10 titles of musicals and their authors. The best musicals. Development in America

For the production, the rock opera was significantly reworked and received new arrangements, so that the story of Dostoevsky, set to poetry by Yuri Ryashentsev, will sound quite modern and look brand new. British set designer Matt Dilley, who was entrusted with the visuals, brought 6D video mapping to Russia, allowing images to be projected onto any moving object. Such technologies were previously used only at Madonna concerts and Cirque du Soleil. But for director Andrei Konchalovsky, the first place is, of course, not a spectacular show, but a dive into the abyss of Dostoevsky’s psychology.

And for those who do not believe that the musical or rock opera genre can handle such serious topics, we have prepared a review of world and Russian productions based on works of classical literature.

"My Fair Lady"

This was one of the first attempts to use “great” literature in the entertainment genre of the musical. Young authors, composer Frederick Law and librettist Alan Lerner, followed strictly the text of the famous play by Bernard Shaw, but the playwright’s philosophical arguments about individual rights faded into the background, giving way to the story of the fairy-tale transformation of a station ugly girl into a salon princess. And the creators changed the ending, uniting the main characters, Pygmalion and his Galatea, in a happy union. The musical was a smashing success, was performed on Broadway about three thousand times, translated into many languages ​​and ten years later filmed. True, instead of the aspiring actress Julie Andrews, the role of Eliza in the film was played by Audrey Hepburn, but this only increased the popularity of the musical, which soon became a true classic.

"Oliver!"

Premiere: London, 1960
Based on: Charles Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist"
Where to see: Children's Musical Theater of Young Actor/Children's Musical Theater of Natalia Sats

Dickens's novel about the life of the London bottom is, of course, far from the brightness and optimism of Shaw's play. Therefore, the author of the musical, Lionel Bart, had to struggle a lot with finding producers who considered this material too dark. But when the play about a cheerful boy who manages to maintain honesty even in a den of thieves was released, the audience immediately fell in love with it and did not leave the stage for six years, after which it moved across the ocean to Broadway and received three Tony Awards there. And in 1968, the film based on the musical won six Oscars.

Premiere: Paris, 1980
Based on: Victor Hugo’s novel “Les Miserables”
Where to see: London, Queens Theatre, daily

The younger brother of the English Oliver was the French Gavroche, who appeared on stage in the musical by composer Claude Michel Schonberg and librettist Alain Boublil. But real fame came to this performance precisely in Britain, where the adroit producer Cameron Mackintosh, who by that time had already released the famous “Cats,” took on it. Hugo's large-scale revolutionary epic was adequately embodied in the production of director Trevor Nunn: real barricades on the stage, powerful music and the dramatic fates of the heroes did not leave anyone indifferent. Soon, Les Misérables was translated into 20 languages, staged in 40 countries, and became the longest-running musical in the world.

"Jekyll and Hyde"

Premiere: Houston, 1990
Based on Robert Stevenson's story "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
Where to see: Moscow, / St. Petersburg, Musical Comedy Theater April 7-10

Stevenson's novella about a scientist who suffered from a split personality has more than once become fertile material for film adaptations and theatrical productions. But the young, Harlem-born composer Frank Wildhorn rightly decided that this gothic thriller would look even more advantageous as a musical. And he was right: the play, in which the hero and anti-hero were united in one romantic image, immediately attracted a bunch of fans who called themselves “Jackies,” and the songs spread across radio and television programs. In particular, the composition “This is the moment” was often used for various competitions and competitions.

"Notre Dame de Paris"

Premiere: Paris, 1998
Based on: Hugo's novel "The Cathedral" Notre Dame of Paris»
Where to see: The musical's tour of the cities of Italy (Milan, Naples, Turin, Florence, Palermo, Rome, Verona) will last until September. And on November 23, a new French tour starts at the Palais des Congresses in Paris.

In France, the musical genre for a long time did not take root - the proud French did not want to consume English and American theatrical products. Everything changed when composer Riccardo Cocciante and librettist Luc Plamondon presented the public with a concept album for a new musical based on Hugo's novel. Melodic compositions, full of true Gallic grace, immediately soared to the top of the charts, so that by the time of the premiere the public knew them by heart. The show did not fit into the Broadway and West End formats and was more like a theatrical concert with the participation of pop stars, but this did not bother the musical’s many fans. In London and on Broadway, the love story of a gypsy and a hunchback was not particularly successful, but real recognition awaited it in Russia: a licensed production at the Operetta Theater ran for two seasons and earned 15 million rubles.

