This Day on Broadway

Sunday, January 21, 2007

1/21 In Musical Theater History

Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore (288p) opens at London ’s Savoy Theater this day in 1887. Gilbert’s original title for the operetta was Ruddygore, which is a better description of the plot, a parody of Victorian melodramas. However, the operetta has the bad fortune to follow the successful Mikado,... Sign in to see full entry.

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1/20 In Musical Theater History

George and Ira Gershwin’s Pardon My English (46p) opens at the Majestic Theater today in 1933. Though two of Gershwin’s finest late songs, Isn’t It a Pity and My Cousin in Milwaukee, are in the score, the musical is a flop and producer Alex A. Aarons is forced to declare bankruptcy soon after it... Sign in to see full entry.

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Friday, January 19, 2007

1/19 In Musical Theater History

On this day in 1963, the cast of the recently-opened Oliver! performs on the Ed Sullivan Show. Georgia Brown sings As Long As He Needs Me, and Clive Revill and David Jones perform Consider Yourself. Charles Winninger, the original Captain Andy of the 1928 production of Show Boat, passes away this... Sign in to see full entry.

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Thursday, January 18, 2007

1/18 In Musical Theater History

Danny Kaye celebrates his birthday by reopening the long-shuttered Palace Theater this day with a one-man show in 1953 that runs for 128 performances. The original cast recording of Camelot starts a 12-week run as the top album on Billboard’s charts today in 1961. In September, it’s replaced with... Sign in to see full entry.

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Wednesday, January 17, 2007

1/17 In Musical Theater History

Opening on this day at the Park Theater in 1890 is the final Gilbert and Sullivan masterwork The Gondoliers (122p).The last of their works to open on Broadway, the team’s influence on musical comedy will be felt past the 19 th Century through regular visits by The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. Gwen... Sign in to see full entry.

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Tuesday, January 16, 2007

1/16 In Musical Theater History

Robin Hood composer Reginald DeKoven passes away this day in 1920. Today in 1941 the scheduled opening of Lady in the Dark is canceled because star Gertrude Lawrence has the flu. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific closes today in 1954. With its closing and the closing last September of Me and... Sign in to see full entry.

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Monday, January 15, 2007

1/15 In Musical Theater History

Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore (175p) has its first New York performance this day at the Lyceum Theater in 1879. The first G & S work to make an impact on US theater, the operetta was first heard in Boston last fall, but the New York run marks its influence on Broadway and future American... Sign in to see full entry.

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1/14 In Musical Theater History

The revised version of George and Ira Gershwin’s Strike up the Band (191p) opens at the Times Square Theater today in 1930. Author George S. Kaufman toned down the satire from the 1927 version, making most of the plot a dream sequence, changing the war aspect from cheese to chocolate, and tailoring... Sign in to see full entry.

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1/13 In Musical Theater History

The Mulligan Guards Ball (101p) opens at the Opera Comique this day in 1879. Written by the first real American musical-comedy team - David Braham (music), Tony Hart (book) and Ned Harrigan (book & lyrics) - the piece (as with many native pieces at this time, more play than musical) is a huge... Sign in to see full entry.

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Friday, January 12, 2007

1/12 In Musical Theater History

Opening this day in 1961 at the Eugene O’Neal Theater is the revue Show Girl (100p) starring Carol Channing and Jules Munchin. The show becomes Channing’s 4 th flop in a row; however, her very next show will break that run spectacularly. Opening this day at the Harkness Theater in 1977 is the South... Sign in to see full entry.

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