In recent years, musicals have taken on a new tone. Most people think of classics like Phantom of the Opera, The Sound of Music, or even West Side Story when they hear about a musical. While musicals have been a popular source of entertainment for decades, only recently have they started catching with modern trends in popular music.

This article was inspired by watching The Greatest Showman, which has a unique style of music for a film based in the early 1900s. Even though using popular styles of music can produce poor technique in performers, this article will look more from the perspective of the audience.

Most musicals earlier than the 21st-century have a standard pit orchestra to accompany the performers, and the music that is performed tends to be in a classical or jazz style. However, when Hamilton hit Broadway, it seemed to lock in a new direction for modern musicals. I will also focus on Dear Evan Hansen and The Greatest Showman in the rest of the article as examples of the modern musical.

The introduction of Hamilton to the Broadway stage changed the path of music composition for the stage. Hamilton utilizes a variety of styles from R&B, hip-hop, and British invasion pop, and the musical displays a unique use of those styles: to tell the story of a great historical figure. This 2015 musical and the 2018 movie The Greatest Showman pulled off a musical retelling of an unexpected historical time.

I can honestly say, if it wasn't for the well-written music of these musicals, I would not be interested in a musical about Alexander Hamilton or P.T. Barnum. But because the composers used modern styles for the soundtrack, they made these musicals enjoyable and accessible for a larger audience than say Les Miserables.

The Greatest Showman, similar to Hamilton, uses hip-hop and other popular styles for the bases of the soundtrack, which are unexpected for a historical story. Honestly, all these elements combined with Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron make this film irresistible.

Dear Evan Hansen, while using popular styles, stick to the indie side of things. This soundtrack uses acoustic melodies to accompany the beautiful voice of Ben Platt. This style I find particularly interesting because the acoustic style is very natural and light, and it allows the musical numbers to flow seamlessly and appear without shocking the audience.

The modernization of musicals has done wonders to make them accessible to the general population. Musical traditionalists may dislike this direction and prefer the traditional pit orchestra. I for one am glad that the wonderful medium of musicals is becoming universally enjoyable.