John Philip Sousa’s “El Capitan” (1896)
One of the earliest successful comic operas to come out of America, El Capitan was also the one successful attempt
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Reviving Jean Gilbert’s “Kinokönigin” (1913) à la Bob Fosse in Leipzig?
Let’s start with the positive side of this: Musikalische Komödie has put forgotten composer Jean Gilbert (1879-1942) back on stage
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Jean Gilbert (1879-1942): One of the Most Successful Composers for the German Musical Stage
Gilbert was born as Max Winterfeld in Hamburg, 11 February 1879. He died in exile in Buenos Aires, 20 December
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Opening in New York: Barry Manilow’s “Harmony” About the Comedian Harmonists
The story of the six-member close harmony group known as Comedian Harmonists – the toast of Germany and elsewhere in
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42nd Street: The First Complete Recording
I have just been on a very, very happy trip down memory boulevard. For a couple of years of my
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Barrie Kosky Will Direct “La Cage aux Folles” at Komische Oper Berlin
Many people have wondered what Barrie Kosky will do next in terms of popular musical theater at Komische Oper, once
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Spain Invades Broadway: Rediscovering “The Land of Joy” at the Off-Festival in Oviedo
While German or Austrian theatres regularly programme classic Broadway musicals, Spain’s lyric theatres only rarely enter this attractive universe, though
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Glitter And Be Gay: Marin Alsop’s New “Candide“ From London
Finding the best of all possible Candide recordings is hard. Because Leonard Bernstein’s eclectic work from 1956 – his only
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A New “Porgy & Bess” With Marin Alsop And Angel Blue
Another Porgy and Bess recording? Pentanone Classics has released highlights conducted by Marin Alsop, taken from a live concert in
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Gustave Kerker’s “The Belle of New York” Is Coming To Theater für Niedersachsen
It was originally planned for May 2021, but didn’t happen because of you-know-what. However, Theater für Niedersachen (TfN) didn’t give
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The Smithsonian’s 1981 Recording Of “Naughty Marietta” On CD For The First Time
Harbinger Records is planning a re-issue – for the first time on CD – of the Smithsonian Institution’s 1981 recording
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Operette und Musicals in der DDR: Ein Gespräch mit Werner P. Seiferth vom Metropoltheater
Übers Thema Operette in der DDR wird in letzter Zeit wieder mehr gesprochen. 2012 gab es in der Ausstellung Welt
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RSC: Reconstructing Erik Charell’s Shakespeare Adaptation “Swingin’ the Dream”
When the Shakespeare adaptation Swingin‘ the Dream opened on Broadway in 1939 it followed Erik Charell’s earlier XXL-sized Broadway hit
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“Gypsy” Xmas Stripper Shtick Reduxed
Gypsy Rose Lee has climbed the laddered stocking of the stripper world, tassel by tassel, and mounted a new summit
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Wolfgang Jansen’s New Book About Musicals Vs. Operetta: An Interview With The Author
Wolfgang Jansen has published many books: on the history of revues and revue operettas in the Weimar Republic, on Broadway
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New Art is True Art: Kurt Weill’s “One Touch of Venus”
When Staatsoperette Dresden presented Kurt Weill’s One Touch of Venus as part of their “Broadway in Dresden” series, in a
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George London On Broadway – But Without His Partner Mario Lanza
And now, I would like to talk to you about George London. Yes, I am aware that he didn’t sing
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David Monod’s “Vaudeville & The Making Of Modern Entertainment” 1890-1925
David Monod, professor of American social and cultural history, has undertaken a massive challenge in presenting a history of American
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Ivan Caryll & The Heyday Of The Gaiety Musical Comedy
Ivan Caryll was the principal composer and conductor for the heyday of the Gaiety musical comedy who encouraged the development
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“My Song For You”: A Marta Eggerth & Jan Kiepura Exhibition In Vienna
Devotees of classic Hollywood musicals – the sort that are the staple of Turner Classic Movies – will know Hungarian
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CHIN-CHIN, Or A Modern Aladdin Musical Fantasy (1914) With Music By Ivan Caryll
An updated version of the Aladdin story, rewritten to feature the comedians Dave Montgomery and Fred Stone, Chin-Chin cast its
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“Swapping The Canon” To Dismantle Racism & Hetero-Cis-Patriarchy? Proposals For Higher Education In The USA
There’s a lot happening in the world of theater right now, not just because of Corona and the ongoing lockdown
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A Legendary American Burlesque: “Evangeline” (1874), Beautiful Country Girls & A Dancing Heifer
A burlesque of Longfellow’s poem of the same name, the extravaganza Evangeline followed the trials and tribulations of its heroine
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Jeanette MacDonald (1901-1965): Hollywood’s Most Successful Soprano Star Of Celluloid Operetta
After beginning her singing career as a teenager in the chorus of a New York revue, Miss MacDonald (born in
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Broadway Producer Henry W. Savage (1859-1927): “Merry Widow” and “Sari” Were His Greatest Hits
Harvard-educated Henry Wilson Savage was born in New Durham (New Hampshire) on 21 March 1859 and well established as a
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Ethel Jackson (1877-1957): Broadway’s First “Merry Widow”
A descendant of the painter Henry Inman, Miss Jackson was born in New York on 3 February 1877. She studied
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And Here’s Broadway’s First Danilo in “The Merry Widow”: Donald Brian (1877-1948)
Donald Brian was the bright-eyed and boyish star of more than 20 years of Broadway operettas and musicals, among them the
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The First English Language Danilo in “The Merry Widow”: US-Comedian Joseph Coyne (1867-1941)
Joseph Coyne was a light comedy actor-who-sings who moved from silly-ass rôles in his native America to stardom as Britain’s
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A Semi-Staged “Camelot” At The Watermill Theatre
In the United Kingdom restrictions on ‘live’ performance, owing to Covid-19, were lifted with regard to outdoor theatre at the
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A New “Exilmuseum” In Berlin – Will It Include The Entertainment World?
It’s going to happen: Berlin will get an “Exilmuseum,” a museum dedicated to the stories of those who went into
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“The Merry Widow” À La “Mad Men” With Tony Award Winning Conductor Franz Allers & Lisa Della Casa
The aspect that initially drew my attention to this brand new re-release of The Merry Widow in “hi-fidelity stereo” was
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“Eubie Blake: Rags, Rhythm and Race” By Richard Carlin & Ken Bloom
Eubie Blake: Rags, Rhythm and Race arrives as a most welcome and long overdue biography of pianist and composer Eubie
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The World-Premiere Recording Of Walter Jurmann’s “Windy City” (1946)
Because of the required commitment of time, money, and dedication, it is a safe bet, with the exception of the
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The First American Musical: “The Doctor of Alcantara” (1862)
Today I got asked, for the umpteenth time, ‘what was the first American musical?’ Well, all those three qualifications narrow
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Remembering Will Marion Cook, Composer Of “In Dahomey” And The Cakewalk
Will Marion Cook was born in Washington, DC, on 27 January, 1869. The son of a well-off and well-educated family,
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“In Dahomey”: One Of The First American Black Musical Hits
In Dahomey was an early American “Negro musical comedy” (in a prologue and 2 acts), one of the first to be
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