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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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000079265 |
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On February 16, 1965, Baker Street, a musical about Sherlock Holmes, opened. One cast member was seen often in subsequent years, but this was Tommy Tune's first appearance in a Broadway musical. The book was by Jerome Coopersmith, music and lyrics were by Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessel. Three songs were contributed by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. Baker Street was directed by Harold Prince. In March of 1967 James Lipton wrote the book and lyrics for a musical based on The Man Who Came to Dinner by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. Lipton called the musical Sherry! and asked Laurence Rosenthal to write the music. The show lasted two months. Soon after it closed, the score mysteriously disappeared. Thirty-two years later, the score turned up in the Library of Congress. Plans evolved to make a recording of the show with an all-star cast. That recording, which features Nathan Lane, Carol Burnett, Tommy Tune, Mike Myers, and Bernadette Peters, was released in February of 2004. Lipton went on to become the host of the popular Inside the Actor's Studio television series. In June of 1978, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas opened on Broadway after a short, successful run Off-Broadway. It had a book by Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and songs by Carol Hall, a first in their respective roles for each of them. Masterson also co-directed with Tommy Tune, a first in the directing role of a musical for both of them. Tune and Masterson shared a Tony nomination for their shared directing work, and Masterson shared another Tony nomination with Larry L. King for their shared libretto work. Tune staged the musical numbers and choreographed the show; he and Masterson were the only creative leaders with Broadway experience, Masterson as an actor in straight plays, Tune as a singer/dancer and associate choreographer. The show ran for almost 1600 performances. Playwright Arthur Kopit left the world of straight plays to venture into musical theatre with the opening of Nine in May of 1982. Nine was Kopit's first musical, and it earned him a Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical. Composer-lyricist Maury Yeston won a Tony Award for Best Original Score with this production, his first on Broadway. Tommy Tune directed and choreographed; nominated for a Tony in both categories, he won for direction. The show is based on Federico Fellini's film 81/2. The musical starred Raul Julia and Karen Akers in her Broadway debut. Julia was nominated for a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical; Akers won the Theatre World award and was nominated for a Tony as Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Anita Morris was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, William Ivey Long won for Best Costume Design, Marcia Madiera was nominated for Best Lighting Design, Lawrence Miller was nominated for Best Scenic Design, and Nine won the Tony and the Drama Desk awards for Best Musical. Two of the players in My One And Only, Roscoe Lee Brown and Twiggy, had their Broadway musical debuts with the production. The show, which opened in May of 1983, was a restaging of many old George Gershwin tunes by director/choreographer Tommy Tune, who also appeared in the show. The music, along with Tune's presence and excellent staging, helped the show run for more than 750 performances. It was nominated for seven Tonys and won three: Best Actor in a Musical (Tommy Tune), Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Charles 'Honi' Coles) and Best Choreography (Tommy Tune and Thommy Walsh). Actor Michael Jeter (1952 - 2003) made his debut on the lyric stage in November of 1989 when he appeared in the musical version of a popular movie, Grand Hotel. Jeter was well known for a wide variety of roles in television sitcoms and in films. The show ran for more than 1,000 performances, largely due to the direction and choreography of Tommy Tune, who won two Tony awards for his work. In addition to the Tonys given to Jeter and Tune, four others were awarded for Grand Hotel. The Will Rogers Follies boasted several veterans on its creative staff: book by Peter Stone, music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, directed and choreographed by Tommy Tune. The show opened in May of 1991 and ran for nearly a thousand performances, winning six Tonys, including Best Musical, plus the Drama Critics and Drama Desk awards for Best Musical. Keith Carradine, who had been a replacement player in the original production of Hair, played the title role. Gregory Peck recorded his voice in the role of Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr., which was featured in performances. Although Peck had appeared in three straight plays on Broadway during the 1940s, this was his first non-appearance in a Broadway musical.
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On February 16, 1965, Baker Street, a musical about Sherlock Holmes, opened. One cast member was seen often in subsequent years, but this was Tommy Tune's first appearance in a Broadway musical. The book was by Jerome Coopersmith, music and lyrics were by Marian Grudeff and Raymond Jessel. Three songs were contributed by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. Baker Street was directed by Harold Prince.