In the year 1930, the Queen of Musical Comedy Ethel Merman made her debut in Broadway. Who knew Merman, born as Ethel Agnes Zimmerman, walking on that Broadway stage 88 years ago, would see her to this day being a legendary figure, which she truly was. The bold, brassy, clarion-voiced superstar has an endless history of success and has made more hits among Broadway Musical Comedies that does not compare to other people now or in the past.
Merman's career was nothing less than impressive, first appearing in a George Gershwin Musical, "Girl Crazy", immediately 'wowing' the audience with her booming voice which brought the theatre down singing "I Got Rhythm." That was only the beginning for Ethel working with such masters of the time, big names
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Merman was the 'it' girl in the industry, as Murray Schumach (The New York Times) admitted "no Broadway season seemed really complete unless it had a musical with Ethel Merman." Her mystique and unique talents entertained the Broadway audience for 50 years. It was the Gypsy premiere that drew in all the stars in New York even Henry Fonda sitting in an aisle. All of them cheering and giving a standing ovation just because Ethel Merman was featured in the show. This demonstrates the powerful impact and phenomenon Ethel Merman created for the Broadway world; she has been appreciated since and in today's society is still admired with rapture.
An industrious lady is the most fitting way to describe Ethel Merman. Merman was always conscientious of her work, maintaining constant care for herself, in order to
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Merman was not regarded as a classic beauty by Broadway standards. She was compared to another Broadway star, the delicate Marilyn Miller who was a sweet, young lady who had the image and sound of a fairytale princess. Contrasting with Merman's solid build, plump rounded face and waved hair, she had a more 'hardened' look. Vocally, Merman had a gutsy, loud and clear quality, dissimilar to Miller's soft, little voice. It was between the period 1910-1940, Miller suited the typical female lead, yet this all changed when Merman hit the industry. Merman was an individual and different which made people notice. It was apparent that uniqueness seemed more appealing, and that stereotypical female lead image became mainstream, letting Merman open a new door with her
In June of 1925, Florence received vaudeville's highest honor. She was the star attraction at the Palace Theatre. By heading the bill at the Palace, she became the first black performer to have that honor.
Ethel Waters overcame a very tough childhood to become one of the most well known African American entertainers of her time. Her story, The Eye on the Sparrow, goes into great detail about her life and how she evolved from taking care of addicts to becoming the star of her own show. Ethel was born by her mother being raped at a young age. Her father, John Waters, was a pianist who played no role in Ethel’s life. She was raised in poverty and it was rare for her to live in the same place for over a year. Ethel never fit in with the rest of the crowd; she was a big girl, about five nine when she was a teenager, and was exposed to mature things early in her life. This is what helped shape Ethel to be the strong, independent woman she is.
Ella was born in Newport News, Virginia on April 25, 1917. When alled “The First Lady of Song” by some fans. She was known for having beautiful tone, extended range, and great intonation, and famous for her improvisational scat singing. Ella sang during the her most famous song was “A-tiscket A-tasket”. Fitzgerald sang in the period of swing, ballads, and bebop; she made some great albums with other great jazz artists such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong. She influenced countless American popular singers of the post-swing period and also international performers such as the singer Miriam Makeba. She didn’t really write any of her own songs. Instead she sang songs by other people in a new and great way. The main exception
In Dialogue: Theatre of America, Harold Clurman said, “we make theatre out of life” (27), and it was precisely this view that motivated him to help create a uniquely American theatre. Clurman, considered one of the most influential directors of the modern American theatre, had a unique vision of what the American theatre could become. One of the founders of the quintessentially American troupe, the Group Theatre, Clurman was a contemporary of Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg, and even married to Stella Adler for twenty years. At a ceremony honoring Clurman, Elia Kazan stated that Clurman’s “greatest achievement [was] himself” (Harold Clurman: A Life of Theatre). An important figure in our theatrical past, Clurman’s theories on theatre and directing require close attention. In this paper, I will first provide a brief biography of Clurman, second, examine his theories of theatre and directing, and lastly, I will explore his criticisms of the then-contemporary theatre, and draw conclusions to the current state of the Broadway theatre.
In 1929, Eleanor made her Broadway debut in Follow Thru. After being in a Broadway show, her stardom kept rising until she made it to Hollywood. In 1935 she appeared in her first movie, George White's 'Scandals of 1935'.From then on, she just got more and more successful. One of her more memorable performances was in ‘Broadway Melody in 1940’ dancing alongside Fred Astaire to “Begin the Beguine’.
Known mostly by her stage names, “Lady Ella”, “The Queen of Jazz”, and “The First Lady of Song”; Ella Jane Fitzgerald, born in Newport News, Virginia on April 25th 1917 was renowned for her improvisational ability in her scat singing. She never
The stage performance of Chicago offered a spectacle that I expected before attending the show. I knew there was going to be scantly clad girls with dark makeup and saucy attitudes. The performers brought to life all that was raunchy in the entertainment business during the roaring twenties. The lifestyle in Chicago featured jazz, booze, sex and crime. More importantly, Chicago had beautiful, young women with the dream of having their own Vaudeville act. The two main female characters, Velma and Roxy were two such women hoping to capture the public's attention. The composition of the show is a metaphoric integration of Vaudeville type acts amongst the book scenes and diegetic musical numbers.
