American Musical Theatre

Chapter 1 Questions
Declan Wagar

1. The stock market crash began on Tuesday October 29th 1929.

2. Vaudeville was lost to the times that year.
3. The Palace theatre started to shows films.
4. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd president and was in office for the majority of
the event for the Great Depression
5. “Brother Can You Spare A Dime” has such a timeless essence ESPECIALLY now in the
midst of the history that is being made every afternoon in Washington. It is curious to
me how these problems persisted long ago and songs like these become anthems of the
times because of their ability to capture the true nature of the issue.
6. There are three brothers named: Lee Shubert, Samuel Shubert, and Jacob Shubert
7. Lee Shubert took control of the enterprise under the name “Select Theatre
Incorperated”
8. The Winter Garden Theatre, Shubert, Music Box, Lyceum, Cort, Imperial
9. That is the eccentric Hassard Short.
10. Flood lights that hung from the mezzanine replaces traditional floor lights.
11. This was the last appearance of Fred and Adele Astaire
12. Motorized turn tables. And the show it is currently being utilized in is Hamilton.
13. “Triplets” is one of those songs that is going to stay in my head for a while. Its
somewhere between really creepy and highly entertaining.
14. “Dancing In The Dark” has a real charm to it that Fred and Cyd play so beautifully.
Dancing in the park is such a nuanced thing to play without dialogue and they do it very
masterfully.
15. It was a bunch of scenes and songs collected as newspaper headlines.
16. Irving Berlin!
17. Again, Irving Berlin!
18. The book was written my Moss Hart
19. HOW UNBELIEVABLY POWERFUL! This ballad is not only gut-wrenching, but it leaves you
wishing you could see more of this strong woman’s story.
20. That revue would be “Pin’s and Needles
21. Oscar Hammerstein II
22. THE GREAT WALTZ
23. The house of the theatre was converted into A 3D mountain village this included:
- Life size house fronts
- A panoramic alpine mural that covered the lobby and seating sections.
- A Thousand Gallon rain storm above the stage.
24. The thing that stood out to me was how simple the shot and the song is. It sometimes
feels as though, in the age, many directors would overwhelm the shots to keep
 audiences entertained, but this whole song stayed in a grounded reality in the canoe
just paddling through the lake.
25. The melody in this song is extremely playful and that helps to reinforce the context this
song exist in as well as the emotions being expressed by the actor.
26. The calm smoothe movement of the actor really helps to move the narrative forward.
Very Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire esk.
27. George S. Kaufman wrote the book
28. George and Ira Gershwin wrote the libretto for the revived version.
29. Ira Gershwin was responsible for the lyrics while George composed the arrangements.
30. LET ‘EM EAT CAKE was the sequel.
31. Ethel Merman made her debut in GIRL CRAZY.
32. “I Got Rhythm” was the true show stopping number in GIRL CRAZY
33. Edwin DuBose Heyward
34. Dorothy and Edwin Heyward
35. I am not sure which version I prefer. In the more grand version, the romance and
passion is reinforced by the score and the vocals, but in the more modern version with
Norm and Audra, the intimacy plays more authentically. I think this is in part a product
of the times, but also a stylistic choice by both the directors and original producers.
36. Fred’s movement will always be timeless. Something about the charismatic positioning
of his body. His face always to the camera give a slight smirk. He makes the choreo seem
effortless. I think this does a phenomenal way of honoring George Gershwin’s last song.

Ginger finally appears at around 2:25. Before that time, it really was almost impossible
to tell where she was even watching in full screen!