Musical Theatre Meets Reality TV: An Investigation Into Canadian and Global Contexts

• In Event: Communities of Sound: Affect and Aesthetics in the Sonic Domain

Abstract

This paper serves as an investigation into the recent trend in talent-competition reality TV to feature musical-theatre-based programs dedicated to casting a musical theatre show. The paper will provide a discussion of the generic definition and history of musical theatre reality TV (MTRTV). Secondly, the paper will turn towards an explication of the format as an important program model in recent economic, political, and global contexts. Next, the paper will present two case studies of Canadian versions of MTRTV formats: How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria (CBC) and Over the Rainbow (CBC), which involve casting the leads for Toronto productions of musicals—The Sound of Music (Maria), and The Wizard of Oz (Rainbow). Attention will be paid to the international development of the format, the political economy of Canadian production contexts, network strategies, and links between the TV show and other intertexts bound up in the programs.

Author

• Christine Quail, McMaster U