Playlist IV: Star Turns
Musicals centered on a transcendent character or performer.
You’re now 40 songs into this project, and have learned about influential and iconic shows, songs, and creators. Now we’re going to look at a one of musical theater’s most evergreen tropes: Star Turns
What Makes Something a Star Turn?
We’re looking at shows where a central “star” is essential to the musical’s DNA. Shows where pretty much every element is in service to the star role’s arc or the leading actor’s performance. Shows where your first question upon hearing it’s being produced is, “who’s playing [Star Role]?” But this seemingly narrow selection criteria nevertheless contains a wealth of variations that we will explore:
roles written for a specific performer
shows or songs that became forever tied to a performer’s legacy
roles that turn anyone who plays them into a star
Roles/songs that comment on the nature of fame itself.
The star turn is practically as old as musical theater itself—George M. Cohan’s hits were as much vehicles for his style of performance as anything else. But by the rise of the mega-musical in the 1980s, the show (or even the producer) became the star, and you’d be hard pressed to find an actor’s name on the poster at all. We’ve come back to the star turn in the sense that casting super famous movie stars is one of the more reliable ways to sell tickets these days. But few people are writing musicals specifically for these movie stars. Oh, Mary! is the best example of the classic sort of star turn out there today (even though it’s a play): every casting announcement is an event, and you can’t wait to see what they bring to the part (and what the role brings out in them).
Previously Mentioned Star Turns
We’ve already covered quite a few “star turns,” (and we’ll hit a few more even after this playlist is complete). Some examples from the vault:
“Give My Regards to Broadway,” Little Johnny Jones (1904)
“Anything Goes,” Anything Goes (1934)
“There’s No Business Like Show Business,” Annie Get Your Gun(1946)
“Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” Gentlemen Prefer Blondes(1949)
“I Could Have Danced All Night,” My Fair Lady (1956)
“If I Were a Rich Man,” Fiddler on the Roof (1964)
“Cabaret,” Cabaret (1966)
“There’s Gotta Be Something Better Than This,” Sweet Charity(1966)
“Send in the Clowns,” A Little Night Music (1973)
“And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” Dreamgirls (1981)
“I Am What I Am,” La Cage Aux Folles (1983)
“Defying Gravity,” Wicked (2003)
In the Wings
We’re going to dive right into our first Star Turn, song No. 41, next week. While you wait, a reminder that you can:
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