Words and Music: Musical Theater in America

In an odd turn, the Broadway musical - exported by Walt Disney to cartoons in the 1930s - was returned to Broadway by Disney in the 1990s. Heather Nathans, Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Maryland, explains this transition.

In this piece, Heather Nathans, Associate Professor of Theatre at the University of Maryland, is joined by Joe Stein and Sheldon Harnick, writers of "Fiddler on the Roof" and Stephen Schwartz, who wrote "Pippin," Godspell," and "Wicked" to talk about how a musical gets written.

As the rock musical gave way to the spectacle musical, shows like "Cats," "Phantom of the Opera" and "Starlight Express" came to rely less on story and more on technology. We'll talk about the changes in musical theater in the last forty years and where musical theater appears to be headed.

From The Beggar's Opera to Avenue Q., musicals have commented on social issues for as long as there has been musical theater in America.

A musical is not a cabaret show and it's not an opera - join us as we deconstruct the musical and examine the distinct elements that must be present.

From minstrel shows and Vaudeville to the modern stage, a look at the trends and ideas that shaped American Musical theater.