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Years ago, while teaching college courses in the History of American Musical Theatre, my research exposed numerous instances of innovation in the art form (“this was the first time…”) as theatrical technologies, along with musical styles and forms, evolved. I began to “collect” such phrases, which later included people, theatrical venues and other occasional oddities, into the collection and organized the data chronologically. |
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At this site, we focus on historical firsts. Innovation creates history, and this is a collection of innovative events, decisions and inventions. Among other things, the collection includes initial appearances of popular shows, songs and performers. Here, you’ll find descriptions of theatrical firsts in America from 1665 to 2000. Each “historical first” appears in bold type. |
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Generally, the New York opening is considered the finished form of any work (even if subsequent changes occur during the New York run). For the sake of maintaining some historical perspective, this site covers events through the 1999-2000 season. |
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Ongoing additions to the site include textual entries and pictures of people and theatrical venues. One project will soon offer links to audio files of songs in the public domain; other improvements may occur as they are invented or suggested. |
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We owe much to those who have assisted in the development and presentation of this material. Please see our “Cast & Crew” page. To everyone who appears there, I offer my deepest thanks. |
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Perhaps you will find something here that will initiate your own research. You might want to have an item considered for inclusion at the site (if so, please contact me). You might wish to correct an error that you find here (if so, by all means contact me). You may even find items that will pique your curiosity and motivate you to seek answers. We hope that this site will bring you closer to the theatrical art form that has proven time and again to be our most beloved: the musical. |
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Wayne Hamilton, MFA 2009 |
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Thank you for visiting FirstOnStage.com, a web site that was literally decades in the making. We hope you find the information here useful in your classes, in your research or in exercising your intellectual curiosity. If so, we hope you’ll make a donation to help support FirstOnStage. This information comes to you quickly and easily without the cost of expensive textbooks or hours of searching for the proverbial needle in the digital haystack. Your gift will enable site developers to provide ongoing enhancements, including additional textual content, pictures and audio files. PayPal will safely and securely process the transaction. Thanks for your interest and your generous support! |
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A controversial public figure performed in a musical that opened on Broadway in December of 1969. In Buck White, the title character was played by the World Boxing Association-dethroned (in the USA, at least) heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali in his first appearance on Broadway. There were a total of eight performers in this small show, all men. Other players of note in Buck White included Donald Sutherland (in his Broadway musical debut), who went on to a distinguished film career, and Ted Ross (in his Broadway musical debut), who won a Tony award and a Drama Desk award for his part in The Wiz a few years later. Buck White closed after only seven performances. In January of 1975, The Wiz, an all-black musical based on The Wizard of Oz, opened on Broadway. It introduced one hit song, "Ease On Down The Road." Obviously, the road looked to be made of yellow brick. The Wiz was the first Broadway show for future TV star Phylicia Rashad. Ted Ross, who had appeared with Muhammad Ali in the ill-fated Buck White, won a Tony for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of the Lion. The show also marked the first and only Broadway appearance for actress Clarice Taylor (1893-2011), best known for her television role as Bill Cosby's mother. The Wiz was nominated for seven more Tony Awards and won for Best Musical, Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Dee Dee Bridgewater), Best Costume Design and Best Director (Geoffrey Holder), Best Choreography (George Faison) and Best Original Score (Charlie Smalls). The Drama Desk named it Best Musical. The show ran for more than four years.
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A controversial public figure performed in a musical that opened on Broadway in December of 1969. In Buck White, the title character was played by the World Boxing Association-dethroned (in the USA, at least) heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali in his first appearance on Broadway. There were a total of eight performers in this small show, all men. Other players of note in Buck White included Donald Sutherland (in his Broadway musical debut), who went on to a distinguished film career, and Ted Ross (in his Broadway musical debut), who won a Tony award and a Drama Desk award for his part in The Wiz a few years later. Buck White closed after only seven performances.