When going to see a musical performance there are a few pieces of information that everyone should consider when deciding what to see.

Do The Research

Most plays and musicals have information in them that someone might not pick up during the actual performance. Therefore, doing the research on the show before seeing it could make it more enjoyable for the people watching it. Some musicals may give background information before the show starts, and others may not. The music may also change a person’s perspective of the storyline, so doing a little digging on the genre of music might also be a good idea. Doing some investigating could really benefit anyone who is deciding what musical they are interested in seeing.

They Are not All The Same

One might assume that all musicals are practically the same, that there is a rising action, a climax and a happy ending with a lot of singing in between. That is very far from the actual truth. There are multiple musicals that have various plot twists, interesting character development and possibly a not-so happy ending in store for the audience. Freshman Alexis Gorischek-Kumorek has seen many musicals and knows that they don’t all have the same content and don’t sing the entire time.

“There are talking parts, and they don’t all have to be boring and about history,” Gorischek-Kumorek said.

Plays and Musicals Are Different

Aside from the obvious fact that there are a lot more musical numbers in a musical than a play, they have quite a few differences. For example, in a musical not only do the characters have to memorize lines, but also song lyrics and the tempo of the song. If they mess up the speed at which they sing the entire production could change, and it might not sound right to the audience. Plays also mainly only involve the theater group and their tech crew, where musicals have band, choir and orchestra to make the performance turn into one told in song.

Hard Work Goes Into Every Production

There are many people working on a musical to make sure that it runs smoothly and everything goes as planned. There is a band and orchestra involved, there is a choir and an ensemble and the technicians working on all of the stage and lighting aspects. Freshman Allison Beckman knows all about the amount of work that goes into these types of shows because she was in the recent Spring musical, “Grease,” and experienced it first hand.

“In musicals there’s a whole ensemble, but it’s fun learning dances together and learning songs together,” Beckman said.

Musicals Have Been Around For Centuries

When a person goes to see a musical they never really consider how long people just like them have been going to see musical performances. Musicals have been around for longer than anyone can remember. In the article “What is a Musical,” written by John Kenrick, he wrote about the origin of musicals and what their purposes are.

“The art of telling stories either through or with songs dates back to time immemorial,” Kendrick wrote.

Even the ancient Greeks included song and dance into their stage performances.