Pivotal Points in Broadway Musical Theatre History

In 1866, the biggest spectacle yet and the first form of musical theatre to originate in the U.S. was The Black Crook.

Victor Herbert was the first American Composer to become famous for his work in theatre. When he wrote Fortune Teller.

George M. Cohan, patriotic composer, became well-known due to songs like "Yankee Doodle", "Grand Old Flag", and "Over There".

The 1927 show that inspired new meaningful themes in musical theatre was Showboat, it included the famous song "Old Man River". It was one of the first plays with a serious plot and it was the first to use song to advance the plot. This would prove to be a pivotal moment in musical theatre history.

The early musical satire Of Thee I Sing was the first musical to win a Pulitzer prize.

In 1937, the government closed down The Cradle Will Rock on opening night (because the Gov. had funded the play though subsidy and then considered it too risqué to release)

The performers and audience marched down the street and went into a different Theater and performed the play right there.

In 1943, the dance first became a part of the story and character development in the hit musical Oklahoma. First play to have it's own soundtrack album also released. Oklahoma was the first play to use dance for character or plot.

In 1967, the rock musical Hair opened and captivated audiences due to the fact it captured the world of young rebelliousness.

The first concept musicalwas Company, it depicted a bachelor in his mid-thirties and his adventures in trying to find a wife. Stephen Sondheim, the man being the play, becomes most influential musical theatre composer due to the outrageous success of Company. It was the longest running Broadway musical in the 70's (now currently in 4^th place behind Phantom, Cats and Les Miz).

British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber holds the Broadway record for having 3 hit shows simultaneously on Broadway. Webber did CATS, as well as Evita, the "don't-cry-for-me-argentina" play, and many other hits.

Julie Taymor, director of The Lion King on Broadway, says the play is about a future in which racism is no longer a factor. The use of puppets in this play was a first for Western theatre and does take some things from Japanese puppet theatre (Bunraku).

In 1982, CATS debut rocked the Broadway way of things. It was the first high-tech musical and some say was more spectacle then play (due to lack of real plot structure).