Musical theatre is a form of drama that combines singing, dancing, and acting. This document discusses and compares three musicals: Hamilton, Wicked, and Chicago. It analyzes key elements of each musical like themes, show-stopping numbers, 11 o'clock numbers, and climaxes. The show-stopping numbers generally involve powerful choreography to heighten drama, like Elphaba flying in "Defying Gravity" or the battle choreography in "The World Turned Upside Down". The climaxes mark the peak of tension, such as Hamilton's death or Fiyero's death in Wicked. Overall, the document provides a detailed overview and comparison of these three renowned musicals.

1. Musical Theatre Essay
Musical theatre is a form of drama where singing, dancing and acting play a
vital role. Musicals come in all sorts of types, such as: book musicals, jukebox
musicals, film musicals, concept musicals and pop/rock musicals. An example
of a book musical would be Matilda because this show was adapted from the
Roald Dhal novel. Chicago is a film musical where the story has been adapted
from screen to stage, wicked is another book musical because it is based
around the book Wicked, and Hamilton is again a book musical as it is based
off a biography. The three musicals I will be focusing on are Hamilton, Wicked
and Chicago.
Hamilton is a sung and rapped through, hip-hop. This is because the creator,
Lin Manuel Miranda, had many rap influences growing up and wanted to
include that in his work because it had never been done before in a musical. In
songs like ‘Non-stop’ that is very rap based but it also does have traditional
singing moments for the chorus. Also, tensions are quite throughout the whole
narrative, so they often used rap as a way of showing nervousness. For
example, repeating words is representing stuttering and fast rapping
represents fast paced talking. Wicked is a folk/pop musical. This is because the
songs are very upbeat, and pop influenced but the storyline is based off the
wizard of oz and the town it is set in is very folk like and old fashioned. This can
be shown by the characters outfits which included long neutral tone dresses
and aprons. Chicago is an American Jazz musical. This is because it is set in
America and Fosse had a lot of vaudeville and burlesque influences growing
up, so all the costumes and dances are sensual and jazz like. This includes
flapper dresses, small heels and fishnet tights.
Each of these musicals have a range of themes explored within them. A theme
is an idea that recurs in a form of art. Firstly, Hamilton demonstrates several
themes like history, legacy, war, conflict, running out of time, honour,
reputation, forgiveness and writing. For example, the theme of running out of
time is explored through Alexander Hamilton's rush to write essays to
challenge the government. This is shown in the song ‘Non-stop’ where they
refer to the 51 essays Hamilton managed to write. Another theme is war as the
American Revolution allowed Hamilton to rise to fame and it could also imply
how he fought for everything in his life which proves how ambitious and
hardworking he is. In the musical he states, “I wish there was a war, then we
could prove we’re worth more than anyone bargained for.” as he believes war

2. will help the country earn independence. Wicked the musical comprises a
range of different themes, for example: The nature of being evil and good,
destiny and racism. The theme of the nature of being evil is explored through
the character Elphaba and how she became the wicked witch. Then, the
question arises whether you are born evil or just perceived evil because of the
events that happen around you. The people around her bullied her for the
colour of her skin which forced her to become eviller over time as everyone
thought she was wicked anyway. The theme of Chicago is crime pays as six
females are in prison for crimes, they say they didn’t do. In the song ‘Cell Block
tango’ the women explain their murders in a way that makes it seem normal to
do when in fact only one of them were innocent. Their guilt is also shown by
only wanting a certain lawyer because they find him attractive not because
they want help on their case, as they know they are not innocent. There are
several themes that are similar within these three musicals, one of those is
power. In Hamilton, the power refers to the government and how Hamilton
has the power to challenge them in attempt to enforce independence on
America. In Wicked, Elphaba has magic powers where she can do incredible
things but due to the wizard’s power over the public, he convinced them that
she was a wicked witch because of the colour of her skin. Lastly, in Chicago the
women have the power to take the lives of those who hurt them. Also, the
prison has the power to keep them incarcerated so they don’t do it again
however the women are still more powerful as the two main characters Velma
and Roxie end up getting out of prison.
The show stopping number in Hamilton is ‘The World Turned Upside Down’. It
represents the end of the Revolutionary War where Hamilton is picked out by
Washington to be his secretary of treasury. The choreography in this number is
very strong and sharp. Most of the movements are in unison to show a united
front after the war. The musicality is also very good, the dance matches the
pace of the song as it slows down when the music dies and speeds back up
when the music comes back full force. Also, the dancers travel and use the
space very well as they circle Hamilton which builds tension as they seem to
get faster and stronger as the song goes on and as Hamilton sings faster. This
number is used to heighten the drama and the tension of the war being over
and Hamilton about to start a new career. The 11 0’clock number in Hamilton
is ‘The room where it happens’ which is based off Aaron Burr going after what
he wants and feeling betrayed by Hamilton. The choreography in this number
is very abstract where movements are held, and shapes are made and then

