A lively and opinionated cultural history of the Broadway Musical that tells the extraordinary story of how Immigrants, Jews, Queers, African-Americans and other outcasts invented the Broadway Musical, and how they changed America in the process.In Season One, host David Armstrong traces the evolution of American Musical Theater from its birth at the dawn of the 20th Century, through its mid-century “Golden Age”, and right up to its current 21st Century renaissance; and also explore how musicals have reflected and shaped our world -- especially in regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, and equality.
https://www.broadway-nation.com
Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 4 days 22 hours 15 minutes
"White Christmas": The Story Behind The World's Most Popular Song, Part 2
This is the second of two special holiday bonus episodes of Broadway Nation. In Part One we looked at how the Jewish-Russian immigrant songwriter, Irving Berlin -- in addition to being one of the prime inventors of the Broadway Musical -- also created an entirely new category of popular song: “the Christmas Standard”...
episode 1: George M. Cohan & The Immigrants That Invented Broadway
In this episode, host David Armstrong, along with special guest, Albert Evans, begin to tell the amazing story of how Immigrants, Jews, Queers, and African-Americans invented America's signature art form -- the Broadway Musical.
episode 2: Irving Berlin and the Immigrants That Invented Broadway
In this episode David Armstrong and special quest Albert Evans continue the amazing story of how Jewish, Irish and other immigrants invented the Broadway Musical -- including the immortal contributions of Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, McCarthy & Tierney, Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice,, and Florenz Ziegfeld.
episode 3: Bob Cole & The African-Americans That Invented Broadway
African-American theater artists played a much larger role in the creation of the Broadway Musical than is generally acknowledged -- including an entire decade of nearly forgotten hit shows and songs! In this episode we will rediscover the early history of Black Broadway, and the amazingly multi-talented men and women whose legacy still inspires Broadway today,
episode 4: Eubie Blake & The African-Americans That Invented Broadway
The 1920's begin to roar when Eubie Blake and many other brilliant black theater artists bring the Jazz Age to Broadway..
episode 5: Cole Porter & The Queers That Invented Broadway
In this episode David Armstrong shares the fascinating stories of early queer producing and life partners Charles Frohman and Charles Dillingham; the first great gay director Hassard Short, drag superstars Julian Eltinge & Bert Savoy, the "Pansy Craze", and the immortal Cole Porter!
episode 6: Lorenz Hart & The Queers That Invented Broadway!
In this episode David Armstrong shares the fascinating stories of Broadway's defining queer choreographers Robert Alton & Jack Cole, the legendary gay songwriters Noel Coward and Larry Hart, and prolific bookwriter Herbert Fields, who may be one of the most significant and least known inventors of the Broadway Musical!
episode 7: Dorothy Fields & The Women That Invented Broadway
In this episode my special guest Albert Evans and I will share the often overlooked stories of Broadway's female songwriters and bookwriters including Dorothy Donnelly, Betty Comden, Bella Spewack, Mary Rodgers, Carolyn Leigh, and Dorothy Fields - whose amazing 50-year career stretched from the vaudeville era to the age of rock!
episode 8: Agnes DeMille & The Women That Invented Broadway
In this episode I share the often overlooked stories of Broadway's groundbreaking female choreographers including Aida Overton Walker, Gertrude Hoffman, Albertina Rauch, Hanya Holm,, Onna White, and especially Agnes DeMille who is arguably the most important woman in the history of the Musical. I also profile the two queer women that invented the art and craft of Broadway lighting design as we know it: Jean Rosenthal & Tharon Musser...
episode 9: George Gershwin & "The Silver Age" of Broadway!
This episode explores at the first half of what I call "The Silver Age Of Broadway" -- a period that spans from the end of WWI to the opening of CAROUSEL in 1945. "The Roaring '20s" brought The Jazz Age to Broadway via a new crop of brilliant young songwriters including George & Ira Gershwin; Rudolf Friml, Rodgers & Hart; Vincent Youmans & Irving Ceasar; DeSylva, Brown & Henderson and more!