Acting In Musical Comedy - article by MOREinfo-About.com

Acting in Musical Comedy

Probably the beginnings of musical comedy occurred with the origination of the Ziegfield Follies, Broadway spectaculars which featured anything but acting. Beautiful women, gorgeous costumes, music, all were inherent in the follies, with acting as such being absent. Acting in those days was found only in drama or comedy written for the theatre.

When musical comedy became popular in early to mid-twentieth century, again the emphasis was on singing and dancing, not acting. Of course performers had to have some acting ability, as musicals always contain some dialogue, but in general the emotional content of musicals is light, and so is the acting.

When auditions for musicals are held, it is the musical talents of those auditioning which largely determines casting choices...not acting ability. Certainly the musical abilities of musical performers is to be lauded...after all, that is what musical comedy is all about.

Conversely, for serious theatre, whether comedy or serious drama, acting abilities are what is judged, because the success of a play depends both upon story content and the acting abilities of the cast.

Some musicals not actually defined as comedies, such as "Phantom of the Opera" are created to deliver a more serious message, thus acting becomes more important in the casting process. It is more difficult to find musical artists with strong acting capabilities than to simply search for excellent dancers and singers. Often, in musical comedy as in grand opera, those with magnificent voices have limited acting talent...but the audiences for musical entertainment are far less interested in acting than in the vocal or terpsichorean talents of the performers.

Musicals including musical comedy are here to stay; audiences love to relax and enjoy light entertainment and are not critical of the acting capabilities of the cast.

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