Theatre 208 - American Musical Comedy: From Gershwin to Sondheim

The course examines the roots of the American musical as a seminal theatrical form, with its own distinctive venues and styles; we pay particular attention to the socio-cultural factors that made the American musical stage a locus for identity-formation. The history of the American musical is deeply intertwined with the assimilationist project, particularly among Jewish-Americans, who were highly instrumental in its development. The economics of theatrical production in the early 20th century, along with the rise of a burgeoning middle class with time for leisure (a new phenomenon), gave rise to a “popular” form of musical theatre—the musical comedy—that was instrumental in creating what became “show business.”