Since it hit Australian shores in March 2021, Hamilton has been captivating Australian audiences, setting a box office record for musical theatre tickets sold in Australia well before the first show, continuing this momentum well into 2023 as it heads to Brisbane. But what has really made audiences go so crazy? Is it the show or is it something bigger?

Hamilton is a modern example of a megamusical, which is basically a regular musical on steroids. As Hamilton has exploded around the world, the megamusical has resurfaced in the public consciousness. But what is it about this genre of theatre that millions of fans worldwide hold particularly dear? And why is it so unique?

You may not be a theatre fan at all. In fact, musical theatre is one of the most polarising genres of music out there – people seem to either love it or hate it. But the megamusical is commercial, it’s colourful and it’s larger than life. This makes it accessible to a much wider audience. 

Okay, so what exactly is a megamusical and how is it different to traditional musical theatre?

Built off the traditions of 19^th century French opera, the megamusical takes everything that a regular musical does and magnifies it. Described as the musical equivalent of a “blockbuster” film, megamusicals are large-scale musicals that are typically produced for huge commercial profit. Throughout the 19^th century, French operas were the height of entertainment, oozing opulence with intricate and elaborate sets and melodramatic plots. Megamusicals have similar characteristics, as they are also traditionally sung-through which means that there is little to no dialogue throughout the show. For some viewers, this is more natural than the typical musical, where dialogue is often awkwardly interspersed with song. 

The megamusical also resembles the opera in its elaborate choreography, full-sized orchestra, large cast and bombastic staging. Like the opera before, megamusicals often feel more like an event than a show and consequently, cater to a much wider audience and range of musical interests. 

Whilst other musicals may have some of these characteristics, they won’t have all the qualities of a megamusical. Unashamedly cheesy ‘jukebox’ musicals like Mamma Mia may feature the same style of elaborate choreography but sometimes feel contrived due to the sudden explosions into song. Other musicals might focus on realism, in contrast to the irreverent approach of the megamusical. Whilst this may be a more faithful depiction, it’s often less exciting and engaging for the casual fan. 

The biggest difference between megamusicals and traditional musical theatre is that in megamusicals, characters and themes will often be represented by a main motif. And it won’t be subtle either. If the main character walks onto stage, they’ll almost always have a musical theme that identifies them. It might be a note, it might be a melodic pattern, but you’ll definitely notice it. 

Where did the megamusical come from?

Whilst the megamusical drew clear aesthetic influence from 19^th century French opera, the musical influences of the genre are just as wide-ranging. Musical theatre more broadly developed from operetta, a lighter, often comic form of opera which interspersed songs with choreography, dialogue and orchestral music for the first time. Think Gilbert and Sullivan. 

As more contemporary styles of music like swing and slow jazz started to become more mainstream in the 1920s, musical theatre hit the Golden Age. This incorporated these increasingly popular styles and reflected the final phase where musicals were still the primary form of entertainment for the family. Television was just starting to come into fashion and entertainment still needed to be outsourced to the stage.

As television started to become more accessible in the 1960s and 1970s, interest in the musical started to decline. Families were less interested in going out to see a show anymore when entertainment was easily accessible on television. Popular music was also starting to shift more and more into rock n’roll, which wasn’t being reflected in theatre. 

Composers had to do something different. Ergo the birth of the megamusical. Reinvented at the height of the British invasion, the musical in this new form could now compete with the drama of television and other forms of entertainment. This produced a bombastic spectacle, featuring the musical styles of the day, which appealed to the general public as well as diehard musical fans. 

What are some megamusicals I might know? 

Many of the biggest musicals of the last 30 years have been megamusicals. Andrew Lloyd Webber was the composer who launched the megamusical. His ground-breaking production, Jesus Christ Superstar, was not technically a megamusical (as it didn’t have a completely sung-through score), but it still set the stage for the megamusical with its rock score and larger than life plot. With his follow-ups, Cats and The Phantom of the Opera, Lloyd-Webber established himself as the king of the megamusical. 

As Lloyd-Webber was making his mark, other composers began to jump on the megamusical bandwagon. Claude-Michel Schonberg and Alain Boublil combined to write Les Miserables and later Miss Saigon, two of the highest grossing musicals ever. These two musicals really characterised the genre with their bombastic scores, full-sized pit orchestras and melodramatic plots. 

Interestingly, megamusicals tend to be based on historical events or famous texts: Les Mis was adapted from the Victor Hugo novel of the same name; Miss Saigon was adapted from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly; Cats was adapted from poems by T.S. Eliot and of course, Jesus Christ Superstar was based upon the Bible. 

Who wrote megamusicals?

You may have noticed that these composers are all European. From the birth of the megamusical to the end of the 20^th century, the megamusical was a distinctly British genre. Whilst other European composers contributed their works, the main place to see megamusicals was on the West End in London. It was only when Stephen Schwartz wrote Wicked that the megamusical started to explode in America as well. 

However, there are some particularly gorgeous non-English megamusicals as well. Notre Dame de Paris is a classic, being performed in over 100 countries and being one of the highest grossing musicals of all time. Riccardo Cocciante constructs a beautifully well-written score which melds drama, passion, romance and revenge in a seamless way. It’s a shame that the musical has never made its way to Australia as it has a dramatic bite that even Les Mis sometimes lacks. 

What about now? How has the megamusical come back into fashion?

Megamusicals often meditate on the social issues of the time. Miss Saigon grappled with the Vietnam War, Wicked championed female empowerment and Jesus Christ Superstar went as far as challenging the Bible. As long as these types of issues remain topical, the genre will live on. 

Hamilton is the archetypal megamusical and has brought the genre back into fashion. It has a sung-through score, a melodramatic plotline, grand staging and crazy choreography. The only difference is that the score is based on hip-hop music. This is also to be expected. The music of megamusicals has always reflected the music of the time. Jesus Christ Superstar has a booming rock score. Musicals like Phantom and Les Mis started to use the 80s synthesiser. And Wicked, which returns to Sydney next year, has the typical pop score of the 2000s – brash, exciting and flamboyant. As music evolves, the megamusical will also continue to evolve. 

Okay, so why should I go see a megamusical?

Megamusicals spark crazes. Jesus Christ Superstar had grossed $237 million by 1980. Phantom has grossed over $6 billion. And Hamilton is obsessively followed and sung all over the world. People just love megamusicals.

But most importantly, megamusicals have managed to make going out to the theatre appealing to a wider audience. By infusing pop music with operatic tropes, Andrew Lloyd-Webber created a genre that had the substance of an opera without the ‘elitist’ connotations.

This has resulted in a style that is accessible and appealing to fans of the musique du jour. 

So why should you go see a megamusical? Because a megamusical is more than just a show, it’s an event. It’s fun, it’s brash and it’s an experience. From fancy costumes to vivacious celebrations of music and dance, there truly is something in the megamusical for everybody. And with theatre in Australia returning to its pre-COVID peak with megamusicals such as Wicked on the horizon, it’s never been a better time to experience the megamusical in all its glory.