Broadway:
A Mirror of American Life
A
timeline of major events in the history of American musical
theater
<<
1900s to 1950s
1960s
1960
to 1963: JFK
Irving
Berlin's Mr. President (1962) features Kennedy-esque
family; a week after Kennedy’s assassination, Jacqueline Kennedy
tells Life that her husband was inspired by the musical
Camelot.
1955
to 1964: Civil rights movement
Golden
Boy (1964) stars Sammy Davis as a black boxer rebelling
against prejudice. Cabaret (1966) boldly deals with
rise of anti-Semitism in Hitler's Germany.
1967:
Counter-culture
Fiddler
on the Roof (1964) taps into the era's tensions around
the "generation gap." Hair (1968) captures
the youth movement of the 1960s with a rock score, hippie
cast, nudity, and anarchic tone.
1970s
1964
to 1973: Vietnam War
Hair
(pictured) features several anti-war moments, including
draft-card burnings. 1776, a musical about the Declaration
of Independence, is invited to perform at the Nixon White
House in 1970 under the proviso that one of its anti-war numbers
is dropped; the producer refuses and the show is eventually
performed intact.
1970:
Sexual revolution
Stephen
Sondheim's Company (1970) deals with open marriages
in "swinging" Manhattan.
1973
to 1975: Watergate
Bob
Fosse's Chicago (1975) holds a vicious mirror up
to political corruption in the judicial system.
1976:
Bicentennial
Alan
Jay Lerner and Leonard Bernstein's only collaboration, 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue, celebrates the American presidency.
In Pacific Overtures, Sondheim and Harold Prince
critique American imperialism in Japan.
1970
to 1978: Black arts movement
Several
black musicals find favor and success on Broadway: The
Wiz, Ain't Misbehavin', Sophisticated Ladies.
1980s
1983
to present: AIDS crisis
La
Cage aux Folles (1983) puts a gay romance center stage
while the AIDS epidemic spreads across the country, deeply
affecting the Broadway community.
1985
to 1990: Globalization
British
producer Cameron Mackintosh offers such shows as Cats,
Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera (pictured)
first in England, then New York City, and eventually all over
the world.
1990s
1991:
Cultural diversity
Actors'
Equity, on behalf of its Asian-American members, protests
British actor Jonathan Pryce playing Eurasian character in
Miss Saigon.
1994 to 1997: Urban renewal
The
New Amsterdam Theatre is resurrected, triggering a major overhaul
of 42nd Street. Following Disney's success with stage versions
of Beauty and the Beast (1994) and (pictured) The
Lion King (1997), other corporations invest in Broadway
musicals.
1997:
Celebrity culture
When
Chicago returns to Broadway in a revival, critics
mention its striking relevance to celebrity culture, Court
TV, and the O.J. Simpson trial.
2000s
2001:
9/11
Terrorist
attacks devastate Manhattan and Broadway shows close for an
unprecedented two days. Pure musical comedies like The
Producers (pictured) and Hairspray bring entertainment
relief to audiences.
2004:
Presidential election
Republican
National Convention convenes in NYC; Wonderful Town
and Phantom of the Opera appear on official lists
for delegates' tickets.
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1950s | 1960s to today
