So I guess the most important thing, before anything else gets started, is to conceive a good story idea first.
If the story idea isn’t good, then it’s hard to make a very good musical out of it. (Not that it’s impossible, but it’s very hard.)
I just realised that I’m really bad at coming up with stories, so I will probably need the help of others with this.
I am under no illusions that the first musical that I attempt to write will be a hit.
And neither am I sure that I will ever write a half-decent musical at all, even upon numerous tries.
But I think such things need to be honed, in that you really need to work at your craft in order to become better…just like how a songwriter would improve in his songcraft after writing more and more songs.
I don’t think any musical theatre writer writes a “Les Miserables” or a “Wicked” on his first try, in the same way that no songwriter writes a “Hey Jude” or a “Bridge Over Troubled Water” on his first try either.
There will be hits and misses, and you’ve gotta be prepared for that.
Even the great Broadway writers had their fair share of flops.
But what you can do is to put yourself in the best possible position to succeed.
Here’s what I intend to do:
1) Watch and listen to as many musicals as I can, from all kinds of genres, be it Lerner & Loewe, Sondheim, Lloyd Webber, Bernstein, Rodgers & Hart, jukebox musicals, the works.
And this includes watching them on DVDs, listening to the soundtracks, and also catching as many live musicals as I can as well.
Basically I want to be able to be exposed to as much musical theatre as possible.
2) Read up on as many books as I can pertaining to musical theatre.
I touched on this in my previous part.
I’ve amassed quite a number of good book on this subject over the years, and it is my intention to revisit most of them.
This is to get me well-versed with all aspects of musical theatre, because in order to write well for musical theatre, it is essential to have a good understanding of all aspects of the art form.
3) Play through as many Broadway vocal scores as I can, in order to have a good feel for the music.
This part is to get me in-tuned and fully-sensitised towards the finer workings of music and songs in a musical, e.g. reprises, scene changes, overtures, ballads, showtunes, song placements, arrangements, etc.
I think one really “feels” the music when one plays through the vocal score, which includes even the scene changes and stuff.
You really get to appreciate all the subtle nuances in the score.
But vocal scores are not cheap, and I definitely won’t be able to buy as many vocal scores as I would like to…so I’ll have to find a way to tackle this problem.
(I’d probably have to play them at the Esplanade Library, which has an impressive collection of vocal scores).
4) Try to get involved in local musical theatre productions.
I’m not sure how feasible this one is, but if ever there’s an opportunity, I would do my best to try to be involved in a production in whatever capacity possible, just so that I can experience for myself what it is like to be a part of a production.
I think one might learn lots of things by joining a production (which I’ve never done before).
(to be continued)
I think to get storylines, one would actually need to read other books too, like novels or something, even biographies since some muscials are actually biographical. This will let your mind develop more imagination and creativity.
Movies/TV helps too sometimes. Just like how Elton John was inspired to write for the Billy Elliot musical after he watched the film.
Yes, very true. It is good to read widely so that we have a greater exposure to all the wonderful literature out there.
Actually come to think of it, a majority of musicals are adapted from something else, in some way or other. I think fully original musicals seem to be less common than “adapted” musicals.
Not to say that there aren’t any original musicals…but for every fully original musical, there seems to be a musical that was adapted in some shape or form.