The Contemporary Broadway Musical The Contemporary Broadway Musical

The Contemporary Broadway Musical  | 

February 22 — April 26

The Contemporary Broadway Musical is a ten-week seminar that examines the evolution of the American musical from Evita in 1979 to Hamilton. This seminar will focus on Broadway from the past three decades, surveying the American musicals of the 1980s, including, but not limited to Dreamgirls, La Cage Aux Folles, and Into The Woods, as well as the British invasion of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh, to the boundary-breaking musicals of the ’90s such as Rent and Ragtime to the biggest hits of the 21st century including The Producers, Hairspray, Wicked, Jersey Boys, The Book of Mormon, and Hamilton. Class lectures will center around how the form has changed since the so-called “Golden Age,” what direction(s) the musical has taken, and what it means to be an “American” musical.

Please Note: Classes can be attended live at the time indicated above. In addition, the course videos will be made available to enrollees within 24 hours of the conclusion of each session.

10-Week Online Class

Every Monday from 5:00 – 6:00 PM PST

Feb 22 – Apr 26

Member DISCOUNT: 20% OFF

Full Price: $179 per person

The Contemporary Broadway Musical is a ten-week seminar that examines the evolution of the American musical from Evita in 1979 to Hamilton. This seminar will focus on Broadway from the past three decades, surveying the American musicals of the 1980s, including, but not limited to Dreamgirls, La Cage Aux Folles, and Into The Woods, as well as the British invasion of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh, to the boundary-breaking musicals of the ’90s such as Rent and Ragtime to the biggest hits of the 21st century including The Producers, Hairspray, Wicked, Jersey Boys, The Book of Mormon, and Hamilton. Class lectures will center around how the form has changed since the so-called “Golden Age,” what direction(s) the musical has taken, and what it means to be an “American” musical.

Please Note: Classes can be attended live at the time indicated above. In addition, the course videos will be made available to enrollees within 24 hours of the conclusion of each session.

Instructor

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Adam Epstein’s theatrical productions have received 46 Tony nominations and garnered 12 Tony Awards, one of which Adam himself received as a producer of Hairspray in 2003. Adam’s other credits include A View From a Bridge, The Crucible, Amadeus, The Wedding Singer and Cry-Baby. In the West End, both his productions of Amadeus and Hairspray earned multiple Olivier nominations and Hairspray was awarded a record 11 nominations, winning four, including Best Musical. An adjunct faculty member of NYU (which is also his alma mater) Adam has also been a guest lecturer at Harvard, Columbia and the University of Miami. Adam recently graduated with his Master’s degree in American Studies from Brown University, and he is currently working in political journalism and media.

Syllabus

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February 22
High Flying Adored: Eva Peron delivers a Broadway coup de thé·â·tre; Gower Champion dies

March 1
Michael Bennett’s Dreamgirls vs. Tommy Tune’s Nine

March 8
The Empire Strikes Back: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Cameron Mackintosh and the “colonization” of Broadway: Cats, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon

March 15
La Cage Aux Folles and Into the Woods

March 22
Americans vanquish the British (again!): City of Angels, Crazy for You, and the return of the musical comedy

March 29
Falsettos: William Finn and his Tight Knit Family move uptown

April 5
Broadway in the 1990’s: Disney conquers Broadway; Rent and Ragtime conquer hearts

April 12
From Celluloid to Greasepaint: The Producers, Hairspray and the changing face of Broadway in the 21st century

April 19
Avenue Q and Wicked: a theatrical tale of David and Goliath

April 26
Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and the future of Broadway musicals

Please Note: All topics are subject to change.