The topic of whether or not musicals are worth watching has often been well-debated. Some find them too annoying, while others find them to be a beautiful form of artistic expression.
But what defines a musical and how long have they been around for?
A musical is defined as a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. According to Musicals 101, the concept of musicals can be traced back to ancient Greece where plays were performed with songs. However, modern musicals as we know them began to appear in the 1800s in French and Viennese Operettas. As the 1920s came and went American musicals began to gain the influence they have today. Even as the Great Depression occurred Broadway continued to produce musicals on a smaller scale. Throughout the 20th century, musicals continued to change and develop leading us to where we are today.
Many people are very casual enjoyers of musicals, such as junior Javier Anger. “I think musicals are cool, but it mostly depends on the person. For me personally, I don’t really enjoy them unless it’s something I’m interested in or something I know about,” Anger shared. “I think musicals deserve the popularity they get. It’s in some ways like a play and I know those can be pretty interesting to watch but they are also hard to do. I definitely support the people who participate in musicals, and think it’s a really cool form of art. Personally, I probably wouldn’t participate in a musical unless I was doing it with my friends or something along those lines, just because it’s like I said, stepping up on stage to not only act but also sing could be very nerve-racking and takes some guts,” Anger concluded.
On the other hand, there is a large amount of people who heavily dislike musicals. “I don’t really like musicals. I just can’t seem to sit through them and enjoy them. They aren’t worth the hype or popularity they get to me. It’s just people singing and dancing, I would never be in a musical, but I do think the people who do have good talent,” junior Olivia Lane finalized.
