That'll Show 'Em

I just read Jack Viertel's The Secret Life Of The American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built. Viertel has worked on Broadway for decades and knows his stuff.  He dives deep into the structure of musicals, using examples from (mostly) hits to show how they're constructed.

You might think a hit show is just about good numbers.  They're essential, but a show has to hold up overall or the audience won't put up with it for two and a half hours.  Viertel walks through what makes a show work.  There's no simple formula, but certain things that have played for decades.

For instance, there's the opening number which sets the mood and theme of the show.  Get this wrong and you're finished.  Then, early on, there's the "wanting" song where the protagonist expresses what she hopes for--and it better be good, because the story is built on it.

Also, early on, there's a love song, but it's generally tentative--the lovers are just meeting and not sure where the relationship will go.  Then, some time in the first act, you've got to introduce the secondary couple (if there is one) and the villain, and they usually get their numbers.

A bit later, you need a big number, often a comic one, for the lead.  And a big production number in the second half of the first act to rouse the audience.  And close on a curtain that makes people want to come back for Act 2.

Once they've returned, you generally have a lively ensemble number to get the audience back into the show.  You'll also have a number that really shows the depth of feelings of the main characters, since they're the ones we're invested in.

There's also generally a song to close up the subplot and secondary characters.  You've also got another big production number to get the audience on its feet, and an eleven o'clock number to let the star or stars give the audience a big moment.

Then finally an ending where everything is tied up satisfactorily.  And even a well-thought-out curtain call.

It may be dry to just list these things, but Viertel gives examples from numerous hit shows to demonstrate how they handle these moments.  If you're a fan of musicals, you can replay the numbers in your head.  And if you're not familiar with the show, you can always go to YouTube.

Of course, do it all right and you still might have a flop.  But get it wrong, and have a show where the plot is at odds with itself, or the character's motivations are too vague, or not significant enough, and you're all but guaranteed to fail.