How Did Ziegfeld Influence American Theatre

Broadway in America and theatre abroad was greatly influenced by the works of Florenz Ziegfeld and his new look on entertainment in theatre. Flo was a great proponent of the “glorification of the american girl” setting the “standard of the time for female sexuality”. (Kantor) In the nearly two dozen variations on the theme between 1907 and 1931 he set forth refined ideas of what makes a female beautiful, and how to make them as beautiful as they could be. This era of middle-class american entertainment was what made the Ziegfeld Follies a memorable history and influence on theatre abroad that is still present in theatre today.

Towards the turn of the 20th Century, theatre of Paris began to be influenced by the thriving scene of variety-entertainment

in London. The theatre “scene”, if you will, had previously become an audacious low brow night life staple rampant with prostitution. The Folies Bergére, a music hall constructed in 1868, was a Parisian theatre that began to heighten the production and taste of the performances of the time. Ean Wood in his writings of The Josephine Baker Story describes the expulsion of the prostitution and disreputable connotation of the theatre as being in part lead by the Great War. Young soldiers on leave, “would find themselves unable to resist temptation” and this was appalling to the respectable public causing many London theatre to close their doors; including the famous Empire closing in 1916. The clean slate for the Bergére came when the music hall gained new management in 1919. The influence of Ziegfeld was seen in the new style of tasteful variety shows successfully produced there in the early 20th century.
Ziegfeld should be discussed due to his influence on the production value of broadway shows. Florenz got his first job producing a body builder named Eugene Sandow in 1893 with the cut of earnings he made from that endeavor he produced Anna Held who later became his common-law wife. She gave him the idea to “import some of the spirit from the French Folies Bergére”. The lavish costumes and scenery he added brought a heightened audience experience to the theatre that wasn’t seen in the lower class shows in Folies Bergére years before Florenz began producing Folies in 1907. These performances were entirely sketch based and had no overarching plot line. They were merely a conglomeration of the best comics and singers from vaudeville, Tin Pan Alley, and burlesque.
As I’ve mentioned before Ziegfeld knew how to enhance a woman’s beauty. And should be discussed because he changed the way women were used in the art form. He was known for having 4 types of girls in his shows the stars, the dancers, the beauties of the tableaux, and the Ziegfeld girl. This lead him to perfect the art of beautiful leg lines in dancers that had been seen before but not to the level of expertise of Flo. To emphasize the already gorgeous chorus women the costuming tricks used during the time to make the women look picturesque, are still discussed in the creation of costumes on stages everywhere. The amount of effort and abundance of design is what captivates modern audiences today, Mr. Ziegfeld was all about spectacle and aesthetic of his shows. The majority of the longest running shows today continue to thrive because of their intensive design and overall fluidity of concept.
While we do study some of the variety shows and circus acts, Florenz Ziegfeld is greatly recognized for perfecting the art of variety performance and class due to his exquisite eye for detail and perfection. He had such a specific vision for the shows that each girl was selected based on their appearance and then trained to walk the “Ziegfeld Walk” because of the weight and size of the costumes while maintaining the elegant stride. He also brought to the stage some of the most famous and successful comediennes and performers of the century that we still hear of today. Names like Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor, W.C. Fields and Will rogers; Fanny Brice was a one of a kind comedian that is famous for her Baby Snooks character. Eddie Cantor was a Comedian, singer, dancer that also brought great success.
The first of Flo’s Follies was during the summer of 1907 and began as a filler performance to have something going on in the venue. The overall tone of the piece was whimsical from its set design to its performances, of which, he sent the original 6 French dancers back and ‘shortened’ the midget act for the remainder of their 6 week contract. The first follies wasn't critically acclaimed, however the public audience took to it very well. Not to mention that usually theaters would close in the summer because of the lack of air conditioning, the 1907 follies set the tone for the rest to no longer be just a show to fill space and time but a main performance in the usual season.
The unmatched success of the Folies is another reason it should be added to our syllabus.

We discussed the variety shows in very little detail and minstrelsy that followed but the influence of his success in the American theatre circuit, being the most successful producer of this style of theatre, is a very valid reason that he should not be glossed over by our syllabus. The years that people would flock to the theatre to see his girls dance, sing, and walk on and off stage in elaborate costumes surrounded by beautiful elaborate sets with the best of the best being presented before them. The influence he has had on the entertainment industry is still seen today especially in Las Vegas style shows the expense and abundance of possession and wealth shown to the middle-class audience that only dreams of being of that status.

While the influence of taste was a big part of Florenz Ziegfelds legacy he also is known as helping to stir the pot for creating the first musical comedy. Wherein his acts were composed of Music, Dancers, and comedy acts all melded together into one artistic vision matching “ his color to his music and his comedy to his spectacle. No one knew how he accomplished it”— Billie Burke Ziegfeld 1948. The musical comedy of course, in my opinion, is one of the most well received theatrical pieces of art in the modern age, always striving technically to be bigger and brighter than the

last.
Overall the unprecedented success, uncanny ideals, and influence on american musical comedy is the reason for Florenz Ziegfeld to be strongly represented on our class syllabi. The success that brought greats such as Fanny Brice, Eddie Cantor, and Will rogers acts to the sold out audiences for years. The attention to detail and exquisite drive for perfection and beauty that is still pursued today. And the grounding of the concept of combining all forms of art to create one production is truly what makes Flo Ziegfeld worth studying.