By Kieri Keys ‘24, Arts and Entertainment Staff Writer

Scene from The Band’s Visit, an award winning musical story of a lost Egyptian police band (Ahron R. Foster)

Stage musicals traditionally have three separate elements: the band, the crew, and the talent. Ever since its creation for opera in 1637, the pit band has been a hidden orchestra supporting performers from behind the scenes. Despite its location at the lip of the stage and sometimes underneath it, the pit band has always been a special, integral part of Broadway. However, in recent years, the band has become a little more than accompaniment.

Modern musical theater was created over several centuries, gathering elements from multiple types of entertainment. The artistic revolution during the 16th century Renaissance triggered the evolution of Greco-Roman stage comedies into musical entertainment. Popular forms of this new ‘musical theater’, such as ballad operas, emerged as a popular art form in England during the 17th century. In addition to bringing the distinct element of ballad vocal performance and storytelling to modern musical theater, it inspired a 30 member pit band hidden under the stage. By current standards, the first musical is considered to be The Black Crook, a story of a young village couple separated by a twisted foster mother and crooked sorcerer. The production premiered in 1866 and ran for 474 performances before the development of new musical tastes in the late 1900’s. The next musical revolution came by the new technology of synthesizers and drum machines, introducing modern rock, dance-pop, and new wave genres to the general public. As the music industry evolved, so did musical theater, but there was no place for 30 -member orchestras in the new wave.

The new music styles of the 1980s called for a redesign of the pit band. The first show to offer a different format was Pump Boys and Dinettes, awarded the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1982. This country rock/pop concert musical had no accompaniment. In addition to their singing, the show’s cast of 6 created all the music themselves with guitar, piano, banjo, fiddle, ukulele, harmonica, and props around the stage. It presented an entirely new experience to the audience. 

Thirty-five years later in 2017, The Band’s Visit opened on Broadway. As the recipient of 10 Tony Awards, The Band’s Visit elevated the concept introduced in Pump Boys and Dinettes. The show had an emotionally demanding plot executed by a cast of combined actors and musicians. By including the performance of authentic Arabic instruments on stage, the show achieved new levels of emotional storytelling through the movement of body and sound. The atmosphere created in between scenes with an Arab lute, goblet drum, and clarinet express the melancholy undertones of the character’s lives. Some of the actors played music, but even the solely supporting musicians navigated the stage as part of the story. This middle ground where the lines between the band and the performers started to blur and emerged as the new norm. In recent years, successful musicals have used  a small collection of distinct instruments located on stage to enhance the theatrical experience. In the Tony award-winning musical Hadestown, the seven accompanying musicians have perches around the stage. Throughout the show, they navigate the stage and take sections for themselves during big dance numbers. The indie-folk and jazz style of the musical requires a strong instrumental presence. Directly recognizing the importance of the players in the production, the actress who plays Persephone makes a musically timed speech acknowledging each musician and their respective craft. Hadestown went above and beyond to create a lively environment of musical opportunity. 

When the taste of mainstream music changes, it’s reflected in the popularization of musicals in corresponding genres. As pop dominated charts, modern musicals like Mean Girls and Be More Chill gained cultural relevance. The beauty of Broadway is found in its diverse selection of stories and styles. The presence of musicians on stage displays the addition of more diverse musical styles into the Broadway gene pool. Whether the musical is mythological indie jazz or southern country soft rock, these bands are getting out of the pit.

By Kieri Keys ‘24, Arts and Entertainment Staff Writer

Scene from The Band’s Visit, an award winning musical story of a lost Egyptian police band (Ahron R. Foster)

Stage musicals traditionally have three separate elements: the band, the crew, and the talent. Ever since its creation for opera in 1637, the pit band has been a hidden orchestra supporting performers from behind the scenes. Despite its location at the lip of the stage and sometimes underneath it, the pit band has always been a special, integral part of Broadway. However, in recent years, the band has become a little more than accompaniment.

Modern musical theater was created over several centuries, gathering elements from multiple types of entertainment. The artistic revolution during the 16th century Renaissance triggered the evolution of Greco-Roman stage comedies into musical entertainment. Popular forms of this new ‘musical theater’, such as ballad operas, emerged as a popular art form in England during the 17th century. In addition to bringing the distinct element of ballad vocal performance and storytelling to modern musical theater, it inspired a 30 member pit band hidden under the stage. By current standards, the first musical is considered to be The Black Crook, a story of a young village couple separated by a twisted foster mother and crooked sorcerer. The production premiered in 1866 and ran for 474 performances before the development of new musical tastes in the late 1900’s. The next musical revolution came by the new technology of synthesizers and drum machines, introducing modern rock, dance-pop, and new wave genres to the general public. As the music industry evolved, so did musical theater, but there was no place for 30 -member orchestras in the new wave.

The new music styles of the 1980s called for a redesign of the pit band. The first show to offer a different format was Pump Boys and Dinettes, awarded the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1982. This country rock/pop concert musical had no accompaniment. In addition to their singing, the show’s cast of 6 created all the music themselves with guitar, piano, banjo, fiddle, ukulele, harmonica, and props around the stage. It presented an entirely new experience to the audience. 

Thirty-five years later in 2017, The Band’s Visit opened on Broadway. As the recipient of 10 Tony Awards, The Band’s Visit elevated the concept introduced in Pump Boys and Dinettes. The show had an emotionally demanding plot executed by a cast of combined actors and musicians. By including the performance of authentic Arabic instruments on stage, the show achieved new levels of emotional storytelling through the movement of body and sound. The atmosphere created in between scenes with an Arab lute, goblet drum, and clarinet express the melancholy undertones of the character’s lives. Some of the actors played music, but even the solely supporting musicians navigated the stage as part of the story. This middle ground where the lines between the band and the performers started to blur and emerged as the new norm. In recent years, successful musicals have used  a small collection of distinct instruments located on stage to enhance the theatrical experience. In the Tony award-winning musical Hadestown, the seven accompanying musicians have perches around the stage. Throughout the show, they navigate the stage and take sections for themselves during big dance numbers. The indie-folk and jazz style of the musical requires a strong instrumental presence. Directly recognizing the importance of the players in the production, the actress who plays Persephone makes a musically timed speech acknowledging each musician and their respective craft. Hadestown went above and beyond to create a lively environment of musical opportunity. 

When the taste of mainstream music changes, it’s reflected in the popularization of musicals in corresponding genres. As pop dominated charts, modern musicals like Mean Girls and Be More Chill gained cultural relevance. The beauty of Broadway is found in its diverse selection of stories and styles. The presence of musicians on stage displays the addition of more diverse musical styles into the Broadway gene pool. Whether the musical is mythological indie jazz or southern country soft rock, these bands are getting out of the pit.