In the year 1930, the Queen of Musical Comedy Ethel Merman made her debut in Broadway. Who knew Merman, born as Ethel Agnes Zimmerman, walking on that Broadway stage 88 years ago, would see her to this day being a legendary figure, which she truly was. The bold, brassy, clarion-voiced superstar has an endless history of success and has made more hits among Broadway Musical Comedies that does not compare to other people now or in the past.
Merman's career was nothing less than impressive, first appearing in a George Gershwin Musical, "Girl Crazy", immediately 'wowing' the audience with her booming voice which brought the theatre down singing "I Got Rhythm." That was only the beginning for Ethel working with such masters of the time, big names
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such as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and Jule Styne can also be added to her résumé.
Merman was the 'it' girl in the industry, as Murray Schumach (The New York Times) admitted "no Broadway season seemed really complete unless it had a musical with Ethel Merman." Her mystique and unique talents entertained the Broadway audience for 50 years. It was the Gypsy premiere that drew in all the stars in New York even Henry Fonda sitting in an aisle. All of them cheering and giving a standing ovation just because Ethel Merman was featured in the show. This demonstrates the powerful impact and phenomenon Ethel Merman created for the Broadway world; she has been appreciated since and in today's society is still admired with rapture.
An industrious lady is the most fitting way to describe Ethel Merman. Merman was always conscientious of her work, maintaining constant care for herself, in order to
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avoid any illness or injury that could potentially have her out of a show. It was important for Merman to be healthy as once that contract is signed, it was her duty to do the job. It used to annoy Merman when other people she had worked with signed the contract yet let the performance down; it was just never fair to the audience. As Murray Schumach (The New York Times) mentioned, "Her health was as legendary as her toughness and outspokenness."Merman's career was never a bore for her, evident when she asserted in an interview with Elliot Norton that, "I think when you enjoy doing something, it's not a chore." Funnily enough her work did not seem like a chore for her as any material received, she seemed to perform it flawlessly. This was proven when Irving Berlin once said, “You give her a bad song, and she’ll make it sound good. Give her a good song, and she’ll make it sound great. And you’d better write her a good lyric. The guy in the last row of the second balcony is going to hear every syllable.” Interestingly, Merman's singing background and experience never consisted of any technical or professional singing lessons, as she was self-taught. This is testament to Ethel having natural talent. Surprisingly, Merman was actually advised by George Gershwin to never take a singing lesson, as all her natural quality would vanish due to being diaphragm conscious. He continued to suggest that although Merman was technically wrong, it all came out right. (Good to Broadway) Merman not only flourished in Broadway but she also had other successes in the entertainment industry. She had her own radio show, scored in a nationally successful television special and was in fourteen movies. Nevertheless, Ethel Merman truly belonged on the Broadway stage. She was a force to be reckoned with. Nowadays it is pretty rare for a star to have had such success like Ethel Merman. Being in shows such as, Anything Goes, Hello Dolly, To Barry Was a Lady, Panama Howdy, Annie Get Your Gun, Call Me Madame, and Gypsy to name a few is a list of extraordinary hits that any one would dream of performing in, in their Broadway career. Ethel Merman is definitely an inspiring icon for all women in the past and present.
Merman was not regarded as a classic beauty by Broadway standards. She was compared to another Broadway star, the delicate Marilyn Miller who was a sweet, young lady who had the image and sound of a fairytale princess. Contrasting with Merman's solid build, plump rounded face and waved hair, she had a more 'hardened' look. Vocally, Merman had a gutsy, loud and clear quality, dissimilar to Miller's soft, little voice. It was between the period 1910-1940, Miller suited the typical female lead, yet this all changed when Merman hit the industry. Merman was an individual and different which made people notice. It was apparent that uniqueness seemed more appealing, and that stereotypical female lead image became mainstream, letting Merman open a new door with her
boldness. Merman born on January 16th,1908 in Astoria, Queens, New York as a child loved hopping between political clubs and lodges singing with her German father. Merman had many experiences in clubs as whilst originally working as a secretary, she received a singing job in a small nightclub. Miss Merman's personal life never replicated her success of her professional career. She had four marriages yet all ended in divorce. Firstly with William B.Smith which was only brief, then onto Robert F. Six, following to Robert D.Levitt with whom she had two children, named Ethel and Robert. Levitt committed suicide years after the divorce, and daughter Ethel Jr. also committed suicide in 1967 due to an overdose of drugs and alcohol. Her final marriage lasted for 38 days in 1964, to actor Ernest Borgnine. Merman truly had the rockiest and saddest personal life but this did not seem to affect her successful career. Miss Merman was easily flawless, having success in every type of show business she ever tried. Both onstage and offstage, she was a symbol of the Broadway of the era with her New York accent, confidence and brassy style. Most of Merman's shows have become a part of the Repertory of the American Musical, showing her significance in the American Musical Theatre culture. It did not matter that she did not have the classical looks. Merman was new, gutsy and most importantly different and was able to break the mold created by her predecessors. Composers vied for Merman, she was a trend-setter and held an exceptional career which only seems fitting to praise Merman as the Queen of Musical Comedy. As Ethel Merman once said, ''Broadway has been very good to me - but then I've been very good to Broadway.''
