Chapter 8: Broadway and Musical Theater
In the 1910s and 1920s, the American stage saw the emergence of new forms of musical theater that reflected the nation’s growing appetite for entertainment blending music, storytelling, and visual spectacle. Before this shift, vaudeville and operetta dominated popular theater. Operetta—a lighter, often comedic form of opera—combined spoken dialogue with songs and orchestral music. Among the new formats gaining popularity was the revue, exemplified by productions like the Ziegfeld Follies. These shows featured a series of loosely connected popular songs, comic sketches, and dance routines, functioning more as variety entertainment than as fully developed narratives.
At the same time, a more cohesive and narrative-driven form of musical theater was beginning to take shape: the book musical. In this structure, songs were woven directly into the plot, with characters using music to advance the story and express their emotions. This approach brought greater emotional resonance and dramatic continuity to the stage, setting the foundation for the modern American musical.
New York City served as the geographical epicenter of this theatrical and musical innovation. Tin Pan Alley, the bustling district of music publishers and songwriters centered around West 28th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, supplied Broadway with a constant stream of new songs. Just blocks away, the street known as Broadway had already begun to establish its identity as the heart of American theater. Originally a Native American trail, Broadway became one of the city's main thoroughfares. As the city grew, theaters migrated uptown, eventually clustering around Times Square. This area offered high foot traffic, bright electric signage, and easy access via the city’s expanding subway system making it the ideal location for commercial theater.
By the early 20th century, “Broadway” had become synonymous with American theatrical entertainment. Theaters lining the street produced a mix of dramas, comedies, and musical performances that drew large crowds. The proximity of Tin Pan Alley and Broadway created a powerful synergy between the music industry and the stage. Composers like Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, and George and Ira Gershwin played a central role in shaping this emerging art form, working closely with librettists who crafted the spoken dialogue and dramatic frameworks of these productions. While many musicals of the period had relatively short runs, their songs endured, becoming popular standards that formed the foundation of what would later be known as the Great American Songbook.