Lecture: Michael
Moor. MA
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Show Boat Notes
Music
by Jerome Kern 1927
Book
by Edna Ferber 1926
Edna Ferber
1887-1968
n
Won the
Pulitzer Prize for her novel After so Big in 1924
n
Ferber’s
characters are often in conflict with their traditions and new, more dynamic
trends..
n
Her works
reflect the turmoil of the 20’s and 30’s
Show Boat is better
understood within the context of when it was written..
…rather than it’s period setting!
Kern 1885-1945:
studied music in both the USA and Europe
This may explain
Show boat’s suggestion of the operetta..
In 1912 he produced his first musical: The Red
Petticoat
Show Boat based on
the novel by Edna Ferber
It is considered to be the first ‘Musical’.
A musical play with a serious plot from a literary
source.
Kern’s music is
noted for its unmistakably American quality
..In Show Boat he draws upon the Negro Spiritual as a
source of inspiration..
Show Boat is purely
American..
Combining American Cultural elements…
These elements
include:
n
Racial/political/social
themes exclusive to the Southern States of America
n
Black
musical forms
n
A multi
racial cast.
n
It is a
celebration of the Minstrel Tradition
Show Boat was
produced by Florenz Ziegfeld 1869-1932
The legendry producer of the Ziegfeld Follies based
on Folies-Bergere of Paris.
Ziegfeld’s famous
slogan for the shows was “Glorifying the American Girl”
In many respects this can be seen as an American
reference to “ la belle epoch”..
Ziegfeld was a
champion of the Black Artist
He
supported Bert Williams despite the fact that white performers had on occasion
refused to work with him…
Ziegfeld encouraged
Paul Robeson
…and took the the chance of alienating his white
audience…
Show Boat can be
seen in terms of the ‘Harlem Renaissance’
…Paul Robeson’s role in the production can be considered as significant
for the black artist as an individual and Show Boat’s racial theme as
significant for Blacks in general.
Show Boat was a
major departure from Ziegfeld’s Follies..
..with its mixture of semi-nudity, pageantry and comedy.
However as the 1917 tableau: ‘Columbia Stands by
the President’
suggests political comment is possible even in light
entertainment.
The Follies were
closer to vaudeville than musical theatre.
…Ziegfeld risked his money and reputation on Show
Boat!
Show Boat in this
respect may be seen as an example of ‘artistic belief’…
…a political, social and cultural statement!
Paul
Robeson 1898-1976
n
Son of a
former slave
n
All-American
football player, he rejected a career as a professional athlete.
n
Obtained
a law degree from Columbia University in 1923
n
Met
Eugene O’Neill when he joined the Provincetown Players, a New York theatre
Group
1924: Emperor Jones
1925: Gives his first recital of Negro Spirituals in
Greenwich Village
Robeson was the
original choice for the part of ‘Joe’ in Show Boat…..
However he was not of the original cast…Jules
Bledsoe played ‘Joe’
He opened in
London…In
1928
Other famous roles
include:Othello
The 1943 production still holds the Broadway all time
record run for a Shakespearean production..
Robeson became a
political activist
Ole’man river…became his signature tune and a
metaphor for the struggle for civil rights..
He published his
autobiography Here I Stand in 1958
Oscar Hammerstein
..became the lyricist for Rogers &
Hammerstein’s famous partnership!
Some examples of
how Show Boat may be viewed:
n
From a
historical perspective, for example as a landmark for the Musical Theatre
n
From a
cultural perspective, for example how and why Americans adapted the operetta to
make a new form.
n
From a
‘social’ multi-cultural perspective, for example in its literary and musical
themes.
Bibliography:
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