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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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In New York on February 18, 1903, In Dahomey opened. The significance of this show is that it was the first full-length musical written and performed by blacks to be performed at a major Broadway house. The cast was led by the immensely popular song-and-dance duo, (Egbert) Bert Williams (1875 - 1922) and George Walker. The lyrics were provided by Paul Laurence Dunbar and the music by Will Marion Cook. A year after In Dahomey played in New York, Williams and Walker traveled with it to London, where the show ran for seven months. Bert Williams and George Walker made their fame in minstrels in the western states, but were enthusiastically accepted by New York audiences when they made their first appearance there in October of 1899 in The Policy Players. For that show, Walker wrote the book and Williams wrote the songs. Williams and Walker were the first African Americans to be recorded on disc when they sang for the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1901. In 1910, an important figure made her first professional appearance on the lyric stage in Ziegfeld's Follies of 1910: Fanny Brice (1891 - 1951). Another future great was standing offstage: Irving Berlin (1888 - 1989). Brice was working as a comic in burlesque when twenty-year-old Irving Berlin asked her to sing one of his songs, called "Sadie Salome." Her performance earned Ziegfeld's attention. Ironically, Irving Berlin's first Follies song appeared in this show as well: "Goodbye Becky Cohen." Bert Williams was the only black actor/singer in this version of the Follies.
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In New York on February 18, 1903, In Dahomey opened. The significance of this show is that it was the first full-length musical written and performed by blacks to be performed at a major Broadway house. The cast was led by the immensely popular song-and-dance duo, (Egbert) Bert Williams (1875 - 1922) and George Walker. The lyrics were provided by Paul Laurence Dunbar and the music by Will Marion Cook. A year after In Dahomey played in New York, Williams and Walker traveled with it to London, where the show ran for seven months. Bert Williams and George Walker made their fame in minstrels in the western states, but were enthusiastically accepted by New York audiences when they made their first appearance there in October of 1899 in The Policy Players. For that show, Walker wrote the book and Williams wrote the songs. Williams and Walker were the first African Americans to be recorded on disc when they sang for the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1901.