->'''Melissa:''' Josh, that's how musicals work. When you're too emotional to talk, you sing; when you're too emotional to sing, you dance.\\
'''Josh:''' What happens when you're too emotional to dance? Does it loop back around to talking? Because that's where I'm at right now.
-->-- ''Series/{{Schmigadoon}}''

A musical is any presentation in which a major part of the exposition and/or action comes through the medium of song (and often, but not necessarily, [[SummonBackupDancers dance as well]]). This sounds simple, but it has so many permutations that it is a loaded term for most people. For example, if you were to say that the only real difference between an {{Opera}} and a musical is in what theaters they're showing it in, expect vehement protests--and yet, trying to come up with definitions that will perfectly separate one from the other is just about impossible. It doesn't help that musicals were influenced by opera--specifically the comic genre of "light" opera or operetta--and that many late-19th and early-20th century plays-with-singing could easily be classified as either. A prime example is the works of Creator/GilbertAndSullivan: at the time they were called operas (they didn't call the company and theatre G&S wrote for the D'Oyly Carte ''Opera'' Company playing at the Savoy ''Opera'' for nothing), but today they are often considered to be the earliest notable examples of musicals.

By far the most common perception of a musical is properly termed "musical theater", in which a play is performed with several songs interspersed at major plot points in the story. In the United States, these are most often associated with Platform/{{Broadway|AndTheWestEnd}} and Off-Broadway plays, and can be either original material or adapted from any number of sources (though adaptations are far more common than original musicals; see AllMusicalsAreAdaptations).

A distinction is made between "book musicals", in which songs are interspersed between chunks of spoken dialogue and action (the spoken dialogue being referred to as the "book"), and musicals that are "{{sung through}}" like an {{Opera}}, i.e. nearly every word is sung from curtain-up to curtain-down, with only occasional spoken lines.[[note]]Note that this is not actually true of Opera to begin with; some of Mozart's most celebrated operas have spoken dialogue, for example (like ''Theatre/TheMagicFlute'').[[/note]] ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'' and ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls'' are examples of book musicals; ''Theatre/{{Cats}}'' and ''Theatre/LesMiserables'' are sung through. Each variety has its advantages and disadvantages: with a sung through musical, there's the danger of having too much utterly mundane dialogue set to music in a way that draws the audience's attention to the blatant artificiality of the concept; with a book musical, the transitions from musical scenes to spoken dialogue and vice versa can be awkward and forced if they're not handled carefully.

In the West, musical films are often either [[AnimatedMusical animated]], like [[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon classic Disney films]], or adapted from [[{{Theater}} stage musicals]]. Film adaptations of stage musicals have to deal with two major issues:

* First, theatre is typically more forgiving of [[MilkingTheGiantCow grand, melodramatic gestures]], such as… well, bursting into song at highly emotional moments… that just look silly on film. Directors often deal with this by adding in some sort of frame story to justify all the singing (as in ''Film/{{Chicago}}'', where the songs are envisioned as taking place [[MusicalWorldHypotheses inside Roxie's head]]; the song "Class" had to be cut because there was no way to fit that scheme); alternatively, they can just go with the inherent high camp of the genre and hope they get away with it.
* Second, films have bigger budgets than stage plays and often need to have "big names" to make sure of having an audience to justify the budget -- but most Hollywood-standard "big names" can't carry a tune in a bucket. There was a time when the standard solution was to hire a ''real'' singer to [[{{Dubbing}} dub over]] the "name" (as, for instance, with Creator/NatalieWood being dubbed by Marni Nixon in ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' -- Nixon also dubbed Deborah Kerr in ''The King and I'' and Creator/AudreyHepburn in ''My Fair Lady''), but this has fallen out of favour -- with the result that many "musical" films are distinctly ''un''musical. The alternative solution of [[Main/NonActorVehicle hiring popular singers]] to play the roles brings with it the possibility that they can't act, which can be equally painful to watch.

There's also the problem that film and theater are very different media (as are television and film) and there are important differences that don't always translate well:

* Film can {{zoom}} in and {{pan}} out to control the audience's focus. Theatre controls this with dialogue and blocking (how actors and props are positioned). No less a luminary than Music/StephenSondheim has said that one reason why it's hard to adapt a stage musical to film is that in film a close-up can tell you everything that a song can -- so why bother with the song?
* Film is image-driven, whereas theater is dialogue-driven. Film can have little or no dialogue and tell the story with pictures; theater can have very little physical movement and tell the story with verbal images.
* Theater is more artificial and can be effective with very sparse or abstract sets, while film is more naturalistic and demands detailed and authentic backgrounds.
* Singing well requires the sort of physical movement and concentration that, on film, looks like [[LargeHam overacting]]. The physical and technological demands of filming a scene also make it hard to get a singing performance that is both good ''and'' well-recorded. The usual solution to this is to pre-record the song and have the actor lip-sync to the track they (or someone else) recorded, but this can result in a performance that doesn't fully match the music.

