Last evening’s Tony Awards broadcast was historic on multiple fronts, but there is one thing commentators and critics haven’t discussed much in regards to this particular Broadway season: it was the most musically and stylistically diverse season in history. This season’s shows channeled MANY music genres, including pop, rock, traditional musical theatre, hip hop, rap, bluegrass, latin, gospel, soul, jazz, disco, folk, R&B, and more. In fact, it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish what a true ‘Broadway sound’ is when every show on Broadway today sounds so incredibly different. To demonstrate this, let’s explore all the musicals from this past season and the styles featured within each, shall we?
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ALLEGIANCE
Primary Styles: Traditional/Legit MT, Contemporary MT
AMERICAN PSYCHO
Primary Styles: Electronic Pop/Rock
BRIGHT STAR
Primary Styles: Bluegrass, Gospel, Folk
THE COLOR PURPLE
Primary Styles: Gospel, R&B, Soul
DISASTER!
Primary Styles: ’70s Disco Pop
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Primary Styles: Traditional MT, Traditional Jewish Styles
HAMILTON
Primary Styles: Hip Hop, Rap, R&B, Contemporary MT
ON YOUR FEET
Primary Styles: Latin/Hispanic, Pop
SCHOOL OF ROCK
Primary Styles: Rock, Pop, Contemporary MT
SHE LOVES ME
Primary Styles: Traditional MT
SHUFFLE ALONG, OR, THE MAKING OF THE MUSICAL SENSATION OF 1921 AND ALL THAT FOLLOWED
Primary Styles: Traditional MT, Jazz, Ragtime
SPRING AWAKENING
Primary Styles: Folk Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock
TUCK EVERLASTING
Primary Styles: Contemporary MT, Folk, Pop
WAITRESS
Primary Styles: Pop/Rock, Folk, Alternative
So I ask, what is a ‘Broadway sound’?