"Romeo and Juliet"

Premiere: Paris, 2001
Basis: William Shakespeare's tragedy "Romeo and Juliet"
Where to see: Budapest, Musical Theatre operettas - from March 29 to April 3

Tried to repeat the success of Notre Dame French composer, poet and singer Gerard Presgurvic. He retold Shakespeare's play in his own words, setting it to music pop style. Director and choreographer Reda designed the performance according to the new French canon: massive moving scenery, spectacular choreography and a negative soundtrack. (Because the French musicals often played not in theaters, but in stadiums and concert halls, a live orchestra rarely participates in them.) In Paris, the musical was watched by more than a million spectators in two years, but in England, the homeland of Shakespeare, this lightweight adaptation lasted only 4 months. The original Hungarian version is considered the most successful European production. At the Moscow Operetta Theater the musical was also played in a new version by the author from 2004 to 2006.

Premiere: Moscow, 2008
Based on the novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexandre Dumas
Where to see:

The operetta theater, having gained experience in the rental of foreign musicals, decided to produce its own according to the same French patterns. Love story, strong passions, an energetic corps de ballet, transformable scenery, luxurious costumes and stadium music - all this was in the musical “Monte Cristo”. And although Roman Ignatiev’s score could not compete in lyricism and melodicism with Cocciante’s music, and the plot of Dumas’s novel was compressed into a short synopsis, the performance acquired a huge army of fans and lasted for four whole seasons. And even now, when the French count was replaced by “Count Orlov” at the Operetta Theater, the musical regularly returns to the stage: in 2016 it will be played one weekend a month.

"Nord-Ost"

Premiere: Moscow, 2001
Basis: Veniamin Kaverin’s novel “Two Captains”
Where to see: concert version, Novosibirsk Philharmonic, March 27

The creators of the first Russian musical “Nord-Ost” chose a different model for themselves. They were guided by Les Misérables, which Alexey Ivashchenko and Georgy Vasiliev first wanted to bring to Moscow. In "Two Captains", as in Hugo's novel, the private destinies of people, friendship, love and betrayal are shown against the background historical events and disasters, and the epic scale is combined with lyricism and psychological drama. The score of the musical was based on the melodic structure of Soviet musical films, romances and original songs, so that the audience immediately recognized the performance of the overseas genre as their own. For the first time in Russian practice the musical was performed daily and was performed about 400 times during the year. But him future fate was interrupted by the terrorist attack on October 23, and the new touring version was virtually strangled by the authorities.

Premiere: Moscow, 2010
Basis: Alexander Green's short story “Scarlet Sails”
Where to see:

A happier fate awaited the musical by Maxim Dunaevsky: “Scarlet Sails” became his most popular work after the music for “The Three Musketeers.” The libretto of the story was significantly redone by Mikhail Bartenev and Andrei Usachev, only the Assol line remained in it, which faces numerous trials. The play in general turned out to be harsher than romantic fairy tale Greena. But the music of Maxim Dunaevsky, generous with melodic hits that instantly fall on the ear, redeemed some of the gloom and one-sidedness of the plot. “Scarlet Sails” was first staged at RAMT, but it was rather dramatic performance With musical numbers. But then the musical spread throughout the country and is played in Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Perm and Omsk. The most original production in the steam-punk style was created by the Russian Musical company in 2013, but now, alas, it is not performed anywhere.

"Vladimirskaya Square"

Premiere: St. Petersburg, 2003
Basis: Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel “The Humiliated and Insulted”
Where to see: Perm, Theater-Theater - March 15, April 12

The origins of the musical

The predecessors of the musical were many light genres, where variety shows were mixed, french ballet and dramatic interludes. In September 1866, the production of “Black Crook” took place on the New York stage, where romantic ballet, melodrama and other genres were intertwined. It is she who is considered the starting point of the new genre. English producer George Edwards described one of his hits “Chorus Girl” as a musical comedy. Musical comedy meant a light entertainment performance, where the important thing was not the plot, but rather popular vocal numbers performed by public idols. Edwards' productions gained stunning success in New York, and until the beginning of the 20th century, fashion in the new genre was dictated by English performances.

Development in America

Subsequently, “Arshin Mal Alan” was translated into more than 75 languages ​​and staged in 187 theaters in 76 countries: in 16 cities of Georgia, 17 cities of Bulgaria, 13 states of the USA, 17 cities of Poland (1500 times), in 28 cities of Russia, 8 cities of China, etc.

