Musicals Study Guide

Les Miserables
o Songs include: Castle on a Cloud, I Dreamed a Dream, Do You
Hear the People Sing
o Setting: France during the French Revolution
o Main Characters: Jean Valjean/Monsieur Madeleine, Javert, Fantine,
Cosette, Marius, Eponine

Fiddler on the Roof

o Songs include: Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Sunrise, Sunset
o Setting: Anatevka, Russia, in 1904
o Main Characters:
o Synopsis: centers around a dairyman, Tevya, and his five daughters

Into the Woods

o Songs include: Ever After No One is Alone Giants in the Sky
o Setting: The woods of a fairy tale land
o Main Characters: Cinderella, the Witch, The Baker, The Bakers Wife,
Jack, Little Red Riding Hood
o Synopsis: Fairy tale characters enter the woods to search for answers to
their problems

West Side Story

o Songs include: Tonight Cool Somewhere I Feel Pretty
o Setting: west side of Manhattan, New York City, Mid 1950s
o Main Characters: Riff, Bernardo, Maria, Tony, Doc, Anita, Ice, Lt.
Shrank, Officer Krupke
o Synopsis: A modern-day Romeo and Juliet

Jesus Christ Superstar

o Songs include: Whats the Buzz Hosanna
o Main Characters: Jesus, Pilate, Judas, John, Herod, Mary Magdalene
o Synopsis: Tracks the last week of Jesus life

Oklahoma!
o Songs include: Oklahoma! Oh! What a Beautiful Morning
o Setting: Oklahoma
o Main Characters: Aunt Eller, Curly, Laury, Jud Fry, Ado Annie, Will
Parker, The Peddler, Andrew Carnes, Gyrtle Cummings
o Synopsis: Tells of fun, love and romance in the lives of the families living
in the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the century.

Rent
o Songs include: La Vi Boheme Seasons of Love Ill Cover You
o Setting: New York City, 1990s
 o Main Characters: Mark, Roger, Collins, Maureen, Joanne, Mimi, Benny
o Synopsis: New York friends live with AIDS

Phantom of the Opera

o Songs include: Think of Me All I Ask of You
o Setting: The Paris Opera House, 1870
o Main Characters: The Phantom, Raoul, Christine
o Synopsis; Hideously deformed Phantom lurks beneath the stage of the
Paris Opera, exercising a reign of terror over all its occupants. He falls
fatally in love with the young soprano Christine, devoting himself to
creating a new star for the Opera by nurturing her extraordinary talents
and employing all the skills at his disposal.

Wicked
o Songs include: Defying Gravity The Wizard and I For Good
o Setting: The land of Oz before and during Dorothys arrival
o Main Characters: Elphaba, Galinda, Madam Morrible, Nessarose, and
Fiyero
o Synopsis: Documents the life of the Witch of the West (Elphaba) and the
Witch of the North (Galinda/Glinda) before they became known as such.

Crazy for You

o Songs Include Ive Got Rhythm, They Cant Take That Away From
Me, and Things are Looking Up
o Setting: 1930s New York City
o Main Characters: Bela Zangler, Tess, Bobby Child, Polly Baker

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

o Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
o Songs include Any Dream Will Do, Whos the Thief
o Synopsis: In this retelling of the Biblical story, Joseph is a handsome
young man who is his father's favorite child, able to interpret dreams, and
the bearer of an amazing coat. These facts lead Joseph's eleven brothers to
become insatiably jealous. Thus, they sell Joseph into slavery to some
passing Ishmaelites. Eventually the family is reunited.

Rogers and Hammerstein Musicals Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals:

(among others) Joseph and the Amazing
Oklahoma Technicolor Dreamcoat
Carousel Jesus Christ Superstar
Allegro Evita
South Pacific Cats
The King and I Starlight Express
Cinderella Phantom of the Opera
The Sound of Music Sunset Boulevard
Whistle Down the Wind