The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals

by Dan Dietz

Overview

The 1910s shaped the future of the American musical. While many shows of the decade were imports of European operettas, and even original Broadway musicals were influenced by continental productions, the musicals of the 1910s found their own American voice.

In The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals, Dan Dietz covers all 312 musicals that opened on Broadway during this decade. Among the shows discussed are The Balkan Princess, The Kiss Waltz, Naughty Marietta, The Firefly, Very Good Eddie, Leave It to Jane, Watch Your Step, See America First, and La-La-Lucille. Dietz places each musical in its historical context, including the women’s suffrage movement and the decade’s defining historical event, World War I.

Each entry features the following:

• Plot summary
• Cast members
• Creative team, including writers, lyricists, composers, directors, choreographers, and producers
• Opening and closing dates
• Number of performances
• Critical commentary
• Musical numbers and the performers who introduced the songs

Numerous appendixes include a chronology, discography, filmography, Gilbert and Sullivan productions, Princess Theatre musicals, musicals with World War I themes, and published scripts, making this book a comprehensive and significant resource. The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals will captivate and inform scholars, historians, and casual fans about this influential decade in musical theatre history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538150276
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	05/26/2021
Series:	Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals
Pages:	622
Product dimensions:	9.03(w) x 11.43(h) x 1.51(d)

About the Author

Dan Dietz was a Woodrow Wilson Fellow at the University of Virginia. He is the author of Off-Broadway Musicals, 1910-2007: Casts, Credits, Songs, Critical Reception and Performance Data of More Than 1,800 Shows (2010), which was selected as one of the outstanding reference sources of 2011 by the American Library Association. He is also the author of The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals (2019), The Complete Book of 1930s Broadway Musicals (2018), The Complete Book of 1940s Broadway Musicals (2015), The Complete Book of 1950s Broadway Musicals (2014), The Complete Book of 1960s Broadway Musicals (2014), The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals (2015), The Complete Book of 1980s Broadway Musicals (2016), The Complete Book of 1990s Broadway Musicals (2016), The Complete Book of 2000s Broadway Musicals (2017), and The Complete Book of 2010s Broadway Musicals (2020), all published by Rowman & Littlefield.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgment

Introduction

Alphabetical List of Musicals

BROADWAY MUSICALS, 1910-1919

1910 Season

1910-1911 Season

1911-1912 Season

1912-1913 Season

1913-1914 Season

1914-1915 Season

1915-1916 Season

1916-1917 Season

1917-1918 Season

1918-1919 Season

1919 Season

APPENDIXES

Appendix A Chronology of Book Musicals (by Season)

Appendix B Chronology of Revues (by Season)

Appendix C Chronology of Revivals and Return Engagements (by Season)

Appendix D Chronology of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan Revivals (by Season)

Appendix E Discography

Appendix F Filmography

Appendix G Published Scripts

Appendix H Princess Theatre Musicals

Appendix I Musicals with World War One Themes

Appendix J Long Runs

Appendix K Theatres

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

With this book, Dietz continues his excellent set of companions to Broadway shows with coverage of the 312 book musicals that opened between January 1, 1910, through December 31, 1919, the decade that saw the rise of Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, and other icons. In contrast to the earlier volumes (all reviewed in these pages), this one includes—in addition to works by Kern, Berlin, et al.—plays with incidental songs and revue-like book musicals, revivals, and return engagements that received their New York premieres…Although Dietz relies heavily on critical commentaries and newspaper reviews, his additional highly subjective and often-amusing comments support thoughtful consideration not only of individual shows but also the whole decade. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.

Choice Reviews

With this book, Dietz continues his excellent set of companions to Broadway shows with coverage of the 312 book musicals that opened between January 1, 1910, through December 31, 1919, the decade that saw the rise of Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, and other icons. In contrast to the earlier volumes (all reviewed in these pages), this one includes—in addition to works by Kern, Berlin, et al.—plays with incidental songs and revue-like book musicals, revivals, and return engagements that received their New York premieres…Although Dietz relies heavily on critical commentaries and newspaper reviews, his additional highly subjective and often-amusing comments support thoughtful consideration not only of individual shows but also the whole decade. Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers.

Choice