Motion pictures from Hollywood had taken Broadway’s place as the king of entertainment. The main reason behind this was that because it was culturally relevant and coming out with new flashy techniques such as Todd-AO and Cinerama.
Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jeane Mortenson. A devious soul but a pure heart, a black past, but a bright future; she became one of the most idolized figures in society. Norma was definitely not born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and she never sugar coated her life to the media. She was straight forward which made her heavily known for her quotes such as “I learned to walk as a baby and I haven’t had a lesson since.” (Marilyn Monroe). This was the beginning to her life story as a hero. This may not seem inspiring or heroic to many by the lack of knowledge a person may have on Norma. In the depths of her quotes lay a deep, heartfelt life though. For this quote may seem sensational and comical to the ear, but Marilyn was transferred to many foster homes not really having a parent that would show her the way. What a good role model would do though, and what Norma courageously has shown society, is that when life knocks you down, get up and hit life back twice as hard. Norma Jeane Mortenson, married Jim Dougherty, and started working. Soon she created the character Marilyn Monroe, she dyed her hair blonde, wore short dresses, and she became the momentous and inspirational character that everyone saw through television, newspapers, and photos. She was one of the greatest actors, singers, and models of the nineteen forties and fifties. But like every hero they suffer and create their own demise. Jeane, Marilyn Monroe, is a shakespearean tragic hero, because like every hero she must fall.
The Impact of Ethel Merman Ethel Merman is described by PBS as the most successful musical comedy performer of her generation. Merman is known for contributing her loud and clear vocals to the Broadway stage and changing the way that people observe women on Broadway as well (PBS). Appearing and starring in several Broadway blockbusters, her acting career appeared to go through somewhat transitional phases to where she could act less and less like herself in character. Merman left her mark as an entertainer and her voice continues to be a spectacle. Ethel’s life before Broadway speaks a lot to her career on Broadway.
Throughout her career, Sarah Bernhardt paved the way for actors. She helped bring about more passionate, full bodied forms of acting. She also helped to break the conforming role of women on stage as the Galatea figure. She led as an example for women during the suffrage movement, and a Jewish icon during the rise of Anti-Semitism. She overcame her French counterparts restricting views of acting. Bernhardt showed that acting as a profession should be ever evolving. Even though she isn’t as popular during the 20th and 21st century, she will forever be thanked by thespians for her contributions to the art of
As in all genres, the musicals have had its share of failures. Some worthy dramas have been pressed into service and musicalized and sometimes butchered in the process, and audiences have had to watch a fine play diluted into a mediocre musical. But the successes have been many and spectacular and they have left a long lasting effect on the American art and culture.
Born on June 28, 1902, Richard Rodgers grew up in Queens, NY and was brought in a theatre-loving household. His parents loved the musicals on Broadway and his grandparents were Opera fans. Despite having hypochondria, his mother would have sheet music from the Broadway shows and would sing them for Richard and that’s how he began to learn to play the piano (Biography.com). Just a few blocks away from that spot, Oscar Hammerstein was born on July 12, 1895 into a true theatre family. His father managed a vaudeville theatre, his grandfather was an opera producer, and his uncle was a Broadway producer. Hammerstein, at the time, was studying law at Columbia University when he met Rodgers. After falling in love with the theatre, he was employed by his uncle as an assistant stage manager. (Biography.com) The rest, as they say, is history. But, while the names Rodgers and Hammerstein may sound perfect and remind you of the music you love, it wasn’t always Rodgers and Hammerstein. Both Rodgers and Hammerstein worked with other collaborative partners before pairing up. Richard Rodgers was known for working with Lorenz Hart first. They wrote 26 Broadway musicals together and wrote many classic songs, such as: "Blue Moon" (1934), "My Funny Valentine" (1937), "Isn't It Romantic?" (1932) and "Bewitched,
Bessie was born April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to a part time Baptist preacher, William Smith, and his wife Laura. The family was large and poor. Soon after she was born her father died. Laura lived until Bessie was only nine years old. The remaining children had to learn to take care of themselves. Her sister Viola then raised her. But it was her oldest brother, Clarence, who had the most impact on her. Clarence always encouraged Bessie to learn to sing and dance. After Clarence had joined the Moses Stokes Minstrel Show, Bessie got auditions. Bessie's career began when she was 'discovered' by none other than Ma Rainey when Ma's revue, the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, was passing through Chattanooga around 1912 and she had the occasion to hear young Bessie sing. Ma took Bessie on the road with the show and communicated, consciously or not, the subtleties and intricacies of an ancient and still emerging art form. (Snow).
Theatre has heavily evolved over the past 100 years, particularly Musical Theatre- a subgenre of theatre in which the storyline is conveyed relying on songs and lyrics rather than dialogue. From its origination in Athens, musical theatre has spread across the world and is a popular form of entertainment today. This essay will discuss the evolution and change of musical theatre from 1980-2016, primarily focusing on Broadway (New York) and the West End (London). It will consider in depth, the time periods of: The 1980s: “Brit Hits”- the influence of European mega musicals, the 1990s: “The downfall of musicals”- what failed and what redeemed, and the 2000s/2010s: “The Resurgence of musicals”- including the rise of pop and movie musicals. Concluding