Timeline of Events
1943 - Oklahoma! (Rodgers & Hammerstein) opens on Broadway starring Alfred Drake, Joan Roberts & Celeste Holm
1944 - On The Town (Leonard Bernstein) opens on Broadway starring Sono Osato, Nancy Walker, Cris Alexander & John Battles
1945 - Carousel (Rodgers & Hammerstein) opens on Broadway starring Jan Clayton & Jean Darling
1946 - Annie Get Your Gun (Irving Berlin) opens on Broadway starring Ethel Merman & Ray Middleton
1948 - Kiss Me Kate (Lerner & Loewe) opens on Broadway starring Alfred Drake, Patricia Morrison & Lisa Kirk
1949 - South Pacific (Rodgers & Hammerstein) opens on Broadway Mary Martin, Ezio Pinza & Juanita Hall
1950 - Guys & Dolls (Frank Loesser) opens on Broadway starring Robert Alda, Isabel Bigley & Vivian Blaine
1951 - The King and I (Rodgers & Hammerstein) opens on Broadway, starring Yul Brynner & Gertrude Lawrence
1954 - The Pajama Game (Richard Adler & Jerry Ross) opens on Broadway starring Eddie Foy, Jr., Janis Paige & Carol Haney
1956 - My Fair Lady (Lerner & Loewe) opens on Broadway, starring Julie Andrews & Rex Harrison
1957 - West Side Story (Bernstein & Sondheim) opens on Broadway, starring Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence & Chita Rivera
1957 - The Music Man (Meredith Wilson) opens on Broadway, starring Robert Preston
1958 - Flower Drum Song (Rodgers & Hammerstein) opens on Broadway starring Miyoshi Umecki, Pat Suzuki, & Keye Luke
1959 - The Sound of Music (Rodgers & Hammerstein) opens on Broadway, starring Mary Martin
1959 - Fiorello! (Jerry Bock) opens on Broadway starring Sorrell Booke
1959 - Gypsy (Jule Styne & Stephen Sondheim) opens on Broadway, starring Ethel Merman
1960- Bye Bye Birdie (Lee Adams & Charles Strouse) opens on Broadway starring Dick van Dyke & Chita Rivera
1962 - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Sondheim) opens on Broadway starring Zero Mostel
1963 - She Loves Me (Bock & Harnick) opens on Broadway starring Barbara Cook, Daniel Massey, David Cassidy, & Barbara Baxley
1964 -Fiddler on the Roof (Bock & Harnick) opens on Broadway starring Zero Mostel
1966 - Sweet Charity (Cy Coleman & Dorothy Fields) opens on Broadway starring Gwen Verdon
Source:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/timelines/1943-1959/
1944 - On The Town (Leonard Bernstein) opens on Broadway starring Sono Osato, Nancy Walker, Cris Alexander & John Battles
1945 - Carousel (Rodgers & Hammerstein) opens on Broadway starring Jan Clayton & Jean Darling
1946 - Annie Get Your Gun (Irving Berlin) opens on Broadway starring Ethel Merman & Ray Middleton
1948 - Kiss Me Kate (Lerner & Loewe) opens on Broadway starring Alfred Drake, Patricia Morrison & Lisa Kirk
1949 - South Pacific (Rodgers & Hammerstein) opens on Broadway Mary Martin, Ezio Pinza & Juanita Hall
1950 - Guys & Dolls (Frank Loesser) opens on Broadway starring Robert Alda, Isabel Bigley & Vivian Blaine
1951 - The King and I (Rodgers & Hammerstein) opens on Broadway, starring Yul Brynner & Gertrude Lawrence
1954 - The Pajama Game (Richard Adler & Jerry Ross) opens on Broadway starring Eddie Foy, Jr., Janis Paige & Carol Haney
1956 - My Fair Lady (Lerner & Loewe) opens on Broadway, starring Julie Andrews & Rex Harrison
1957 - West Side Story (Bernstein & Sondheim) opens on Broadway, starring Larry Kert, Carol Lawrence & Chita Rivera
1957 - The Music Man (Meredith Wilson) opens on Broadway, starring Robert Preston
1958 - Flower Drum Song (Rodgers & Hammerstein) opens on Broadway starring Miyoshi Umecki, Pat Suzuki, & Keye Luke
1959 - The Sound of Music (Rodgers & Hammerstein) opens on Broadway, starring Mary Martin
1959 - Fiorello! (Jerry Bock) opens on Broadway starring Sorrell Booke
1959 - Gypsy (Jule Styne & Stephen Sondheim) opens on Broadway, starring Ethel Merman
1960- Bye Bye Birdie (Lee Adams & Charles Strouse) opens on Broadway starring Dick van Dyke & Chita Rivera
1962 - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Sondheim) opens on Broadway starring Zero Mostel
1963 - She Loves Me (Bock & Harnick) opens on Broadway starring Barbara Cook, Daniel Massey, David Cassidy, & Barbara Baxley
1964 -Fiddler on the Roof (Bock & Harnick) opens on Broadway starring Zero Mostel
1966 - Sweet Charity (Cy Coleman & Dorothy Fields) opens on Broadway starring Gwen Verdon
Source:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/timelines/1943-1959/
Constellation of Female Characters
Throughout the course of the Golden Age of Musical Theatre, there appears a constellation of the female characters in each show. While each woman is individually different from the others due to her circumstances and fellow characters, they are all connected in some way. Each character builds on the last, learning from each other, thus growing and evolving into the types of female characters we see today. I have created a constellation chart of female characters from this time period in relation to Amalia and Ilona from She Loves Me. Those most closely related to Amalia are on the left, those closely related to Ilona on the right.
