Exam 1 Flashcards
Harrigan and Hart Shows
“Knockdown & Slap-bang farces” about the Irish enclave in New York in 1878
Joe Weber and Kaw Fields
Immigrants who played “Mike & Meyer”; Champions of Burlesque comedy; Opened their own music hall in 1896
Sally Rand and Gypsy Rose Lee
Burlesque Stars; Sally (fan dancing), Lee (film star)
George Gershwin (pieces, known for)
1920s concert pianist; Brings a mix of jazz and classical into Broadway, does own orchestration; Starts as a show-plugger in Tin Pan Alley (Pieces: Rhapsody in Blue, Lady Be Good, Porgy, Of the I Sing), dies at 38 from a brain tumor
Ira Gershwin (style, known for)
Wrote slangy/hip/clever lyrics; Would make up dummy lyrics to remember the tunes of songs; Couldn’t read sheet music (Arthur Francis)
George M. Cohan (style)
“First famous song-and-dance man”; Self-taught on Broadway, Only Broadway performer to have a statue in NYC, Appeals to common people, Simple language construction/Yankee Characters/Tap Dance
George M. Cohan (songs, show)
Songs: Give My Regards to Broadway, Grand Ole Flag, Yankee Doodle Dandy Show: Little Johnny Jones
Gilbert and Sullivan
Create Comic Operettas
Victor Herbert (2)
Immigrant from Dublin who goes on to compose over 40 singing operettas on Broadway (Babes in Toyland, some of Follies)
Dubose Howard
Teams up with George Gershwin to make Porgy into an American folk opera in 1935
Bert Williams
Teams up with George Walker to perform a blackface double act until Walker becomes ill; Is recruited by Ziegfeld for Follies; Refused to tour in the South or onstage with a white woman
Florenz Ziegfeld
Made a legend by Anna Held; Known for Follies, ShowBoat, Glorifying the American girls, Creating revues, Creating the concept of a crossover artist, Eventually marries Billie Burke
Rodgers and Hart: Richard Rodgers
Brilliant, intelligent, classically trained (music)
Rodgers and Hart: Larry Hart
Brilliant, but also an alcoholic who struggled with his homosexuality (lyrics)
Rodgers and Hart (5)
Music pulls back to allow space for biting, cynical, slangy lyrics; Use of list songs (Shows: On Your Toes 36, Babes in Arms 37, I’d Rather be Right 37, Boys from Syracuse 38, Pal Joey 40)
Of The I Sing
George Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind with collaboration from the Gershwin Brothers; First musical to win a Pulitzer prize
Porgy & Bess
George Gershwin and Dubose Howard; Gershwin makes the mistake of running it at the theatre guild (Song: It Ain’t Necessarily So)
Hypothetical Love Song (examples)
“Make Believe” from Showboat, “People will Say We’re in Love” from Oklahoma, “If I loved you” from Carousel
Reprise (examples)
“You are Love” and “Old Man River” from Showboat, Gypsy
Jukebox Musical (examples)
Crazy for You (with Gershwin Songs), Mama Mia
Self-Referential (or Meta) Theatre (examples)
Show Boat, Kiss me Kate, Gypsy, Urinetown
Atypical Love Song (examples)
“I wish I were in Love Again” Babes in Arms
Princess Theatre
1915-1919 theatre with limited seats; Small shows with no chorus; Shows with intimate focused stories performed here
Burlesque
Cabaret style variety shows with a playful and edgy tone
