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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 London import called Charlot's Revue opened in January of 1924 and introduced three British musical stars to American audiences: Jack Buchanan (1891 - 1957), Gertrude Lawrence (1898 - 1952) and Beatrice Lillie (1894 - 1989). A memorable moment in musical-theatre history occurred in June of 1931 in The Third Little Show, when Beatrice Lillie introduced Noel Coward's famous comment on his fellow countrymen: a song titled "Mad Dogs and Englishmen." February of 1959 marked the opening of Redhead, starring Gwen Verdon and Richard Kiley, both of whom won Tony awards (Best Actress in a Musical and Best Actor in a Musical, respectively) for the show. The music was by Albert Hague, the lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and the book was by Herbert Fields, Dorothy Fields, Sidney Sheldon and David Shaw. Redhead won five Tony awards, including Best Musical, but is rarely produced today, probably because it was created specifically for the talents of Gwen Verdon. Ironically, it was originally designed for Beatrice Lillie and subsequently offered in turn to Ethel Merman and Celeste Holm (1917 - 2012) before being taken to Verdon. This was the first production Bob Fosse directed and choreographed, and he won the Tony for Best Choreography. He filled both roles in many other future productions. One of Noel Coward's most popular plays, Blithe Spirit, was adapted for the lyric stage and renamed High Spirits, which opened in April of 1964. The libretto, lyrics and music were by Hugh Martin (1914 - 2011) and Timothy Gray, but Coward directed. It was Gray's first Broadway musical. Martin already had 17 Broadway credits, having been around since 1937. High Spirits was also the Broadway musical debut vehicle for two future television and film stars: Edward Woodward and Christopher Walken. Walken, who performed in the chorus, was listed in the program as Ronnie Walken; he has also appeared on stage as Ken Walken. The show also featured Tammy Grimes and, in her final Broadway appearance, Beatrice Lillie. High Spirits ran for 375 performances, but did not return its investment.
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A London import called Charlot's Revue opened in January of 1924 and introduced three British musical stars to American audiences: Jack Buchanan (1891 - 1957), Gertrude Lawrence (1898 - 1952) and Beatrice Lillie (1894 - 1989).