Musicals Part 1

= AMT (1) Part 1 Vaudeville – French – Variety Show – No plot – Individual songwriters of the shows Minstrel Show – African Americans – Blackface – Fool – Burt Williams (Song – “Nobody”)

= AMT (1) Part 2 Operetta – Gilbert and Sullivan – Had plots (often farce) – Opera style Musical Comedy – Light musical form that was frivolous and for laughs

The Follies Florenz Ziegfeld – Lavish extension of vaudeville which had a permanent home and had the best, head ling performers each year. – “Showgirls” – leggy women in lavish costumes Al Jolsen – Blackface caucasion performer – The Jazz Singer (first talking pictures) Burt Williams – African American who wore blackface – song – “Nobody” (song to know) Fanny Bryce (female comedienne) – Funny Girl

Jerome Kern and Showboat Kern wrote music, Oscar Hammerstein II wrote lyrics 1927 – first American musical with serious subject matter (departure from “musical comedy” and Follies Story of many people on the “Cotton Blossom” Theme of race tackled as lead characters are mulatto “Old Man River” (song to know)

The Gershwin Brothers Of thee I sing (Pulitzer for Drama, one of 8 musicals that do so...you will need to know all 8 for the test). – 1933, political satire (President runs on the “Love” platform) Porgy and Bess (opera) – 1935 – All black characters sang, white characters spoke – “Summertime” (song to know)