Make believe
Subtitle: the Broadway musical in the 1920s
By: Ethan Mordden.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 257
Subjects: Musicals -- New York (State) -- New York -- History and criticism; Popular music -- New York (State) -- New York -- 1921-1930 -- History and criticism; Broadway (New York, N.Y.) -- History
Description: The 1920s represented a turning point in the history of the Broadway musical, breaking with the vaudeville traditions of the early twentieth century to anticipate the more complex, sophisticated musicals of today. Composers Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, and their contemporaries revitalized the musical with the sound of jazz and other new influences.

Productions became more elaborate, with dazzling sets, tumultuous choreography, and staging tricks, all woven into tightly constructed story lines. These dramatic changes of the 1920s ushered in the "golden age" of the American musical theatre. Ethan Mordden captures the excitement and the atmosphere of Broadway during the 1920s in Make Believe. In captivating, lively prose, Mordden describes in superb detail the stars, the songs, the jokes - the sheer fun of this era.
Notes: Includes index.