In June of 1925, Florence received vaudeville's highest honor. She was the star attraction at the Palace Theatre. By heading the bill at the Palace, she became the first black performer to have that honor.
Ethel Waters overcame a very tough childhood to become one of the most well known African American entertainers of her time. Her story, The Eye on the Sparrow, goes into great detail about her life and how she evolved from taking care of addicts to becoming the star of her own show. Ethel was born by her mother being raped at a young age. Her father, John Waters, was a pianist who played no role in Ethel’s life. She was raised in poverty and it was rare for her to live in the same place for over a year. Ethel never fit in with the rest of the crowd; she was a big girl, about five nine when she was a teenager, and was exposed to mature things early in her life. This is what helped shape Ethel to be the strong, independent woman she is.
Ella was born in Newport News, Virginia on April 25, 1917. When alled “The First Lady of Song” by some fans. She was known for having beautiful tone, extended range, and great intonation, and famous for her improvisational scat singing. Ella sang during the her most famous song was “A-tiscket A-tasket”. Fitzgerald sang in the period of swing, ballads, and bebop; she made some great albums with other great jazz artists such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong. She influenced countless American popular singers of the post-swing period and also international performers such as the singer Miriam Makeba. She didn’t really write any of her own songs. Instead she sang songs by other people in a new and great way. The main exception
Ethel’s life before Broadway speaks a lot to her career on Broadway. Ethel Agnes Zimmerman was born in the neighborhood of Astoria in New York. Merman showed her love for singing as a child, singing in the church that she went to with her parents. Also, she went to Vaudeville shows to watch stars like Fanny Brice perform (Kenrick). Ethel’s parents believed that she should gain an education because show business was not a viable career choice, especially for women in this period. She became a stenographer but continued to sing as nightclubs in New York for extra money (Kenrick). When her performances began getting recognition and her name more acclaimed, she shortened it to Merman and began performing in the Vaudeville Circuit at the Palace Theater (PBS).
The original cast of Gypsy summoned many people to see this new show. Ethel Merman starred as Rose, and this is the role that she became famous for. Without this admirable musical many actors would not have had their start on broadway, and the inspiring line, “sing out, Louise” would not inspire performers of all
Motion pictures from Hollywood had taken Broadway’s place as the king of entertainment. The main reason behind this was that because it was culturally relevant and coming out with new flashy techniques such as Todd-AO and Cinerama.
In Dialogue: Theatre of America, Harold Clurman said, “we make theatre out of life” (27), and it was precisely this view that motivated him to help create a uniquely American theatre. Clurman, considered one of the most influential directors of the modern American theatre, had a unique vision of what the American theatre could become. One of the founders of the quintessentially American troupe, the Group Theatre, Clurman was a contemporary of Elia Kazan and Lee Strasberg, and even married to Stella Adler for twenty years. At a ceremony honoring Clurman, Elia Kazan stated that Clurman’s “greatest achievement [was] himself” (Harold Clurman: A Life of Theatre). An important figure in our theatrical past, Clurman’s theories on theatre and directing require close attention. In this paper, I will first provide a brief biography of Clurman, second, examine his theories of theatre and directing, and lastly, I will explore his criticisms of the then-contemporary theatre, and draw conclusions to the current state of the Broadway theatre.
In 1929, Eleanor made her Broadway debut in Follow Thru. After being in a Broadway show, her stardom kept rising until she made it to Hollywood. In 1935 she appeared in her first movie, George White's 'Scandals of 1935'.From then on, she just got more and more successful. One of her more memorable performances was in ‘Broadway Melody in 1940’ dancing alongside Fred Astaire to “Begin the Beguine’.
