To the uninitiated, the term “musical” probably has a simple definition: It’s a show in which people sing. But as any theater kid worth their salt will tell you, there’s an entire world of genres, subgenres, and cross-pollinating sub-subgenres awaiting you. If you’re an aspiring musical theater actor (or just a budding fan of the artform) here’s a top-level explainer for the common types of musicals you’ll find everywhere from your high school auditorium to New York’s Great White Way.
Book musicals
This is perhaps the standard when someone thinks of the word “musical.” The book in question is essentially a script for a narrative story that works in tandem with music and lyrics. It is, under the most straightforward definition possible, a play with musical numbers.
The format rose to popularity in the early 20th century, thanks to the Broadway success of the 1927 production “Show Boat,” with music by Jerome Kern and a book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Since then, some of the most successful shows of all time have been book musicals, from classics such as “Guys and Dolls” and “West Side Story” to more modern fare such as “The Book of Mormon” and “Hadestown.”
Jukebox musicals
This is the polar opposite of a book musical, in that it takes preexisting songs and loosely structures a story around them. Many jukebox musicals are autobiographical. “Jersey Boys,” for example, uses the music of the Four Seasons to tell the story of the band’s rise and fall. But it’s not a requirement. “Mamma Mia!” and “We Will Rock You” use the discography of ABBA and Queen, respectively, to spin a completely unrelated tale.
Then there are shows like “Moulin Rouge,” which weaves together contemporary music from over 20 artists, including Elton John, Katy Perry, and the Rolling Stones.
Rock musicals
True to their name, these shows are just musicals that shred a little harder, replacing classic orchestrations with pounding drums and electric guitars. Many rock musicals began as concept albums (often referred to as “rock operas”) that were adapted into stage productions, such as Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s genre-defining “Jesus Christ Superstar” and the more recent “American Idiot,” based on Green Day’s album of the same name. Others, like “Spring Awakening” and “Rent” were bound for Broadway from the start.
Musical revues
A musical revue is more of a showcase than anything else. The shows tie together sketch comedy (or sketches in general), song, and dance with a theme or subject, not a story with a beginning, middle, and end. They were wildly popular in the vaudeville days, and now they’re common on university campuses because they’re relatively cheap and easy to produce.
A modern example is “Six,” which is stylized as a concert put on by each of King Henry VIII’s wives. Other entries in the canon include “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” a tour of New York’s Harlem Renaissance featuring the music of Fats Waller, and “Side By Side By Sondheim,” a greatest hits presentation of sorts for Stephen Sondheim.
Concept musicals
A more philosophical cousin of the book musical, concept musicals are all about the message. The book, music, and lyrics focus far more on conveying a deeper meaning or metaphor than plot and character development. (It is, in many ways, where book musicals and revues meet in the middle.) The subgenre really took off in the experimental days of the 1960s and 1970s, with shows such as “Man of La Mancha,” “Cabaret,” and “Company” leading the way for the ultra-impressionistic “Cats” to become a blockbuster hit in the 1980s.
Remember, though: Musical theater has never been about limitations. You’re going to come across many shows that blend multiple genres, creating subgenres all their own. Revues can be high concept; jukebox musicals can be all about rock ’n’ roll. Ultimately, it’s most important to go in with an open mind and heart. You’re already suspending disbelief enough to watch people spontaneously break into song. Don’t get too caught up in the details.