Musical Comedy in America - 9781138151789

Taylor & Francis

First Published in 1987. This is the second edition with an additional foreword. The purpose of this book\u2014the first to recount the history of the popular musical stage on Broadway and its intersecting streets\u2014is to tell what the various entertainments were like, how they looked and sounded, who was in them, and why they made people laugh or cry. The values employed in the book are changeable and inconsistent. Sometimes an affable smile is bestowed upon a musical comedy, burlesque, or revue that was really very bad. Sometimes a harsh verdict is brought in against an entertainment that received widespread approval and praise. > FOREWORD TO THE FIRST EDITION, FOREWORD TO THE SECOND EDITION, PART ONE: 1864-1907 I Before The Black Crook II The Black Crook IV The Bleached Blondes V Evangeline and Edward E. Rice VI The Kiralfys VII Farce-Comedy VIII Comic Opera: The First Decade IX Comic Opera: The Second Decade PART TWO: 1908 -25 X The Gaiety Girls, The Passing Show, and Weber.