<p>What year does it start? What can you get away with being contemporary? Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m not certain in which context you are phrasing this question. Do you mean audition material? </p>
<p>I don’t know when “contemporary musical theater” officially “starts”. I think musical theater repertoire from the 1980’s is within the realm of contemporary musical theater. Likely, even some 1970’s MT would be in this genre. But there are some that think of more ultra contemporary songs being more like in the '90s and '00s. Sometimes, an audition may call for a contemporary song and mean a more pop/belt song. I don’t know if that is what you are asking about or just what. </p>
<p>Some shows that are considered in the contemporary realm include:
Hairspray, Spelling Bee, Wild Party, Bat Boy, Last Five Years, Violet, Urinetown, RENT, Tick Tick Boom, A new Brain, Songs for a New World, Jekyll and Hyde, Working, Nine, Chess, Footloose, Little Shop, Aida, and Avenue Q.</p>
<p>Coincidentally, I think my D’s vocal performance class is working on contemporary MT songs today and for example, she prepared a William Finn song.</p>
<p>A relatively substantial shift happened in musical theatre around 1965. There are musicals written post 1965 that sound more classic or Golden Age, however. </p>
<p>In my MT classes I have the students break up their repertory into Standard MT contemporary (basically Les Miz to Wicked), and more pop/ rock/ country contemporary (shows like Footloose, Jersey Boys, Urban Cowboy). </p>
<p>Are you asking in context of auditioning for schools?</p>
<p>The song that I am reffering to- as to whether or not it is contemporary is From Follies One More Kiss. I realize it sounds old, but it was out in the 70’s what do you think?</p>
<p>I would NOT consider One More Kiss contemporary - as I recall, Follies first came out in 1971 - but the song is definitely a throwback to earlier times.</p>
<p>If I were grouping it by style, as opposed to date - I would put it more with the operetta genre of Victor Herbert, etc. (Great song for legit soprano, but I wouldn’t use it if the requirement is contemporary)</p>
<p>I agree with others that it is not so much the date but the style. I don’t know what your D is using this for. Sometimes an audition calls for a contemporary musical theater song and sometimes this can mean more of the pop/rock style of contemporary theater like Aida, Jekyll, Bat Boy, Wild Party, etc. It’s true that the '70’s encompasses contemporary musical theater, but some musicals from that decade are more traditonal/standard style and some aren’t and so it is more the piece than the date. It also depends what it is she needs the song for.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your responses! What do you think about Home from Beauty and the Beast?</p>
<p>One More Kiss is more in the style of older musicals/ operetta. Home is more in the style of contemporary musicals. Both would be considered ballads.</p>
<p>Home</p>
<p>I am pretty sure I have seen Home on some of the ‘do not sing lists’… But I don’t think you said what the audition was for so maybe it would be fine.</p>
<p>Interesting conversation here. If Les Mis, for instance, is contemporary, where does that put Rent? And other than being from a different planet, what does one call the latest works from Sondheim? From my perspective, some songs from Cabaret are absolutely from an earlier era. But some, like Money, might work nicely if they were written today. In fact, to see a modern productioin of Cabaret is to see almost a different play from the one mounted in the 60s. </p>
<p>Interesting.</p>
<p>You are right… it gets tough with shows written over the past 20 - 30 years or so… That is why I suggest that my students classify their rep as standard MT contemporary and more po/ rock/ country MT contemporary. I try to encourage them to build their audition repertory in this fashion… starting with the more standard MT catagories and then filling out with the pop/ rock/ country… etc…</p>
<p>What is so exciting about MT today is that you have shows like Spring Awakening and Light in the Piazza being written in the same decade… a lot of variation in terms of style in current MT… :)</p>