Musicals without Dancing
Musicals without Dancing
#1Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 10:47am
Saw "Waitress" yesterday (formulaic, but they do it well), and realized afterwards that although there were all those songs, there was very almost zero choreography. I mean, there's a choreographer listed in the credits, and there are non singing scenes that obviously required choreography, but there's no real dancing in the show.
Trying to figure out how common this is, looking for input from the crowd
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#2Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 11:02am
Next to Normal
Once
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
ggersten
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/06
#5Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 11:09am
Spring Awakening? (I kid! I kid! sort of) (*and yes, I know it won the Tony Award for Choreography)
#6Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 11:11am
After Les Miz beat A Chorus Line as the longest-running Broadway show (in 2002) and did "One" as a special finale, Ivan Rutherford said, "We all got into Les Miz cuz we can't dance."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX0hs_GtKpo
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#7Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 11:26am
ONCE had a great deal of Tony-nominated choreography by Steven Hoggett. I mean...I guess you could argue that it's more 'musical staging' than 'dance', but I wouldn't agree with you on that.
Even Les Miz had a little bit of waltzing in the wedding scene.
Sunday in the Park With George has mostly musical staging and very little (if any) dance. I might make the same argument about Passion, but I may just be drawing a blank.
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#9Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 11:29am
Little Women is the only one that comes to mind - there's a brief dance break during 'Five Forever' but other than that, no dancing.
"You drank a charm to kill John Proctor's wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!" - Betty Parris to Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible
#10Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 11:36am
The original production of Jekyll and Hyde had very little choreography and probably would have faired better without it since what little there was got made fun of, like the umbrella dance.
dramamama611
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/07
#11Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 11:44am
Yes, I agree with the statements about Once....but since it was non-traditional, I thought it might be what the poster was looking for.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
yankeefan7
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/14/12
#12Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 11:47am
I know "Next To Normal" did not have any and thought maybe "Avenue Q" but not sure.
#13Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 11:54am
Mr Roxy said: "I Do I Do"
I think there's choreography in I Do, I Do that qualifies as dancing.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain.
-Kad
#14Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 12:17pm
Differentiating between "musical staging" (the kind of movement that can be performed by any actor who knows the difference between left and right) and "choreography" or "dancing," (which takes more specialized skill or training), I would say that these shows have little to no real dancing:
1776
Avenue Q
Summer of '42
[title of show]
The Secret Garden
Falsettos
25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Blood Brothers
Passion
Sunset Boulevard
Rent
Triumph of Love
Putting It Together
Sweeney Todd
Jane Eyre
A Class Act
Assassins
Caroline, or Change
The Light in the Piazza
The Woman in White
Grey Gardens
A Catered Affair
Next To Normal
A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder
Fun Home
#15Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 12:20pm
I would add Les Miserables to that list. Unless you count the dancing in the wedding scene there really isn't much else.
hanabana
Leading Actor Joined: 5/12/12
#16Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 12:20pm
I am not 100% sure, but I remember that The Bridges of Madison County had little to no choreography...?
KathyNYC2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/2/10
#17Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 12:23pm
Fun Home doesn't have too much...the kids at once point and then the retro number..
#18Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 12:23pm
That list is pretty comprehensive, but I would argue that "Come to the Fun Home" negates Fun Home. There is clearly some dancing and choreography there.
Mr Roxy
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/17/03
#19Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 12:25pm
Wldhorn's Dracula & The Civil War ?
Poster Emeritus
Falling
Stand-by Joined: 12/1/14
#20Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 12:27pm
"Come to the Fun Home" and "Raincoat of Love" aren't really that complicated. It's not the same level as "A Chorus Line" or "Chicago" or even something like "The King and I". (Not knocking the cast of Fun Home at all...but the choreography of the two songs mentioned above is probably not enough to warrant calling it a 'dance piece' or a 'dance heavy' one-and I suspect that cast would agree.)
#21Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 12:32pm
^ Well...sure. But there is a credited choreographer and those numbers have set choreography. It's not a lot, but it's there. I'd also argue that rent has choreography, particularly in Contact. I'd never call either of these dance musicals, but, as a musical actor who doesn't really do a lot of choreography, I couldn't do what those that little kid in Fun Home does...nor could I dance Contact in Rent. But the rest of newintown's list is pretty spot on.
#22Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 12:32pm
Also:
Floyd Collins
Goblin Market
Smoke On The Mountain
Pump Boys and Dinettes
Oil City Symphony
Romance in Hard Times
My Life with Albertine
Far From Heaven
The Green Heart
Falling
Stand-by Joined: 12/1/14
#23Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 12:36pm
Many of the shows listed were nominees for best choreography. Choreography means movement-I don't think of it always having to be 'dancing'. (Perhaps a more apt term here is dance-driven musicals or 'dance-heavy'?)
#24Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 7:03pm
Perhaps most oddly, Do I Hear a Waltz? Arthur Laurents, IIRC, called it "2 hours of strolling".
Also A Little Night Music, Passion, Into the Woods and, as far as I can recall, Sunday in the Park with George. I believe Sweeney has only a bit of faux minuet during the rape scene.
Updated On: 9/21/15 at 07:03 PM
asmith0307
Broadway Star Joined: 8/5/14
#25Musicals without Dancing
Posted: 9/21/15 at 8:39pm
Next to Normal had a little choreography. I'm Alive and My Psychopharmacologist and I both had dancing (given it was very basic, but it existed none the less).
