THEATRE & PERFORMANCE FEATURES
A History of Musicals
Welcome to the History of Musicals! Discover the origins and different traditions of the British and American musical, the revue and of course, meet the stars.
First Musicals
The Beggar’s Opera written by John Gay was the forerunner of today’s musicals. It was the first musical show to mix dialogue with songs. The Beggar’s Opera opened at Lincoln’s Inn Fields on 28th January 1728. It ran for 62 performances over the season – a record for the time.
Revue
Revue developed in the 1890s and was a collection of short sketches, songs, dances, comic interludes and even short plays. It differed from variety in that the acts were linked by a topical idea or theme.
Modern American Musicals
The first American musical, The Black Crook, opened in 1866 at Niblo’s Garden on Broadway. It was an extravaganza with lots of scene changes and big musical numbers including ‘The March of the Amazons’. It was a great success on Broadway and in London - the chorus girls scandalously revealing lots of leg may have helped.
British Musicals
In contrast to the slick, sophisticated American musicals of the 1930s, Britain evolved the ‘nostalgia’ musical. In Bitter Sweet in 1929, Noël Coward abandoned the witty sophistication of the 1920s for a tribute to the romantic Viennese operettas of his youth.
The Stars
Meet the stars of the golden age of the musical and revue.