Musicals Style 2 : Concept Musicals

Concept Musicals

"A concept musical is a work of musical theatre whose book and score are structured around conveying a theme or message, rather than emphasizing a narrative plot." - Wiki

Company

(musical comedy)
- Music & lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
- Book: George Furth
- Première: 1970 at Alvin Theatre, NYC (690 performances)
"Its plot revolves around Robert (a single man unable to commit fully to a steady relationship, let alone marriage), the five married couples who are his best friends, and his three girlfriends."

A Little Night Music

- Basis: Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night
- Book: Hugh Wheeler
- Music & lyrics: Stephen Sondheimand
- Première: 1973 at Shubert Theater, NYC (600 performaces)
It involves the romantic lives of several couples.

 

One of its songs got especially popular.

Sunday in the Park with George

- Inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte:

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte  

- Georges-Pierre Seurat (1859–91, French Post-Impressionist) 

- oil on canvas (208 × 308 cm) 1886

- Art Institute of Chicago  

- Book: James Lapine
- Music & lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
- Première: 1984 at Booth Theater, NYC (604 performances)
The plot revolves around George, a fictionalized version of Seurat, who immerses himself deeply in painting his masterpiece, and his great-grandson (also named George), a conflicted and cynical contemporary artist.

Into the Woods

"The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests."
- Basis: The Uses of Enchantment by Bruno Bettelheim
- Book & direction: James Lapine.
- Music & lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
- Première: 1987 at Martin Beck Theater (764 performances)

 

Assassins

"Using the framing device of an all-American, yet sinister, carnival game, the semi-revue portrays a group of historical figures who attempted (successfully or not) to assassinate Presidents of the United States, and explores what their presence in American history says about the ideals of their country."
- Basis: Original concept by Charles Gilbert Jr.
- Book: John Weidman
- Music & lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
- Première: 1990 Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons, NYC (73 performances)

Sources: Wikipedia

Reference: Show Time! 音樂劇的9種風情 (邱瑗)