However, film and theater have one thing in common: you get 90 minutes of butt time, and if you run longer than that, you'd BETTER be good.

The movie/musical adaptation cycle goes both ways, with many examples of RecursiveAdaptation (e.g. ''Film/TheProducers'', ''Hairspray'', ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors'').

There's also the trend of the JukeboxMusical, and also the RockOpera, which often starts as a ConceptAlbum.

Since far more people can see a Hollywood film than a Broadway musical (even one that runs for years), films adapting stage musicals are especially prone to AdaptationDisplacement. In the Indian Hindi-language film industry known colloquially as UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}}, musicals are the default genre, but it is very rare in the West for live-action musical films to be original, rather than adaptations.

Japan, South Korea, France, and Germany also have strong musical theatre scenes that include plenty of shows English-language fans have never heard of. European musicals like ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'' and ''Theatre/LaLegendeDuRoiArthur'' are some of the most popular musicals in these countries, re-run again and again. The Japanese troupe Creator/TakarazukaRevue has been creating their own unique brand of musicals, 100 years strong, but "mainstream" original musicals in Japan and Korea have picked up in the 2010's and 2020's, such as ''{{Theatre/Frankenstein|2014}}'', ''Theatre/CesareIlCreatoreCheHaDistrutto'', and ''Theatre/TheDevil''.

When this is incorporated into a TV show, see MusicalEpisode. A frequent sufferer of TitleTheAdaptation, probably because AllMusicalsAreAdaptations.

If you were wondering just [[SorryILeftTheBGMOn where all that singing]] was coming from, see MusicalWorldHypotheses. Compare HollywoodDarkness, MusicalusInterruptus.

''For a list of tropes related to Musical Drama and Songs you get to sing, see '''MusicalNumberIndex'''''. For a list of animated movie musicals, go [[AnimatedMusical here]].
----
[[index]]
!!Example Subpages:
* TheMusical/LiveActionFilms
* TheMusical/{{Theatre}}
* TheMusical/CyberpunkLab

!!Other Examples
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime, Manga, and 2.5D Theatre]]
* Stage adaptations of anime that are aimed squarely at those who are already fans of the series are known as 2.5D Theater. The phenomenon started in the 1990's, but it exploded in popularity in the late 2010's, with 194 2.5D plays produced in 2018. Listed here are 2.5D musicals. For 2.5D non-musical plays, please see ScreenToStageAdaptation.
** ''Theatre/SeraMyu''
** ''Theatre/ThePrinceOfTennis'', the producer of which coined the term 2.5D.
** ''Theatre/MusicalToukenRanbu'', one of the cornerstones of the late 2010's wave of 2.5D.
** ''Theatre/Persona3TheWeirdMasquerade'' is based on ''VideoGame/Persona3'' and features the male and female protagonists in separate performances.

%%Please list musicals based on anime under Theatre. Thank you.
!!Musical Anime:
* ''Anime/Interstella5555''
* ''Anime/LoveLive: The School Idol Movie'', befitting the story of the girls' trip to New York, features non-diegetic music alongside the series' usual diegetic music.
* ''Anime/NerimaDaikonBrothers''
* ''Anime/HighSchoolStarMusical'' is a full TV anime series in musical format, with a story about boys in a musical theatre high school.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Audio Plays]]
* ''AudioPlay/ThirtySixQuestions -- The Podcast Musical''
[[/folder]]

%%ComicBooks: Is your example a comic with songs, or a play based on a comic? If it's the latter, please list it under Theatre. Thank you.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/BrideOfDiscord'' audio version (''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'')
* ''Fanfic/PrincessTrixieSparkle'' audio version (''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''); even has an opening theme for each episode.
[[/folder]]


%%Literature: Is your example a book with songs in it, or a play based on a book? If it's the latter, it goes under Theatre. Thank you.

