Course overview

A history course based on some well-known musicals. Writers of musicals often dealt with complex social, political and historical issues while also providing an entertaining show with great songs, but in this course we鈥檒l look at some unexpected, surprising and even ill-conceived inspirations for musicals, some of which were very successful, some of which were not. The course includes the background to musicals by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Stephen Sondheim, but also lesser-known writers whose work has become very successful and has acquired a cult following.听 At the end of the course, you will be able to: - Discuss how听Evita听and听Call Me Madam听are influenced by the writers' personal viewpoints of the societies they are describing - Give examples of how fairy tale conventions are overturned in听Frozen听and听Into The Woods - Identify some of the classic films, stories and characters that fed into horror musicals like听Rocky Horror Show听and听Sweeney Todd. - Discuss why "bad taste" is such a prevalent feature of modern musicals, like the Producers and Little Shop of Horrors. - Identify some of the issues that caused a few of Rodgers and Hammerstein鈥檚 musicals to fail.

Course description

This is a history course based on some well-known musicals. Writers of these works often dealt with complex social, political and historical issues while providing an entertaining show with great songs, although in this particular course we鈥檒l also consider some ideas for musicals that didn鈥檛 quite work. We'll look at prominent figures from the realm of international politics in the musicals听Evita,听Call Me Madam听and听Chess听and whether these musicals truly reflected the subjects they were dealing with; horror stories used as inspiration for musicals, particularly those depicted in classic films from the 1930s to the 1950s, subverted in听Rocky Horror Show听and听Little Shop of Horrors听and treated more seriously in听Sweeney Todd听and听Jekyll and Hyde; musicals based on fairy stories, some creatively adjusted to provide unexpected twists, as in听Frozen, and intertwined and satirised in听Into The Woods,听which also features a disturbing invasion of the 鈥渇ourth wall鈥; and the controversial side of Rodgers and Hammerstein鈥檚 output, looking at some of their failures as well as their musicals that have a 鈥渄ark side鈥. Plus other quirky musicals, like听the Producers,听Hello Dolly!, and听Paint Your Wagon.

What financial support is available?

We don't want anything to stand in your way when it comes to bringing Adult learning within reach so if you need anything to support you to achieve your goals then speak to one of our education experts during your enrolment journey. Most of our courses are government funded but if you don't qualify or need alternative financial help to access them then let us know.

What other support is available?

All of our digital content, teaching and learning activities and assessments are designed to be accessible so if you need any additional support you can discuss this with the education experts during your enrolment journey and we will do all we can to make sure you have optimal access.

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