The Year that Made the Musical
1924 and the Glamour of Musical Theatre

Everett shows that the musicals playing in the iconic year of 1924 exuded glamour while brilliantly combining old and new.

William A. Everett (Author)

9781009316514, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 July 2024

272 pages
24.9 x 17.8 x 1.9 cm, 0.73 kg

'Theater aficionados and historians will find much to applaud in this impeccably researched work.' Carolyn M. Mulac, Library Journal

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.

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.

Subject Areas: 20th century & contemporary classical music [AVGC6]