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History of Broadway
NYC - a melting pot of creativity: Broadway's beginnings
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan (mid 1800s-early 1900s) | Operettas. combined classical with contemporary. utilised chorus in storytelling. created character archetypes. blend social commentary with musical entertainment. Began the shaping of what is now a modern day musical |
| Vaudeville (late 1800s-1900s) | Many fast-paced short acts, 10-15 mins each. cheap prices. increase in radio and video saw decrease in this style of stage show. Reminiscent of/inspiration to circus. musicians, dancers, comedians, animal acts, etc. |
| Florenz Ziegfeld (1907-1931) | impresario of broadway, shows known as "Follies'. portrayed all goings on of america in his shows. understood 'sex sells'; female performers were beautiful and glamorous. included black americans into american culture through comedy in his shows. |
| George M Cohan (1878-1942) | "the song and dance man". performing since childhood. established american style of performance and musical theatre. integrated song, dance, dialogue in ways never seen before. wrote contomporary american humour, and felt relatable to his audiences. |
| Irving Berlin | Immigrant who moved to US with no musical skills. prolific songwriter with 60 year+ career. incorporated pop music into musical theatre, and was the first songwriter to successfully write lyrics in american vocabulary. music inspired by ragtime |
| Tin Pan Alley | a street in new york where songwriters would sell songs for a dime, dropping the coin into a tin pan placed beside the muso's instrument. customers could then take the sheet music home and play the songs for themselves. where Berlin started his career. |
| Fanny Brice (1891-1951) | started as an atypical Zeigfeld girl. represented the jewish community on stage. known for incredible talent, and her ability to rapidly switch between characters she played on stage. had her own one-woman act. 'Funny Girl' semi-autobiographical of her. |
| Egbert Williams | black comedy performer forced to perform black face to be taken seriously. had a job at the Follies, but refused to travel in the south or with white women for his own safety. brought to US the cakewalk. starred in broadway's first all black cast musical. |
| Minstrelsy | both white and black performers doing blackface to an audience of white people - making fun of and disrespecting black people. watered down the talents of black performers by forcing them to perform faux stereotypes invented by white people. |
| the red summer - 1919 | a summer of strikes, protest and riot across 26 US states. triggered by black boy swimming on the 'white' side of Lake Michigan, and being killed by a white man. returning black soldiers refused work, leading to industry strikes |
| broadway performers strike | 7th august-6th september 1919. lead by broadway union. won paycheck for rehearsal process, funding of costumes for performers, and secure contracts. |
| Jerome Kern (1885-1945) | Worked with music publishers to americanise british shows. strung songs together into cohesive plotlines - relatable plots, fleshed out characters. native newyorker who studied in NY, UK and Germany |
| Showboat - 1927 | first cohesive musical. followed lives of performers on the cotton blossom across several decades. themes of racism, social injustice, love and social change. integrated serious themes into musical format with narrative weaved into songs of varying styles |
| stock market crash - 1929 | created immense unemployment. people used theatre as an escape from daily struggles. musicals began reflecting society in a different way, based on the stress and upset america was facing at the time |
| the cradle will rock (1937) | written by marc biltzstein. tackles issues of labour rights and corporate greed. show opening faced government trying to shut it down - cast performed the show from the audience. shows how music theatre could be used as a platform for social/ commentary |
| of thee i sing (1931) | written by george gershwin. a satirical comedy about american politics and presidential election. |
| cole porter (1891-1964) | wrote songs known for being clever, with urban lyrics and memorable melodies. pushed social boundaries with risque themes, adding realism to his work. wanted to live life of theatre and be a NY socialite. helped bring different music styles to theatre. |
| George Gershwin (1898-1937) | american composer/pianist of MT, jazz and classical. collabed with brother Ira, a writer. combined classical elements with MT. master of blending music styles. added texture to scores many pieces lacked at the time |
| Porgy and Bess (1935) | tells story of african american people in carolina in the 30s. rich, complex music with appreciation for african american musical tradition. broke stigma surrounding black americans, served as a platform for black performers and a polar to minstrelsy. |
Created by:
Millie Cullender
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