First original book musical

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 1:22pm

My friend and I were debating the other day over what was the first original modern book musical to not be based on a previously written work (ie. book, play, movie...etc) and have an original score?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 1:33pm

Was SHOW BOAT based on anything?

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 1:39pm

Yeah we debated about show boat but that was supposedly based on a book.

[Barihunk]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 2:02pm

Not supposedly based... was based... on Edna Ferber's novel of the same name, "Show Boat". This is an interesting question though... how about "Paint Your Wagon" 1951?

[Jwei123]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 2:05pm

I *think* it was Oklahoma!

[Barihunk]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 2:07pm

Or maybe a better guess... "Allegro" 1947?

[Barihunk]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 2:08pm

Oklahoma was based on Lynn Riggs' play "Green Grow the Lilacs"

[apdarcey]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 2:09pm

i could get all music history on your @sses and say monteverdi's l'incarnazione di poppea in 1597(?)... but i don't think that's what you're looking for.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 2:11pm

Oklahoma was based on Lynn Rigg's "Green Grow the Lilacs"

The first original book musicals were back in the first decade of the 20th century (perhaps even before). George M. Cohan's "Little Johnny Jones" was one of his first hits (around 1904) and perhaps the oldest musical that still gets occasionally revived (Donny Osmond brought it back in the 80s). This is not to say that the book was anything great or special, but it was original.

I imagine somebody out there could name some original book musicals from the 19th century, but I don't believe any of them survive to this day.

Updated On: 6/22/05 at 02:11 PM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 2:19pm

We talked about this in my Musical Theatre History class - but I don't remember what conclusion we came to. But, if I remember correctly, it quickly turned into a discussion about how very few completely original musicals there really are.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 2:24pm

As for the first really GOOD completely original book for a musical, my guess would be George Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind's Pulitzer-Prize winning politically satirical book for the Gershwin's "Of Thee I Sing" in the early 30s. That book still holds up to this day.

[magruder]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 2:24pm

In addition to Cohan's shows, you have the Jerome Kern Princess Theatre shows (like Oh, Boy! Oh, Lady Lady)!, the early Gershwin shows (like Lady, Be Good, Oh, Kay!), the Desylva Brown and Henderson shows (Good News), etc. All had original books, although as Margo mentioned, they are not necessarily very good books.

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 6/22/05 at 3:02pm

Thank you for everyone's help. My friend had watched a special on Hair, which claimed that it was the first totally original modern book musical.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 6/23/05 at 12:27am

The first big hit musical to run more than 500 performances was ADONIS (1884) but its story was a burlesque on PYGMALION AND GALATEA. A TRIP TO CHINATOWN (1891) was an original that ran 657 performances.

[OtherDaryl]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 10:19am

The perception of HAIR as a totally original and modern musical is absolutely accurate, even if it did mislead your friend into thinking it was the first musical with an original book. HAIR changed the idea of what musical theatre could be in much the same way Show Boat and Oklahoma did in their day. So, in a sense, it was the beginning of a new era, just as those creations were.

Updated On: 6/24/05 at 10:19 AM

[umgeoboy]

Posted: 6/24/05 at 11:33pm

Thank you for everyone's help in clearing up this debate.