MUSICAL THEATRE A History This page intentionally left blank MUSICAL THEATRE A History John Kenrick 2008 The Continuum International Publishing Group Inc 80 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038 The Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd The Tower Building, 11 York Road, London SE1 7NX www.continuumbooks.com Copyright © 2008 by John Kenrick All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers. Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kenrick, John. Musical theatre : a history / John Kenrick. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-8264-2860-8 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8264-2860-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Musicals—History and criticism. I. Title. ML2054.K46 2008 782.1'409 —dc22 2007039005 This book is dedicated to Mary Pinizzotto Kenrick Marotta and Frank Crosio. Neither my life nor this book would be possible without their unfailing support. This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS A cknowledgments 9 Introduction “Let’s Start at the Very Beginning . . .” 11 1 Ancient Times to 1850—“Playgoers, I Bid You Welcome!” 18 2 Continental Operetta (1840–1900)— “Typical of France” 35 3 American Explorations (1624–1880)— “The Music of Something Beginning” 50 4 Gilbert and Sullivan (1880–1900)— “Object All Sublime” 75 5 The Birth of Musical Comedy (1880–1899)— “It Belong’d to My Father Before I Was Born” 95 6 A New Century (1900–1913)—“Whisper of How I’m Yearning” 111 7 American Ascendance (1914–1919)—“In a Class Beyond Compare” 134 8 Al Jolson—“The World’s Greatest Entertainer” 156 9 The Jazz Age (1920–1929)—“I Want to Be Happy” 168 10 Depression Era Miracles (1930–1940)— “Trouble’s Just a Bubble” 207 11 A New Beginning (1940–1950)—“They Couldn’t Pick a Better Time” 238 8 CONTENTS 12 Broadway Takes Stage (1950–1963)— “The Street Where You Live” 265 13 Rock Rolls In (1960–1970)—“Soon It’s Gonna Rain” 298 14 New Directions (1970–1979)—“Vary My Days” 318 15 Spectacles and Boardrooms—“As If We Never Said Goodbye” 342 16 Musical Comedy Returns (The 2000s)— “Where Did We Go Right?” 370 Suggested Reading: An Annotated Bibliography 383 Recommended Web Resources 394 Index 395 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It would be impossible for me to thank all the people who have inspired, assisted, and cajoled me in the process of creating this book, but a few curtain calls are in order. My fi rst thanks goes to Hilary Cohen, whose eagle eye averted many a grammatical and factual disaster. Heaven be praised for Marty Jacobs, curator of the theatre collection at the Museum of the City of New York, who welcomed my offer to catalog George M. Cohan’s eclectic archive. He then set me to work on the archives of Ethel Merman, Mary Martin, and so many others. Oh those joyous, dusty hours uncovering history! I am equally thankful for the existence of the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts, which has been my home away from home since high school. I particularly thank Bruce Levy, whose friendship is even more priceless than his vast private collection of musical theatre recordings and memorabilia. Thanks also to those colleagues who have encouraged my efforts over the years, including Peter Filichia, Miles Kreuger, Kurt Ganzl, and Professor Meg Bussert. A thousand thanks to the folks at Continuum Publishing for deciding that it was time for a new book on this subject, to the always elegant Ken Giniger for pursuing the idea, and to the York Theatre’s dedicated and brilliant artistic director Jim Morgan for suggesting that these good people talk to me. The York is one of the true hopes for the future of musical theatre, and I am proud to be a friend and cheerleader for that resourceful company. I also thank my students at New York University’s Steinhardt School and at Marymount Manhat- tan College. Their questions and enthusiasm made teaching a joy and helped to shape every chapter of this volume. It is not a very ancient saying, but it is a true and honest thought that “when you become a