The American musical sets the standard for the cultural understanding of the genre as a whole, speakers at this week’s Center for Constructive Alternatives said. 

The CCA, titled “The American Musical,” was the fourth CCA of the academic year and ran from March 3-7. It included showings of classic American musical films and lectures from experts on the subject.

The CCA’s first event was a showing of “Singin’ in the Rain,” starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor.

The same evening featured a lecture by Ken Bloom, author of “Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time.”

Bloom spoke on the history of the American musical, which he said originated in the operetta and opera, first with spoofs of operas. 

“Most modern Broadway musicals lack creativity and include songs that don’t contribute to the plot,” Bloom said. 

Friends of the college, students, and parents again crowded into Plaster Auditorium on Monday afternoon to watch Rodger and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” starring Shirley Jones and Gordan MacRae.

After watching the two-hour-and-25-minute movie, Oscar Hammerstein II’s nephew, John Steele Gordon, lectured on the history of Rodger’s musical partnership with Lorenz Hart, an American lyricist of the 1930s. He also covered how Rogers and Hammerstein began to work together and the different ways in which their first hit “Oklahoma!” influenced every musical that came after it. 

“The beautiful morning of the golden age of musicals dawned with ‘Oklahoma!,’” Gordon said.

“Oklahoma!” influenced “The Music Man,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” and “West Side Story,” according to Gordon.

Attendees watched “The Music Man,” starring Robert Preston and Shirley Jones, on Tuesday.

“‘The Music Man’ ran 1,375 days on Broadway,” said Mark Cabaniss, lecturer on “The Music Man” and author of “Miracle of The Music Man: The Classic American Story of Meredith Willson.”

The film is about the transforming power of music and love and faith, according to Cabaniss.

Sophomore Ava-Marie Papillon said she loved Cabaniss’ engagement with the audience.

“He just brought the stories to life,” Papillon said. “I also loved when he actually performed the song ‘Ya Got Trouble.’ You could tell he is passionate about ‘The Music Man’ and musicals just by that flawless performance.”

The 1974 musical “That’s Entertainment!” played on Wednesday as the last film of the event. Recording artist Mark Steyn, author of “Broadway Babies Say Goodnight: Musicals Then and Now,” presented the final lecture entitled “American Musicals and the Great American Songbook.” 

A faculty roundtable discussion will close the CCA today at 4 p.m, featuring Dean of Faculty Mark A. Kalthoff, Professor of Theatre James M. Brandon, Chairman and Associate Professor of Theatre Christopher Matsos, and Department of Music Accompanist Thomas Ryskamp.

“As a huge fan of old movie musicals, it’s been a lot of fun to watch musicals with a whole audience of people and to get to watch some of them with my friends for the first time,” sophomore Anna Teply said. “My favorite so far has been ‘Singing in the Rain,’ because it’s such a funny and joyful movie.”