• “Onun üreyi (“His Heart”)” - art and musical film (Fairy Tale-Musical); director - Samira Kerimoglu. The Union of Theater Workers of Azerbaijan hosted a presentation of the artistic and musical film "Onun üreyi" (His Heart) directed by Samir Kerimoglu, dedicated to Children's Day.

Ukrainian musicals

• “Feminism in Ukrainian” (1998, second edition - 2008) - the first national Ukrainian musical. The author of the libretto, composer, director and set designer is Alexey Kolomiytsev.
• "Kitsin Dim" (2012) - the first Ukrainian children's musical(actors 11-16 years old).Musical based on play of the same name S.Ya. Marshak "Cat House". Libretto authors: Marshak Samuil, Rogan Konstantin, Kailo Vitaly, composer - N "Pongo, stage director - Mamatenko Vladislav, choreographer - Bozhchuk Sergey, choirmaster - Kocharyan Lusine, Rogan Konstantin, costume designer - Chepiga Anna, set design - Shova Veronika, makeup artist - Kuzemka Ekaterina. The premiere took place in Kyiv on May 3, 2012 ( the musical is on in Ukrainian)
• "Bdzhilka" (2010) - The first Ukrainian children's musical "Bdzhilka" (2010). Actors (7-18 years old). The author of the idea and text is poet-songwriter Nikolai Gnatyuk, composers Viktor Timozhinsky, Vasily Chepelyuk, choreographer Lesya Kosakovskaya, music director Iya Yatsenko-Zhuk, set design by Pavel Garbuz. The premiere took place in Lutsk on June 1, 2010 (the musical is performed in Ukrainian).

www.volyn.com.ua

Religious musicals

• “We Believe in the Risen Christ” (2009) - The first Kazakh musical on Orthodox theme. Widespread in the Orthodox Church Russian-speaking world. Script by Tatyana Rylova, composer - Arseny Gorkin.

see also

• National Award and Festival "Musical Heart of the Theatre"

Notes

Links

On September 16, 1998, the legendary musical “Notre Dame de Paris” debuted on the Paris stage, which immediately became one of the most popular productions in the world.

AiF.ru invites you to remember the best musical performances, tickets for which sell out in a matter of hours.

"Notre Dame de Paris"

Performance based on the novel Victor Hugo“Notre Dame Cathedral” won the hearts of the audience so quickly that the musical was included in the Guinness Book of Records as having the most successful first year of work.

The main character is beautiful tragic story became the gypsy Esmeralda, with whom three men are in love: the archdeacon of the Cathedral of Notre Dame Frollo, his pupil the hunchbacked bell-ringer Quasimodo and the handsome captain of the royal riflemen Phoebus. The conflict unfolding between the characters burning with passion is not so easy to resolve, especially since the girl herself has love for someone who does not value her at all.

Already in 1999, Notre Dame de Paris began to go on tour, and today world production famous show using more than 200 tons of scenery and the participation of 65 artists, it has already been shown in more than 15 countries.

"The beauty and the Beast"

Based on the studio's cartoon of the same name Walt Disney Pictures musical performed on Broadway 5,461 times and became the eighth longest running Broadway musical show.

“Beauty and the Beast” is a story about love that can change a person for the better, about beauty hidden in the depths of the heart. The plot centers on a selfish prince who was cursed for his heartlessness. Now he is forced to live in the guise of a disgusting monster until someone falls in love with him and breaks the spell.

The uniqueness of the musical lies in the fact that most of the characters are things: wardrobes, chairs, clocks, chests of drawers, beds, candlesticks. Even spoons and plates sing on stage. The scenery, actors' costumes and unexpected director's tricks (for example, the fire lighting up in a Lumiere candlestick) have already been appreciated in more than 14 countries, including Russia.

"The Lion King"

"The Lion King" is a musical in which there is not a single human character, it recreates the real African savannah on stage. Lions, panthers, giraffes, monkeys, wild boars, hyenas, birds - and that's not yet full list animals that Broadway stars were able to show on stage.

"The Lion King" tells the story of the young King of the Beasts, lion cub Simba, and his difficult life after the death of his father. In the struggle for his rightful “throne,” Simba is constantly in danger, and his life is threatened by his uncle.

The word “show” rather than “musical” is more applicable to the production of “The Lion King,” as to many other Broadway masterpieces. Its action takes place not only on stage: from time to time between the rows auditorium Elephants, giraffes and other performance heroes suddenly appear, which always delights little spectators. This musical has long earned the title of “best for children” and “best for the whole family.”

