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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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000079527 |
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Another rock musical opened in October of 1971: Jesus Christ Superstar. It began life in England as a hit LP with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Their LP has been called a "concept album," perhaps the first in musical theatre history; the idea was that if the music on the album became popular, it could be developed into a musical show. It was so popular it practically leaped, unchanged, from album status to show status. This was the first show on Broadway for both Webber and Rice, and both received Tony nominations for Best Original Score. Despite its popularity, the piece was controversial; however, two songs introduced in the show were very popular: the title song and "I Don't Know How To Love Him." Tim Rice has eight successful original Broadway productions to his credit. He has been nominated for eight Tony awards and has won three. Andrew Lloyd Weber has composed music for thirteen original shows on Broadway, has been nominated for thirteen Tony awards and has won four. Both men were knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1994. Evita saw the Broadway musical debut of film and TV star Mandy Patinkin. The show opened in May of 1979, just a year after his film debut in The Big Fix. He had already appeared in 3 Broadway straight plays before he was cast in the musical. Patinkin's portrayal of Che Guevara in Evita won him the 1980 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. Evita had music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics and libretto by Tim Rice. Like a preceding show from the pair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita began as a "concept album," which, if popular, could be expanded into a stage show. Unlike Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita underwent extensive changes before it was offered on the stage, primarily because of demands from director Harold Prince for additional, more powerful music. Patti Lupone played the title role and Bob Gunton played her husband, Juan Perone. Lupone introduced the show's hit song, "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" and won a Tony for Best Actress in a Musical in the process. Evita ran for nearly four years, capturing seven Tonys, including Best Musical, and the Drama Critics Circle and Drama Desk awards for Best Musical. Just two years earlier, it was Bob Gunton who had his Broadway musical debut in Happy End when he opened that production in place of leading player Christopher Lloyd, who had been injured and was unable to perform. Cats opened in October of 1982. Andrew Lloyd Webber created a fantasy world, taking his lyrics from a T.S. Eliot piece, with additional lyrics provided by Trevor Nunn (who also won a Tony for Best Director of a Musical, his first Broadway musical) and Richard Stilgoe. Cats was the first megamusical, requiring a complete gutting and reconstruction of the stage at the Winter Garden Theatre, including the installation of a crane. Cats ran for eighteen years and nearly 7500 performances, garnering 10 Tony nominations and winning seven, including Best Score, Best Book and Best Musical. It also won the Outer Critics Circle award for Best Broadway musical. Starlight Express, which opened in March of 1987, was the first Broadway musical to cost eight million dollars to mount. Another megamusical, it was the most expensive musical production to that date. Directed by Trevor Nunn, the show featured music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It ran for 761 performances but did not repay its investors. In January of 1988, The Phantom of the Opera opened on Broadway. As of this writing, it is still running, having been performed more than 8,750 times. The music is by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the lyrics are by Charles Hart, with additional lyrics provided by Richard Stilgoe. The libretto was written by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber, but the show is entirely sung. Harold Prince directed. One song was introduced that became a popular hit: "Music of the Night." Phantom of the Opera also marked the debut of Nicole Fosse, who is the daughter of Broadway stars Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon. The show won seven Tonys, including Best Musical; it also won the Outer Critics Circle award for Best Musical.
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Another rock musical opened in October of 1971: Jesus Christ Superstar. It began life in England as a hit LP with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Their LP has been called a "concept album," perhaps the first in musical theatre history; the idea was that if the music on the album became popular, it could be developed into a musical show. It was so popular it practically leaped, unchanged, from album status to show status. This was the first show on Broadway for both Webber and Rice, and both received Tony nominations for Best Original Score. Despite its popularity, the piece was controversial; however, two songs introduced in the show were very popular: the title song and "I Don't Know How To Love Him." Tim Rice has eight successful original Broadway productions to his credit. He has been nominated for eight Tony awards and has won three. Andrew Lloyd Weber has composed music for thirteen original shows on Broadway, has been nominated for thirteen Tony awards and has won four. Both men were knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1994.