why was show boat so influential? course hero

by Dr. Stella Kunze MD 6 min read

Why was Show Boat such a successful musical?

THE BOAT UNLOCKING EARTH DEEPEST SECRETS We still know more about the surface of Mars than what’s under our own seabed. Here we profile a scientific research vessel that has drilled more holes in the ocean floor than any other and whose expeditions continue to make some of the greatest scientific discoveries of our time. The JOIDES Resolution (JR for short) …

What is the history of Show Boat?

Learn more about An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and The Open Boat with Course Hero's FREE study guides and infographics! Study Guide. Study Guide. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge ... Why is it important for him to do so? ... The country path doesn’t show the older women as vulnerable or need any help. In the city though, this is very ...

What happens at the end of Showboat?

3 2.2.6 Why was Shuffle Along an important show? How did it change perceptions of black identity? Consider the writers, performers and audience. 2.2.7 George White claims to have invented dances such as the Charleston and the Black Bottom? Is this true? What are the implications on race and power in his claim, consider the idea of confiscation? 2.2.8 How does …

Is the showboat a horror movie?

Nov 28, 2010 · When Show Boat was presented in 1927 by Florenz Ziegfeld, it was unlike anything the great showman had yet produced .His legendary Follies were really just vaudeville shows on a grand scale, featuring popular headliners of the day in unrelated scenes. Legendary performers such as Fanny Brice, Will Rogers, W.C. Fields and Sophie Tucker did their acts along side huge …

Why was show boat so influential?

Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's blend of music, lyrics and libretto essentially paved the way for future theater. Show Boat changes the course of theater, redirecting the emphasis from the heavy operettas and the superficial music comedies which had dominated Broadway.

Why was Show Boat revolutionary for its time?

Show Boat was particularly revolutionary for its time, and serves as the jumpstart point for my exploration, because it became the first musical to combine seriousness with spectacle. ... It weaved a “complete integration of song, humor and production numbers into a single and inextricable artistic entity” (“Show Boat”).Sep 8, 2016

What was show boat based on?

It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock workers on the Cotton Blossom, a Mississippi River show boat, over 40 years from 1887 to 1927. Its themes include racial prejudice and tragic, enduring love.

Why were showboats important in the development of America and the dissemination of theatrical performances?

Settlers began to look towards the great rivers for new forms of entertainment to fill their days. Showboating quickly became the means of bringing dramatic and musical entertainment to these frontier families. Showboats provided many forms of entertainment including circuses, minstrel shows, and drama.

What role did Show Boat have in the development of America?

showboat, floating theatre that tied up at towns along the waterways of the southern and midwestern United States, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, to bring culture and entertainment to the inhabitants of river frontiers.

What was perhaps the most controversial element of Show Boat?

As a result of all of these factors, Show Boat was revised within a year of its Broadway bow before it moved to London's West End. Its most controversial element was undoubtedly its first lyric, which included the n-word, and it went through several replacements beginning in 1928 when it premiered on the West End.Apr 20, 2017

Did Ava Gardner really sing in Show Boat?

Although Annette Warren dubbed Ava Gardner's singing voice in the movie, Ms. Gardner herself sang her two songs on the MGM soundtrack album.

What happens at the end of Show Boat?

They fall in love and marry. Leaving the showboat, 'Nola and Gay and their little daughter, Kim, move to Chicago, where their fortunes wax and wane depending on Gay's luck. He finally leaves his wife and child and she is forced to return to the stage, where she becomes a star.

How many performances did Show Boat have?

Critics and audiences were enthusiastic about Show Boat and it was a major Broadway hit running for 572 performances. But it would not be until 1943 with the premiere of Oklahoma! that Broadway audiences, producers, reviewers and creators would commit to the book musical as the preferred musical theatre genre.

What is the show boat?

In the musical Show Boat, Hammerstein created characters that seemed to be real in terms of where they came from, what they wanted and how they behaved. The writer put them in real situations. Because each character wanted something (had motivation for their actions), they reacted in a relatively realistic manner.

Where does Magnolia move to?

That leads to her giving up her first love, the stage, and marrying her second, Gaylord. They move to Chicago where they enjoy good times and where they must also endure disappointment and fiscal failure. Although Magnolia is totally devoted to Gaylord, she also feels the terrible strain of his gambling.

Was Show Boat a musical?

Show Boat was a serious novel that dealt with large issues. Of course Kern and Hammerstein knew what they were doing when they decided to base a musical on the sprawling novel. At least, they understood that they were attempting to raise the bar when it came to utilizing musical theatre to create a serious work of art.

image

Show Boat Subject Matter

  • It was first and foremost the subject matter of Show Boat that was responsible for the outcome. By choosing to adapt a work of literature to the stage and turn it into a musical, Hammerstein and Kern had basically committed to creating a musical with a strong plot, realistic characters and important themes. There was no other reason to choose a literary work such as Edna Ferber’s wi…
See more on broadwayscene.com

Character, Situation & Motivation

  • In the musical Show Boat, Hammerstein created characters that seemed to be real in terms of where they came from, what they wanted and how they behaved. The writer put them in real situations. Because each character wanted something (had motivation for their actions), they reacted in a relatively realistic manner. The characters were overall complex. Add to that Kerns a…
See more on broadwayscene.com

Story & Soul Expressed Through Music & Lyrics

  • Kern, like his partner Hammerstein, was interested in creating a musical where each element was equally important when it came to moving the plot forward and offering audiences a musical that was as dramaturgically sound as a well written drama by Eugene O’Neill. Thus, Kern went about composing music that revealed character, had a dramatic progression, and was appropriate in s…
See more on broadwayscene.com

A Serious Hit

  • When the curtain came down on Show Boat audiences were not sure of what to do. One reason was because Hammerstein’s book reinforced the “Ol’ Man River” theme. The musical theme runs throughout the show and it is especially poignant when used in the final moments. Show Boat ends with Gaylord returning to Magnolia after having abandoned her 20 years earlier. When he c…
See more on broadwayscene.com