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
read morePosts Tagged 'Broadway'
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
read more
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
read more
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
read more
“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
read more
“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
read more
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
read more
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
read more
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,
read more
“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
read more
Hot Mikados and Swingin’ Pinafores: Stewart F. Lane’s “Black Broadway”
It’s not a new topic, but a brand new book nonetheless: Black Broadway by Stewart F. Lane. According to the
read more
The First Oscar Hammerstein and New York’s Golden Age of Theater and Music
With such an irresistible title as this, anyone with an interest in early American musical theater would want to read this newly
read more
Lillian Russell (1860-1922) Revisited: The Amazing Life Of A “Scandalous” Operetta Diva
With all this free time at home right now I’ve started working my way through various DVD boxes I’ve had
read more
THE NEW MOON: A Romantic musical play by Oscar Hammerstein & Sigmund Romberg
The team responsible for that overwhelming hit of 1926, The Desert Song, mined a similar vein for their next collaboration,
read more
“Babes In Toyland” In Zwickau-Plauen. Or: Performing Victor Herbert In Germany
The small theater in Zwickau-Plauen (Germany) presented Victor Herbert’s much-loved Babes in Toyland as their Christmas spectacle and gave the
read more
Composer Jerry Herman Dies At Age 88 In Miami
Some will claim that Hello Dolly, Mame or La Cage aux Folles are among the greatest modern operettas in the
read more
Francesca Zambello’s Version of “Showboat” At Glimmerglass Festival
Showboats gave the theatre-starved people along the Mississippi from the 1880s into the 1920s what they most wanted: melodrama and
read more
German Operetta On Broadway And In The West End: 1900 To 1940
Considering that there are not that many new books on operetta in English, one must greet Derek B. Scott’s fresh-off-the-press
read more
Herbert’s “Babes in Toyland” At Theater Plauen-Zwickau: First German Production
The show title Abenteuer im Spielzeugland might not directly ring a bell. But if you translate it into Babes in
read more
Kurt Weill’s “Lady in the Dark” Revived At City Center in New York
Gertrude Lawrence’s 1941 megahit, Lady in the Dark, groundbreaking in its day for its then novel use of psychoanalysis in
read more
“Broadway Sampler: 1915.” Twenty-Five Musicals And Twenty-Six Songs
You might remember the CD series The Broadway Musicals of… created, written and hosted by Scott Siegel. They started, thematically,
read more
The English Language Adventures of “Im weißen Rössl”
The overwhelming and instant success of Erik Charell’s operetta spectacle Im weißen Rössl at Berlin’s Großes Schauspielhaus (the so-called “Theater
read more
Dorothy Without Toto. Or: “Der Zauberer von Oz” In Magdeburg
„The most magical adventure of them all …“ That’s how Andrew Lloyd Webber announced ‘his’ Wizard of Oz version at
read more
It’s Eliza’s Show: A “My Fair Lady” For The 21st Century
It’s Eliza’s show; My Fair Lady for the 21st century opens at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theatre, 62 years after
read more
Theatrical Mythology, or The Best Thing About Her Singing Was Her Looks: Blanche Roosevelt
Theatrical mythology has been curiously and undeservedly kind to some folk. Miss Tucker from Ohio went from failure to failure
read more
Rombergs “Blossom Time”: Deutsche Erstaufführung in Annaberg-Buchholz
Das Dreimäderlhaus von Heinrich Berté, eine Pasticcio-Operette mit Musik von Franz Schubert (1916), war ein Welterfolg. Nicht nur im deutschen
read more
“Pretty little China girl, velly, velly nice”: How Do You Revive Kerker’s “Belle of New York” Today?
As a conductor and operetta researcher, I have been working, for the last month or so, on restoring the orchestral
read more
Csárdás Interruptus: Three Kálmán CDs With Historical Recordings From The USA
Back in 1997, Michael Miller, the chair of the Ohio Light Opera Board of Directors, and president of the Operetta
read more
Victor Herbert’s “The Red Mill”: Holland Mania Sweeps New York Once Again
The third major Manhattan outing in recent years of Victor Herbert’s once hugely popular Broadway operetta The Red Mill proved
read more
Victor Herbert’s “The Red Mill” Returns To New York City
The Victor Herbert Renaissance Project LIVE! is launching its fourth season with The Red Mill, Broadway’s longest running success by
read more
“Sunset Boulevard” in Altenburg: Mit Angelika Milster als Norma Desmond
Es gibt in Deutschland eine nicht unwesentliche Gruppe von Intellektuellen – in Forschung und Journalistik – die sogenannte Mega-Musicals für
read more
The Kern-Wodehouse-Bolton Musical “Have a Heart” (1917)
Although they worked together as a trio on only five shows over seven years, the influence of “Bolton, Wodehouse, and
read more
Jerome Kern’s “Have A Heart” From The Ohio Light Opera
If we go back in time 100 years and look at Broadway, we witness a change: the US entertainment market
read more
Victor Herbert (b Dublin, 1 February 1859; d New York, 24 May 1924)
Victor Herbert (b Dublin, 1 February 1859; d New York, 24 May 1924). The grandson of Samuel Lover, the novelist,
read more
John Koegel: Music in German Immigrant Theater, New York City, 1840-1940
John Koegel reminds us, early on in this broadly conceived, superbly researched, and elegantly written study, that the population of
read more
World Premiere Recording: Kalman’s “Dryad’s Kiss”
One of Emmerich Kalman’s great musical idols was George Gershwin whom he entertained in Vienna in 1928, after they both
read more