashing down. This signals that it’s time for the eleven o’clock number, which is the one that shows the main character’s raw emotions. Think “She Used to Be Mine” from Waitress. A few more songs, hopefully some sort of resolution, and you’ve made it to the finale! Throw in a couple chorus numbers and a catchy ballad or two, and there you have it- the score of musicals.

Another common pattern in musical theatre is in the characters, particularly the difference between classic and comtemporary. In classic musicals, a lot of times the characters are pretty similar. You’ll have the girl, who is either hopelessly in love or conflicted by love. She’s a typical “damsel in distress.” The boy is either trying to get the girl or choosing between girls. The other girl, in this case, would be a sort of femme fatale, which is completely the opposite of the original female. In contemporary musicals, there has been a shift. Women are more often strong characters, and not all love stories are the same. Modern musicals have much more representation and as people’s minds open, the stage becomes more and more diverse. So I guess what I’m trying to say is, the stereotypes of a lot of people are finally changing and our plotlines are about to grow exponentially!

The final pattern is much less in-depth and more of a trend than a true pattern. This trend is newer, and can be seen not only in theatre but in movies as well- the biography. Shows like this keep popping up on Broadway- The Cher Show, Summer: the Donna Summer Musical, Beautiful, the list goes on- we’re even getting a Britney Spears musical soon! these tend to go hand-in-hand with jukebox musicals, because they depict a musician’s life using their own music!

What other patterns can you think of in theatre? (Small Disclaimer: I’m not trying in any way to say that musicals are unimpressive or uninteresting because of these patterns, because I love all musicals and like I said, they’re all somehow individual! It’s just funny to see what comes up over and over again. Thanks!)

Resilience is not a very common characteristic of people, and especially teenagers, in theatrical works. In a lot of stories, including but not limited to the plot of musicals, teenagers are shown to be typically good at holding grudges. Two characters that don’t fit the bill here are Jason (Falsettos) and Zoe Murphy (Dear Evan Hansen.) Both of these quirky students bounce back super quickly, especially considering their not-so-great family situations.

Let’s look first at Zoe. Her brother committed suicide, her parents are always disputing something, and they put Connor before her all the time. Despite all of this, she goes about her life with a smile, a pretty and well-off girl who loves jazz band and music. She sings a song called “Requiem,” about how she will not grieve her brother because she can’t lie that he was a monster. While this expression of her anger is sincere, we can tell deep down that Zoe misses Connor, but what we see on the outside of Zoe will never show it.

Jason does the same. His mother is a wreck, his parents are divorced, his father is a gay man struggling with everything around him, and he’s around the age where he needs a bar mitzvah. He’s weird- he doesn’t have friends, he’s super intelligent, and he likes chess more than people. But he still acts like a normal kid would, even though his life is falling apart and he’s beginning to question things. Without spoiling the second act, I will say that Jason lets his guard down near the end of the show, which shows the audience so much more about his character and proves further that earlier in the musical, he is extremely resilient.

What other characters are similarly resilient? Let me know in the comments! I think it’s interesting to see which character traits are more or less common in musicals and to see the trends that occur in certain time periods or styles of shows.

I’m currently in a production of Mamma Mia and tech week begins today. Since I won’t have time to write any content here, I will not be posting this week. Sorry in advance- I would love to have the time- but you know how tech week gets to be. Normal schedule for posting will resume on Sunday, March 17th. ❤ Thank you to my readers!!

Yes, the song from Once, the tragically beautiful masterpiece that deserved better on Broadway. I love this song, and I don’t want to talk too much about it before I look at the lyrics, but first, if you haven’t listened to this song, or this musical, go listen to it! 

Okay, you listened to it, right? Now let’s talk about it. You’re most likely wondering what the significance of the metaphorical hill is, since at this point in the show, the relationship between Guy and Girl has nearly broken apart. I think the hill is actually the arc of Girl’s feelings about the relationship. She’s seeing that it’s over, and realizing what part of it was her fault. “Walking up the hill tonight, and you have closed your eyes, I wish I didn’t have to make all those mistakes.” Guy distanced himself from his life with Girl, but Girl sees it as him being dissatisfied with her, which is terrible and tragic. She was enough. It was partially her fault, but she was enough.

“Please try to be patient and know that I’m still learning, I’m sorry that you have to see the strength inside me burning. Where are you, my angel, now? Don’t you see me crying? I know that you can do it all, but you can’t say I’m not trying.”

The Hill

“I’m on my knees in front of him, But he doesn’t seem to see me, But all his troubles on this night, Is looking right through me, And I’m letting myself down, By satisfying you, And I wish that you could see, I have my troubles, too. ” This song honestly kills me. Guy hurt Girl internally. How could you make someone feel this way and not realize it? I think that’s part of the reason their relationship had to end- he knew that what he’d done was wrong. (I know that it sounds like I’m against Guy. I’m not. I just see what he’s done more easily than what she’s done.)

“Looking at you sleeping,
Another man I love.
I’m sitting here weeping
While the hours pass so slow.
I know that in the morning
I have to let you go
And you’ll be just a man
Once I used to know.
Before these past days
Someone I don’t recognize
This isn’t all my fault.
When will you realize?”

This stanza of the song sums up most of the show. It also uses the word “once” for the first and only time in the whole musical, making the song that much more heartbreaking in itself. In the context of the plot, this stanza is so intense. Guy and Girl’s life together will be over in the morning, and the way it’s ending is much more tragic than it is romantic.

The last two lines of the song are, “Looking at you leaving, I’m looking for a sign.” What a way to close out the eleven o’clock number of a heartbreakingly amazing second act. Girl is broken. She leaves to go back home with this as the last memory of her time here. I can’t even find the words to describe this song. I guess what I’m trying to say is, listen to Once!!!! What’s the most heartbreaking song from a musical in your opinion?