3. moved around. Also, it is very practical and physically demanding as the
dancers must pick up and move props like chairs and tables. This number is
used to heighten the drama and raise tension within the plot as it breaks up
relationships between the characters, especially the two main characters Burr
and Hamilton. The climax in Hamilton is the bullet scene where time stands
still as a bullet from Burr’s gun travels towards Hamilton. This is where the
tension is at its peak as the audience wonder what will happen next. But then,
the climax fades as Hamilton inevitably dies. There is a lot of dancing in this
scene and the choreography is very powerful. Before the guns are drawn there
is a lot of cannons in the routine to represent the tension building before the
eventual climax. Once the bullet is fired a woman freeze frames holding it in a
running position as they investigate Hamilton’s mind. Slowly the woman gets
closer and closer to show Hamilton running out of time to have his last
thoughts before he meets his fate. As he is thinking the dancers are dancing
swiftly and abstractly around the space while also making shapes with each
other to signify Hamilton’s racing thoughts.
The show stopping number in Wicked is ‘Defying Gravity’. This number is when
Elphaba realises the wizard of oz is not the heroic figure she thought he was.
The choreography is very smooth and powerful as Elphaba is lifted into the air
while on a broomstick. Also, there is a wind machine behind her, so a lot of
core and strength is needed so that she doesn’t fly around aimlessly. Not to
mention she is singing a vocally challenging song at the same time, so a lot of
stamina is required for this number. Defying Gravity is used to show the
turning point in the musical and the character development as Elphaba finds
out who the wizard really is. At this point, the characters start to perceive her
as evil, when the audience know that she is a good person. The 11 O’clock
number in Wicked is ‘For Good’ where the two main characters reconcile and
realise how much love they have for each other, despite the different paths
they took in life. There’s not much choreography in this number but they used
their characterisation and facial expressions to look at each other lovingly so
the audience can really feel their connection. Also, they hold hands in the
number to further show how their friendship has grown and even though they
had a rough patch, it only made their relationship stronger. For Good is used to
heighten the mood and to create a bright and happy vibe after all the tension
and darkness throughout the musical. It shows reconciliation and a happy
ending which gives the audience piece of mind and shows character
development. The climax in Wicked is Fiyero’s death. This is because Elphaba’s

4. love for him is all she had left and then they took that away from her as well.
This scene is used to create tension and reach the peak of the plot where
everything that has built up has led to this moment and everything after dies
down. The choreography in this piece is very sorrowful as Elphaba holds
Fiyero’s lifeless body in her hands as she sadly sings to him. This makes the
audience feel that same emotion and feel sympathy for Elphaba.
The show stopping number in Chicago is ‘Cell Block Tango’. This routine is
about six women at the Cook County Jail accused of murdering their significant
others, telling the stories of why they are in the jail. The choreography in this
dance is very sensual and intense, where they use sexual movements in place
of violent actions, to make it seem like their crimes were deserved because
their partners cheated or crossed them. For example, the spread-eagle
movement of a wide middle split represents the cheating partner and his
death.
The 11 O'clock number in Chicago is Nowadays. This routine is about Roxie and
Velma winning and getting the life they wanted by taking advantage of their
murderous past. The choreography in this scene starts very slow but then picks
up the pace with a costume change. It’s very jazz with Charleston elements.
The moves are mostly in unison, used to represent the profound friendship
between Roxie and Velma.
The climax in Chicago is when Roxie is acquitted but then gets her publicity
stolen when another woman murders her husband and lawyer. She struggles
to find a job as a showgirl afterwards, then Velma convinces her that they
should team up.
Bibliography
1. https://hamiltonmusical.com/new-york/home/
2. Wicked the Musical's Groundbreaking Score - Act 1 | MusicalWriters.com
3. Chicago the Musical | Official Site
4. What is the big show stopping number in the musical 'Hamilton'? - Quora
5. Hamilton: Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down) - Bing video
6. What is Hamilton's 11 o'clock number? Does it even have one? : hamiltonmusical
(reddit.com)
7. Hamilton - Room Where it Happens - Bing video
8. Hamilton The World Was Wide Enough - Bing video
9. What is the climax of Hamilton? [Spoilers] : hamiltonmusical (reddit.com)
10. Defying Gravity | Wicked Wiki | Fandom
11. Cell Block Tango - Wikipedia
12. Chicago (Musical) Songs | StageAgent

5. 13. Renée Zellweger – Nowadays / Hot Honey Rag Lyrics | Genius Lyrics
14. https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/movie-storystructure/chicago-2002/amp/