Abandoned Theater, United States

Music and theatre have always had a close relationship since ancient times. Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, spoken dialogue and dance. Modern musical theatre emerged from the comic opera (especially Gilbert and Sullivan), variety, vaudeville, and music hall genres of the late 19th and early 20th century. Musical theatre may include spectacle as well. For instance, contemporary Broadway and West End musicals often include lavish costumes and sets supported by multi-million dollar budgets.
• Comedy
Theatre productions that use humour as a vehicle to tell a story qualify as comedies. This may include a modern farce such as Boeing Boeing or a classical play such as As You Like It. Theatre expressing bleak, controversial or taboo subject matter in a deliberately humorous way is referred to as black comedy.