The American Musical See notes handout, p. 3 C. 3. a.

1) Major American contribution to world of theatre

2) Evolved from vaudeville Think about musicals you have seen or been in. What types of acts from vaudeville became part of the American musical?

In the early 1900s, musical revues were strung along a very slight and formulaic plot outline, always ending with a girl and boy together and the evil people punished.

Showboat in 1927 was the first major musical to have a substantial plot and dynamic—rather than flat and stereotypical—characters. It was written by Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern and had a cast of both white and black characters. Above, Paul Robeson in the 1951 film version. He played in the original stage production in 1928.

Porgy & Bess (1935) With music written by George and Ira Gershwin, and book adapted by DuBose Heyward from a novel he had written in 1926, Porgy & Bess is an opera, not traditional musical.

It opened on Broadway in 1927 and ran for 367 performances. The story is a simple one, set in Charleston, South Carolina, at the turn of the century in a small black enclave called Catfish Row. It tells about Porgy, a crippled beggar who travels about in a goat-drawn cart, and who falls in love with Bess, a woman of uncertain reputation who is under the domination of a stevedore named Crown. Crown kills a Catfish Row inhabitant in a craps game and flees. When he returns for Bess, he is killed in a fight with Porgy. Porgy goes to jail, and Bess is enticed to New York by a flashy gambler, Sportin' Life. At the opera's end, Porgy is heading to New York to search for her. It opened on Broadway in 1927 and ran for 367 performances. Although the performance was segregated, people in Harlem celebrated the event. Everybody seemed to know someone in the cast. The Complicated Life of Porgy and Bess by James Standifer http://www.neh.gov/news/humanities/1997-11/porgy.html

3) Beginning with Oklahoma in 1943,. plot told through a combination 3) Beginning with Oklahoma in 1943, plot told through a combination of dialogue, songs, and dance

4) Reached height of popularity in 1940s What was going on in the early to mid-1940s? Might there be any relationship?

Carousel 1945 University of Michigan

Brigadoon (1947) Howard Jones’ (UNCSA) design

Guys & Dolls, 1950

The King and I (1951)

My Fair Lady (1956) starred Julie Andrews, who sang beautifully, and Rex Harrison, who spoke/sang his role. When the motion picture was made, Audrey Hepburn was selected for the role, and her singing was done by Marnie Nixon.

West Side Story (1957) is a modern day adaptation of the Romeo and Juliet story, set in NYC with a feud between rival gangs.

Pictures from the original Broadway production

Publicity photo from the movie of West Side Story

Hair opened Off-Broadway in 1968 and moved to Broadway in 1969

The 2009 Broadway revival of Hair

A Chorus Line (1976)

Broadway Revival Broadway Revival

42nd St. (1980)

Into the Woods (1986-87)

Rent (1996) Broadway production in previews

Wicked (2003)

The American musical is escapist to its very core. In our current economic climate, watch for musicals to become even more popular than they have been in recent years.