Auf den Spuren der Musicaldramaturgie(n)

Dramaturgy as a concept and, more importantly, as a method did not enter the American theatre until long after the musical had been created. Accordingly, a decidedly dramaturgical view of the musical is rarely, if ever, found in production and (academic) reception. In this study, Felix Nier examines the US-American musical in terms of its dramaturgical structure. By focusing on the element song, the subgenre discourse and the socio-political component, parallel dramaturgical lines emerge that intersect, merge or diverge. According to Nier, the simultaneity of artistic and commercial logic proves to be the essence of musical dramaturgy(ies).