About Us
Cast & Crew
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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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000079781 |
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Recording and TV star John Davidson made his Broadway musical debut in a show called Foxy in February of 1964. One hit song was introduced: "Talk To Me, Baby." Robert E. Dolan provided the score. Bert Lahr was also in the cast; it was his last Broadway production, but he went out with a bang, winning a Tony for Leading Actor in a Musical. In 1945, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were attracted by the movement of talented performers from the stages of the east to the film sets of the west. Hammerstein wrote a screenplay and Rodgers wrote a score for a film called State Fair. Fifty-one years later, in March of 1996, the musical-theatre version of that movie opened on Broadway. David Merrick led the effort, and the cast included 63-year-old Kathryn Crosby, wife of singer/actor Bing Crosby, in her first book musical on Broadway. Also in the cast was Andrea McArdle, the original Annie, from the musical of that name, along with singer, actor, recording and television star John Davidson and Broadway musical veteran Donna McKechnie. The production ran for 110 performances.
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Recording and TV star John Davidson made his Broadway musical debut in a show called Foxy in February of 1964. One hit song was introduced: "Talk To Me, Baby." Robert E. Dolan provided the score. Bert Lahr was also in the cast; it was his last Broadway production, but he went out with a bang, winning a Tony for Leading Actor in a Musical.