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Ancient Times to 1850—

“Playgoers, I Bid You Welcome!”

T
heatre is a communal activity where one or more people act
out a story for an audience, so it is fair to suggest that musical
theatre can trace its roots back to the religious rituals of pre-
historic humankind. As practiced by still-existing primitive tribes,
these ceremonies involve many elements that one expects in musi-
cal theatre, including costumes, makeup, props, choreography—and
music, in the form of chants accompanied by drums and possibly
other instruments. However, other than a smattering of cave paint-
ings, little solid evidence exists as to what the earliest of these rituals
looked or sounded like. (No doubt some prehistoric critic sat by the
communal cave fire saying, “Ah, the old Manhood Ritual Dance . . .
they don’t write ‘em like that anymore!) So we will begin our discus-
sion with the earliest form of musical theatre that left behind acces-
sible literature.

“The Glory That Was Greece”

Anyone who thinks that Oklahoma! was the first integrated musical
is off by a few dozen centuries. The dramas of ancient Greece used
dialogue, song, and dance as integrated storytelling tools. In short,
the early Greek dramas were musicals, and while they had little direct
effect on the development of modern musical theatre, it is reassuring
to know that the first theatre was musical—and that showtunes have
been around for 2,500 years.