with its first dramatic performances and the utterly game-changing Show Boat (1927) . With music by Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, Show Boat was the first musical to truly integrate its songs into a story that explored the social issues of Edna Ferber’s best- selling 1926 novel of the same name and produced the American standard Ol’ Man River. The Great Depression saw many lights go dark, but the release of Oklahoma (1943) began what many consider to be Broadway’s golden age. The Tony Awards were first presented in 1947; big winners included Arthur Miller, Helen Hayes, Ingrid Bergman and Patricia Neal. Kiss Me, Kate (1948) , South Pacific (1949) , Guys and Dolls (1950) , The King and I (1951) , My Fair Lady (1956) , West Side Story (1957) , The Sound of Music (1959) and Gypsy (1959) were cultural touchstones that made stars of Yul Brynner, Chita Rivera, Julie Andrews and Mary Martin and featured stage legends like Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Jerome Robbins, Bob Fosse, Harry Prince and Stephen Sondheim. Broadway’s decline in the 1960s mirrored the woes of New York City, reflected in the fact that 94 productions opened in the 1950-51 season but only 59 in 1969-70, of which 15 were revivals. A ‘Save the Theaters’ campaign in 1982 coincided with a re-emergence of long-running, critically acclaimed Broadway shows that included Cats (1982) , Les Misérables (1987) and Phantom of the Opera (1988) . Rent (1996) , a revival of Chicago (1996) and an adaptation of the Disney film The Lion King (1997) were runaway blockbusters that set the proverbial stage for future hits like Momma Mia! (2001) , Wicked (2004) , The Book of Mormon (2011) and, of course, the previously mentioned Hamilton (2015) , lighting the way for a new generation of live theater devotees in the heart of Manhattan.
Joe Wall is an American writer who’s lived and worked in Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. His affinity for the word ‘mate’ appears permanent.
73
Powered by FlippingBook