What Was Musical Theatre Like in the 1920s?

Musical Theatre|Theater

The 1920s was an era of great change and creativity in the field of musical theatre. This period saw the emergence of new forms of musical theatre, as well as an increase in production and popularity. During this era, musicals began to become more sophisticated and complex, incorporating a wide range of styles and techniques.

The first big success in the 1920s was the Broadway show “Oh, Kay! “, which ran for over two years.

It was one of the first musicals to use jazz music as part of its score, which helped propel it to success. Other popular shows from this era included “Show Boat”, “No No Nanette”, “The Music Man” and “My Fair Lady”. These shows incorporated a variety of styles from ragtime to vaudeville, blues to Broadway-style show tunes.

In addition to these larger-scale musicals, there was also a surge in popularity for smaller revues. These revues featured short skits, sketches, songs and dances that were often performed in cabarets or intimate clubs.

These shows were usually comedic in nature and often featured risqué jokes or themes. Popular revues from this period include “The Passing Show” and “The Greenwich Village Follies”.

Musical theatre saw a significant change during this time with the arrival of operettas such as Gilbert and Sullivan’s “H.M.S Pinafore” (1878) and “The Mikado” (1885). Operettas were lighthearted stories with humorous lyrics set to light music that sometimes had political or social messages woven into them. This style would become popularized by other composers such as Franz Lehar (“The Merry Widow”) and Victor Herbert (“Naughty Marietta”).

During this decade, African American artists also began to make their mark on the art form with their own unique style known as “jazz opera” or “black opera” which combined elements of jazz music with traditional operatic elements such as recitatives and arias. This style gained popularity with works like W.C Handy’s “St Louis Blues” (1914) and George Gershwin’s “Porgy & Bess” (1935).

Overall, musical theatre in the 1920s was a vibrant art form that saw an explosion in innovation, creativity, production values and popularity. The decade saw an array of different styles from jazz to operetta that all contributed to making musical theatre one of the most beloved art forms today.

Conclusion

In conclusion, musical theatre in the 1920s was an incredibly dynamic period that saw a variety of different styles emerge such as jazz opera and operettas while allowing for increased production values across all genres that have helped shape what we now know today as modern musical theatre.