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Entertainment & Arts

Pop theatricality: A 2009 primer

Theatrical flair: Costumes, costumes, costumes! Lady Gaga has said that Donatella Versace is her muse and that she lives in a permanent “state of Gaga,” where fame and confidence is something that can be willed. Though her look is from the future, her music is laced with '80s synth and pop references. So if the tunes aren’t doing it for you, perhaps you’ll be wowed by the inventive outfits – sometimes crafted out of glass. Compiled by Patrick Day, Todd Martens and Denise Martin Related: When rock stars fake it: It's not about just the music. Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Janelle Monae and others never break character. But is it real or merely an elaborate act?

Theatrical flair: Costumes, costumes, costumes! Lady Gaga has said that Donatella Versace is her muse and that she lives in a permanent “state of Gaga,” where fame and confidence is something that can be willed. Though her look is from the future, her music is laced with ‘80s synth and pop references. So if the tunes aren’t doing it for you, perhaps you’ll be wowed by the inventive outfits – sometimes crafted out of glass.

Compiled by Patrick Day, Todd Martens and Denise Martin

Related: When rock stars fake it: It’s not about just the music. Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Janelle Monae and others never break character. But is it real or merely an elaborate act?   (Matt Cardy / Getty Images)

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Green Day

Theatrical flair: Though this Bay Area band started out with lightning fast punk songs like anyone else, Green Day has recently entered into Styx territory with long-form rock operas like its Grammy-winning release “American Idiot.” The band followed that up with “21st Century Breakdown,” an 18-song effort about youthful rebellion and Baby Boomer ideals, all of it divided into three acts. But not a fan of the punk rock? Perhaps the Broadway-like makeover of “American Idiot” will be more your style, as the band is working with “Spring Awakening” director Michael Mayer to turn it into a musical.  (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Kanye West

Theatrical flair: In 2008, Kanye West released his most personal album yet in “808s and Heartbreak.” Or was it? The rapper’s foray into non-rap territory featured his most overworked vocals yet, as the whole album was manipulated with Auto-Tune. It lent a bit of coldness to the heartbreak songs, blurring the line between real and fake emotions. Oh, and then there was the whole Glow in the Dark Tour, in which Kanye performed with “Tron”-like effects and talked to a computer spaceship.  (Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images)

Miley Cyrus

Theatrical flair: Miley Cyrus plays Miley Cyrus on television. But the Miley Cyrus on television has a secret life as Hannah Montana. Where, exactly, reality ends and the stage begins isn’t always clear, but it usually comes with some frenzied dance-pop.  (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)

Katy Perry

Theatrical flair: Katy Perry’s jumbled-up fashion has gotten her attention from designers as well as music fans. She credits the 1997 film adaptation of “Lolita” as the start of her onstage persona. Songs like “I Kissed A Girl” and “UR So Gay” are meant to provoke but flirt with riskiness in the way her look nods to vintage burlesque.  (Mikael Libert / EPA)

Black Eyed Peas

Theatrical Flair: Have you ever really listened to the lyrics for “My Humps”? They go so well with the booty and booby shaking, don’t they? But none of that compares to the group’s performance of “Boom Boom Pow” on “The View,” featuring Fergie with a Terminator-like claw and dancers in full body-and-face-covering spandex. Over the years, the Black Eyed Peas have gradually been getting more absurd, both in their lyrics and futuristic playfulness.  (Richard Drew / Associated Press)

T-Pain

Theatrical flair: The thing about T-Pain is you hardly ever see or hear him. Literally. It’s all big top hats, glasses, gold grills. And almost everything he sings -- in-your-face ditties like “I’m Sprung” and “I’m N Luv (Wit A Stripper)” -- is manipulated with electronics via Auto-Tune. And yet, these theatrics earned him the No. 34 spot on Time magazine’s list of most influential people in the world. So he’s doing something right.  (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For the Times)

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