Bessie was born April 15, 1894 in Chattanooga, Tennessee to a part time Baptist preacher, William Smith, and his wife Laura. The family was large and poor. Soon after she was born her father died. Laura lived until Bessie was only nine years old. The remaining children had to learn to take care of themselves. Her sister Viola then raised her. But it was her oldest brother, Clarence, who had the most impact on her. Clarence always encouraged Bessie to learn to sing and dance. After Clarence had joined the Moses Stokes Minstrel Show, Bessie got auditions. Bessie's career began when she was 'discovered' by none other than Ma Rainey when Ma's revue, the Rabbit Foot Minstrels, was passing through Chattanooga around 1912 and she had the occasion to hear young Bessie sing. Ma took Bessie on the road with the show and communicated, consciously or not, the subtleties and intricacies of an ancient and still emerging art form. (Snow).
Known mostly by her stage names, “Lady Ella”, “The Queen of Jazz”, and “The First Lady of Song”; Ella Jane Fitzgerald, born in Newport News, Virginia on April 25th 1917 was renowned for her improvisational ability in her scat singing. She never
As in all genres, the musicals have had its share of failures. Some worthy dramas have been pressed into service and musicalized and sometimes butchered in the process, and audiences have had to watch a fine play diluted into a mediocre musical. But the successes have been many and spectacular and they have left a long lasting effect on the American art and culture.
The stage performance of Chicago offered a spectacle that I expected before attending the show. I knew there was going to be scantly clad girls with dark makeup and saucy attitudes. The performers brought to life all that was raunchy in the entertainment business during the roaring twenties. The lifestyle in Chicago featured jazz, booze, sex and crime. More importantly, Chicago had beautiful, young women with the dream of having their own Vaudeville act. The two main female characters, Velma and Roxy were two such women hoping to capture the public's attention. The composition of the show is a metaphoric integration of Vaudeville type acts amongst the book scenes and diegetic musical numbers.
Marilyn Monroe, Norma Jeane Mortenson. A devious soul but a pure heart, a black past, but a bright future; she became one of the most idolized figures in society. Norma was definitely not born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and she never sugar coated her life to the media. She was straight forward which made her heavily known for her quotes such as “I learned to walk as a baby and I haven’t had a lesson since.” (Marilyn Monroe). This was the beginning to her life story as a hero. This may not seem inspiring or heroic to many by the lack of knowledge a person may have on Norma. In the depths of her quotes lay a deep, heartfelt life though. For this quote may seem sensational and comical to the ear, but Marilyn was transferred to many foster homes not really having a parent that would show her the way. What a good role model would do though, and what Norma courageously has shown society, is that when life knocks you down, get up and hit life back twice as hard. Norma Jeane Mortenson, married Jim Dougherty, and started working. Soon she created the character Marilyn Monroe, she dyed her hair blonde, wore short dresses, and she became the momentous and inspirational character that everyone saw through television, newspapers, and photos. She was one of the greatest actors, singers, and models of the nineteen forties and fifties. But like every hero they suffer and create their own demise. Jeane, Marilyn Monroe, is a shakespearean tragic hero, because like every hero she must fall.
Throughout her career, Sarah Bernhardt paved the way for actors. She helped bring about more passionate, full bodied forms of acting. She also helped to break the conforming role of women on stage as the Galatea figure. She led as an example for women during the suffrage movement, and a Jewish icon during the rise of Anti-Semitism. She overcame her French counterparts restricting views of acting. Bernhardt showed that acting as a profession should be ever evolving. Even though she isn’t as popular during the 20th and 21st century, she will forever be thanked by thespians for her contributions to the art of
Theatre has heavily evolved over the past 100 years, particularly Musical Theatre- a subgenre of theatre in which the storyline is conveyed relying on songs and lyrics rather than dialogue. From its origination in Athens, musical theatre has spread across the world and is a popular form of entertainment today. This essay will discuss the evolution and change of musical theatre from 1980-2016, primarily focusing on Broadway (New York) and the West End (London). It will consider in depth, the time periods of: The 1980s: “Brit Hits”- the influence of European mega musicals, the 1990s: “The downfall of musicals”- what failed and what redeemed, and the 2000s/2010s: “The Resurgence of musicals”- including the rise of pop and movie musicals. Concluding