Full Description
Whether they appeared on Broadway or the Strand, the shows appearing in 1924 epitomized the glamor of popular musical theatre. What made this particular year so distinctive - so special - was the way it brought together the old and the new, the venerated and the innovative, and the traditional and the chic. William Everett, in his compelling new book, reveals this remarkable mid-Roaring Twenties stagecraft to have been truly transnational, with a stellar cast of producers, performers and creators boldly experimenting worldwide. Revues, musical comedies, zarzuelas and operettas formed part of a thriving theatrical ecosystem, with many works - and their leading artists - now unpredictably defying genres. The author demonstrates how fresh approaches became highly successful, with established leads like Marie Tempest and Fred Stone appearing in new productions even as youthful talents such as Florence Mills, Fred and Adele Astaire, Gertrude Lawrence and George Gershwin now started to make their mark.
Contents
List of abbreviations; List of plates and figures; Acknowledgements; Chronology; Part I. From One Year to the Next: 1. Legacies; 2. Transnational connections; 3. Playing on the past; 4. Getting ready for 1924; Part II. From Winter to Spring: 5. A new year begins; 6. A tale of two operettas; 7. The coming of spring; 8. The resplendence of the revue; Part III. From Summer to Autumn: 9. Summertime frolics; 10. September sensibilities; 11. An abundant autumn; 12. November pairings; Part IV. From December Onward: 13. The first day of the last month of 1924; 14. In the days and weeks that followed; 15. Legacies of 1924; Selected discography and videography; Permissions; Sources; Index.
