Theater

American theater is traditionally dated from the arrival of Lewis Hallam's English troupe in Williamsburg in 1752. Theater became a more pervasive part of American life during the early nineteenth century and the two decades before and after the turn of the century were golden years for theater. Audiences could choose between legitimate theater, ballet, vaudeville, burlesque, and opera. In the second half of the 19th century, vaudeville emerged. From the 1880s through the 1930s, vaudeville's fast-paced collage of music, comedy, dance, novelty numbers, and skits appealed to a large audience.

In 1866, the "The Black Crook" was produced and the American musical was born. Song, dance, and spectacle were grafted onto an existing melodrama. By the end of the nineteenth century the American musical stage encompassed a number of genres: Operettas, topical musicals and revues with roots in minstrel shows. After World War I, Broadway entered a golden period. Ever since the production of "West Side Story" in 1957, dance has been integral to the story. Performers now had to sing, dance, and act - the triple-threat talent required for most subsequent shows. Rock 'n' roll pushed Broadway out of its place as the trendsetter of American popular music.

Today's American theater might be divided into three categories. First, Broadway productions persist and many new plays, usually about 50 productions a season, are presented first in the theater district of New York City. Second, many fine regional theaters produce some of the best new drama. Subsidized by corporations, foundations and the government, regional theater for some critics represents the best hope of American drama. Finally, colleges and universities support active theater programs. Musicals may still rule on Broadway, but it also launches some great new American plays.

Vocabulary notes

Variety-разнообразие

Value-ценность

Mainstream-основное направление

absorb-впитывать

expansion-расширение

impact-влиять, воздействовать

media-средства массовой информации

hegemony-господство

subscribe-подписываться

remote-отдаленный

via satellite-через спутник

donation-дар, подношение

pervasive-пропитывающий, заполняющий

spur- подгонять, побуждать

cater-обеспечивать, обслуживать

leisure time-досуг

consumer-потребитель

goods-товары

seditious-бунтарский

libel-клевета

giant-гигантский

celebrity-знаменитость

legitimate-узаконивать

encompass-окружать