Some of the most famous musicals through the decades that followed include
The Princess Theatre musicals (1915–1918) were artistic steps forward beyond revues and other frothy entertainments of the early 20th century and led to such groundbreaking works as Show Boat (1927), Of Thee I Sing (1931) and Oklahoma! (1943). These were followed by the numerous Edwardian musical comedies and the musical theatre works of American creators like George M. Since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have generally been called, simply, musicals.Īlthough music has been a part of dramatic presentations since ancient times, modern Western musical theatre emerged during the 19th century, with many structural elements established by the works of Gilbert and Sullivan in Britain and those of Harrigan and Hart in America. Although musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms like opera and dance, it may be distinguished by the equal importance given to the music as compared with the dialogue, movement and other elements.
The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole. Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The Black Crook was a hit musical in 1866.