"Mermaid"

The musical "The Little Mermaid", staged by fairy tale of the same name Hans Christian Andersen and cartoon Disney studios, made his Broadway debut in 2007. Today in the Russian press it is already called “the capital’s favorite family musical.”

The plot centers on the young mermaid Ariel, who does not want to live in the ocean and strives to enter the human world. Wanting to become human and win the prince’s heart, the little mermaid takes a dangerous step - she makes a deal with a cruel witch.

Almost all the action famous fairy tale unfolds underwater, and in order to reproduce as believably as possible sea ​​world, the musical artists spent a long time studying the behavior of fish and working on the plasticity of movements. To create the effect of swaying in the water, each of the underwater characters bends their body in a wave-like manner throughout the entire performance. The illusion of being underwater is also achieved through unique directorial inventions: the actors ride on skateboards, rollerblades and even soar in the air.

"Sounds of music"

Premiere of the legendary "Sound of Music" Richard Rogers And Oscar Hammerstein took place in 2006 in London, where the grandiose performance played a record 956 performances and won 5 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

The script for The Sound of Music is based on an autobiography. Maria von Trapp“The Von Trapp Family of Singers” tells the story of an indefatigable thirst for justice and the struggle between good and evil. At the center of the events taking place in Salzburg is a governess who managed to change the life of the widowed Captain von Trapp and his children.

The romantic story unfolds against the backdrop of the tragic events of World War II. This makes the musical even more dramatic. The culmination of the performance is considered to be the escape of the Austrian family from the Nazis, and at the end of the performance, goodness, honor and justice traditionally triumph.

"Mamma Mia!"

Musical based on 20 hits ABBA, is currently the leader in the number of productions. During its run, more than 27,000,000 spectators around the world attended this performance, and the show itself was staged in more than 140 cities.

An ironic romantic comedy combines two themes: a story of love and relationships between generations. The action takes place on a Greek island, where main character Sophie is planning her wedding. Wanting to comply with all traditions, the girl wants to find own father so that he would lead her to the altar. However, the problem is that no one knows which three men, with whom Sophie's mother had an affair, is her real father.

The beloved ABBA songs do not leave the audience indifferent: most spectators pick up the musical hits from the very first notes and even start dancing along.

"CHICAGO"

A story of sin, corruption and scandal, CHICAGO is a Broadway classic that has been running in New York with continued success since 1996. This show combines everything a viewer can expect from a Broadway show: stunning choreography, multiple special effects and the atmosphere of America in the 20s of the last century.

The play, which formed the basis of the musical, describes real events in the United States of the 20th century. Popular Chicago journalist, known for her columns in crime chronicle, took as the basis for her work two real legal proceedings: In a fit of rage, women killed their husbands, for which they were sentenced to hang.

The musical captures the spirit of dangerous jazz America with particular precision. It is felt even in the Russian production, which was organized on the initiative of Philip Kirkorov.

"Les Miserables"

The winner of more than 100 international awards, the musical Les Misérables was not immediately acclaimed by critics. The British newspaper The Observer, for example, called it "stupid, stilted entertainment." But despite this, the English-language production has not left the stage for almost 30 years and has been named the longest-running musical in the history of the West End.

The heartbreaking story about people who occupy a disastrous position in society, told by Hugo in the novel of the same name “Les Miserables,” left few viewers indifferent. Jean Valjean, one of the main acting characters, served time in prison for stealing bread for a starving family. Thanks to the help of Muriel's father, he gets the chance to start his life over and become a different person.

Some songs from the musical were so loved by the audience that they became part of modern public life. "One More Day", for example, was used during the presidential campaign Bill Clinton.

"Phantom of the Opera"

"The Phantom of the Opera" - the legendary production of the British genius Andrew Lloyd-Webber, author of the musicals Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Cats, was staged in 1984. A luxurious performance with elements of mysticism and illusion techniques, based on novel of the same name Gaston Leroux and on this moment is the longest running show in Broadway history.

The musical takes place in the building Paris Opera, in whose dungeon the Phantom lives, terrifying directors, artists and theater visitors. The “genius of music,” which the Phantom turns out to be, falls in love with a young girl, Christina, and becomes her secret mentor and patron. Dreaming of making his beloved the prima of the theater, the Phantom, hiding his face under a mask and his body under a cloak, is not going to stop at anything.

In 2014, the premiere of the musical “The Phantom of the Opera” took place in Moscow. In order to collect the best cast, an international team of directors conducted castings throughout Russia.