Scenery and Costumes
The 2000s brought many interesting updates to the genre of musical films.They were bigger, brighter, and more high tech. In movies such as 2002's Chicago, fancy, big-budget sets were used, such as a giant wall of lights in the finale.Though it fit with the plot, the show was set during Prohibition, at which time it would have been unlikely to have such an extravagant set piece. Costumes were full of glitter and pizazz, using costumes from the time period but updating them for a modern audience. Les Miserables (2012) took a different approach to scenery and costuming, using impressive set pieces and locations, but trying to make them look as historically accurate as possible. Costumes were again a modern take on the historically accurate, but were a bit more toned down. In a change of pace, 2008's Mamma Mia! takes place in a presumably modern time. As such, scenery and costumes are simply modern day items. Rent, filmed in 2005 but based in New York City, 1989, aimed to recreate the unique plethora of styles of the city. The sets showed the lack of wealth of most of the characters, as well as the beginning of things we now consider modern. The costumes reflected each character's personality, wether it be Joanne the lawyer in her business suit or Maureeen the performer in outrageous ensembles. The bright colors used throughout the movie payed homage to the trends of the 80s. The cult-following super-hero/villain themed musical, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along-Blog, originally posted online before eventually being put on DVD as well, represents a alternate-universe take on its 2008 time of creation. Since it was very low budget, filmed during the Writer's Strike and not even paying the actors right away, sets were mostly real-life locations in Los Angeles. Costumes were, in many cases, just a tshirt and jeans.
Languages and Songs
Throughout all the movie musicals being examined in this section, coloquialisms of the time period are expressed. Different cadences and speech patterns are used to show different time periods, alongside accents and word choice. Chicago's 20s setting employs terms from then, as Rent makes reference to various objects thought of as particular to the 80s and 90s. Dr Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog uses many slang terms of the 2000s. Despite these attempts at historical accuracy, many aspects of the 2000s show through in their speech, seeing as the actors were all living in that time period while making these movies. The songs from these films show many aspects of the 2000s being portrayed through them. Chicago talks of wanting fame and wealth, a topic very popular during the 2000s. Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, Rent, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog all talk of looking for love, romance, and one's place in the world. All of them address social issues relevant at their time of creation, such as over-glorification of fame, fair pay, sexuality, and government.
Pop Culture References
In Chicago, the song “Roxie” is about one of the lead’s search for fame and her desperation in doing this. Many people, especially in this day and age, are willing to do whatever it takes to be famous, thinking it will make them happy. There are ridiculous stunts on YouTube, increasing numbers of reality television shows, and endless self-promotion through social media. Les Miserables is also about the endless search for happiness, however it takes a different approach to the subject, focusing less on material wealth and artificial joy and more on true love. Today, more than ever, fiction and fantasy, spurred on by the internet, has led to a generation of hopeless romantics. This search for love is reflected again and again, playing a main role in then other movies covered here. Mamma Mia! details the struggle of one girl to meet her father before she is married to her fiancé. Rent focuses on the lives of several different characters, especially their relationships and how they deal with AIDS. Neil Patrick Harris's character in Dr. Horrible is continually trying to work up the courage to talk to his crush, Penny, who subsequently begins dating his arch enemy. In short, all of these movies exemplify the universal and timeless theme of love, fixated on even more nowadays than ever.