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/AntsInYourPants''
* ''Series/CrazyExGirlfriend''
* ''Series/CopRock''
* ''Series/{{Galavant}}''
* ''Series/{{Glee}}''
* ''[[Series/TheJerrySpringerShow Jerry Springer]]: The Opera''
* ''Series/TheMuppetsMayhem''
* ''Series/TheNoddyShop'' has at least one musical number in every episode that's almost always related to the episode's moral or is about something that happens in the plot. Some episodes have two or more songs, and at least one was a ClipShow comprised of past songs from the show.
* ''Series/OurGayWeddingTheMusical''
* ''Series/RagsToRiches''
* ''Series/{{Schmigadoon}}'' provides the page quote.
* ''Series/{{Smash}}'' is an odd case in that it features characters performing in in-universe musicals, characters spontaneously bursting into "real-life" choreographed numbers, characters singing in neither context ''and'' "mind palace" choreographed numbers.
* ''Series/XPlay: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPPY8yQD3uA The Musical]]''
* ''Series/ZoeysExtraordinaryPlaylist''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* ''Music/AmericanIdiot''
* ''Music/DerFluchDesDrachen'': Dubbed a "Fantastical", this fantasy-story was simultaneously released as a combination of audio book and RockOpera and as a live Musical.
* ''Music/{{Evita}}''
* ''Music/JesusChristSuperstar''
* ''Music/JunoAndAvos''
* ''AudioPlay/{{Omaha}}''
* ''Music/TheSilentCity''
* ''Music/YoshimiBattlesThePinkRobots'', based on the album by Music/TheFlamingLips with selections from their other albums.[[/index]]
* Musicals dedicated to deceased (sometimes also living) musicians or disbanded music groups, telling their stories [[JukeboxMusical with their own music]]. These seem to be particularly popular in Europe and [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff especially in German-speaking nations]], no matter the nationality of the subject, and some of them [[NoExportForYou never make it across the pond]]. One advantage of this format is that you don't necessarily have to hide the musicians in a pit, but you can and often have to put them on stage with the actors. A frequent case of [[TitleTheAdaptation Artist: The Adaptation]]. Examples include:[[index]]
** Music/{{ABBA}}. No, not ''Theatre/MammaMia''. There is also a musical with Music/{{ABBA}}'s music that is ''about'' Music/{{ABBA}}. It's named ''Thank You for the Music''.
** Music/TheBeatles: ''All You Need Is Love!''
** Music/BoneyM: ''[[TitleTheAdaptation Boney M. - The Musical]]''
** Music/GloriaEstefan: ''On Your Feet''
** Music/{{Falco}}: ''[[TitleTheAdaptation Falco - The Musical]]''
** Music/BuddyHolly: ''Buddy!''
** Music/MichaelJackson: ''Thriller - Live''
** Music/ElvisPresley: ''[[TitleTheAdaptation Elvis - The Musical]]''
** Music/{{Queen}}: ''Queenmania - A Special Kind Of Magic''
** Music/TinaTurner: ''Simply The Best''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* ''Podcast/TheFallOfTheHouseOfSunshine''
* ''Podcast/InStrangeWoods''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
%%Please list games with songs here. Please list plays based on games above. Thank you.
* ''VideoGame/EpicMickey2ThePowerOfTwo'', -- all the songs are sung by the BigBad.
* ''VideoGame/MotherChefTheMusical'' is a musical BlackComedy game where most scenes involve characters singing to the player.
* ''VideoGame/TheNightmareBeforeChristmasOogiesRevenge'' has musical numbers during boss battles.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/OfWeaselsAndChickens''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* ''WebVideo/TheBatterysDown''
* ''WebVideo/ChronoTriggerTheMusical''
* "WebVideo/DeadpoolTheMusical"
* ''WebVideo/{{Doppelganger}}''
* ''WebVideo/DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog''
* ''WebVideo/FiveNightsAtFreddysTheMusical''
* 'WebVideo/GameGrumps'''''[[https://game-grumps-the-musical.tumblr.com/scriptandsoundtrack : The Musical]]''
* ''WebVideo/HumanCentipedeTheMusical''
* ''WebVideo/RatatouilleTheMusical''
* ''WebVideo/UndertaleGenocideTheMusical''
* ''WebVideo/UndertaleTheMusical''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ATreasureInMyGarden''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTeddyRuxpin''
* ''[[Literature/{{Babar}} Babar: The Movie]]''
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Centaurworld}}''
* ''WesternAnimation/CentralPark''
* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Doug}} Doug Live!]]''
* ''WesternAnimation/FreaknikTheMusical''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGhostAndMollyMcGee''
* ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheHobbit'' (1977)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleShow''
* ''[[WesternAnimation/MagicAdventuresOfMumfie Mumfie's Quest]]''
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Mamemo}}''
* ''[[Recap/MonsterHighBooYorkBooYork Monster High: Boo York, Boo York]]''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas''
* ''WesternAnimation/ReallyRosie''
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthParkBiggerLongerAndUncut''
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie''
* ''WesternAnimation/HBOStorybookMusicals'' is an Creator/{{HBO}} Family Original series that adapts various children's stories such as ''Literature/TheTaleOfPeterRabbit'' and ''Literature/MikeMulliganAndHisSteamShovel'' into a 25 minute animated musical.
* ''WesternAnimation/ToonBops''
* ''[[WesternAnimation/TotalDrama Total Drama World Tour]]''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheTune''
* ''Theatre/YesVirginiaTheMusical''
[[/folder]]
[[/index]]
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