Oklahoma (1943)
- Laurey (soprano) – confused about Curley, always waiting for him to make the 1st move. Too innocent to see accepting Jud’s invite spells trouble.
- Ado Annie (soprano) – flirtatious, cannot resist any man, particularly if she sees prospect of a wedding ring
- Clair (soprano) – anthropologist who can’t control her impulses; engaged in the study of man to learn control; engaged to a Judge, but falls in love with Ozzie
- Hildy (mezzo) – cab driver desperate for a man; tries to seduce Chip most of the show; soft side; comedic
- Ivy (mezzo) – “Miss Turnstiles”; innocent but conniving; romantic at heart; falls in love with Gabey
- Julie Jordan (soprano) – a millworker, in love with Billy; shy, but headstrong young woman
- Carrie Pipperidge (soprano) – a millworker, friend of Julie, in love with Enoch; a more “conventional” young woman
- Nettie Fowler (mezzo) –Julie’s cousin, owner of a small seaside spa; somewhat older and wiser, runs the local eating establishment
- Annie Oakley (mezzo) – Backwoods woman; incredible talent as a markswoman; immediately falls head over heels for Frank; happy and endearing; not very lady-like
- Winnie Tate (soprano) – Dolly’s 17 year old sister; Tommy wants to marry her as soon she turns 18
- Lilli Vanessi (mezzo) – actress of stage and screen; proud, haughty, vulnerable
- Lois Lane (mezzo) – actress, the quintessential airhead ingénue with charisma and charm
- Nellie Forbush (mezzo) – a spirited, young nurse; optimistic and tomboyish; falls in love with Emile, but fights against her own prejudice as the relationship develops
- Bloody Mary (mezzo) – a sassy, native merchant who makes her living selling souvenirs to the American sailors; Desperate to find a rich husband for her daughter, Liat so that she has a better life.
- Sarah Brown (alto) – idealistic, sheltered, and straightlaced, passionate about her cause and dreams of converting the gambling sinners into saints. Unexpectedly falls in love with Sky Masterson.
- Miss Adelaide (contralto) – Nathan Detroit’s fiancé; lead performer at the Hot Box nightclub; loves Nathan more than anything in the world and desperately wants to get married. Outspoken and stubborn.
- Anna Leonowens – (soprano) English schoolteacher; widow; intelligent, poised, strong-willed, cultured; patient, polite but firm
- Tuptim (soprano) – teenager from Burma sent as a slave to the palace. Speaks English, reads well; determined and a risk taker.
- Lady Thiang (mezzo) – the King’s head wife and mother of Prince Chulalongkorn; dignified, humble, dependable, efficient
- Babe Williams (mezzo) – The leader of the Union Grievance Committee, falls in love with Sid against her own will (at first). Strong, feisty, stubborn, and full of pride but still charming and sensitive.
- Gladys Hotchkiss (alto) – Penchant for nights out on the town, along with her sexy demeanor, often lands her in hot water with men.
- Eliza Doolittle (soprano)—Cockney flower girl who works outside Covent Garden; strong-willed.
- Marian Paroo (soprano) – stuffy, conceited librarian and piano teacher; very learned and defends the “questionable” books in the library. Dislikes Harold Hill at first, but grows to love him.
- Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn (alto) –Mayor Shinn’s wife; society lady; struts about like a peacock and snooty.
- Mrs. Paroo (mezzo) – widowed Irish mother to Marian and Winthrop; sweet, cheerful homemaker who wants the best for everyone.
- Madam Liang – motherly, understanding, makes a great effort to assimilate; Chinese American talent agent; opportunist
- Mei Li (soprano) – bewildered at first; new immigrant from China; patient, quiet, endearing, falls in love quickly
- Linda Low – loves Sammy and her fights with him; Chinese American showgirl; aspiring actress
- Maria (soprano) – postulant at Nonnberg Abbey; young, free-spirited, warm, gentle, kind, and determined
- Elsa (mezzo) – baroness of taste and elegance; sophisticated, dignified, mature
- Liesl Von Trapp (mezzo) – the oldest child; blossoming into a young lady with an interest in boys; cares deeply for her younger siblings
- Mama Rose (mezzo) –the ultimate stage mother; aggressive and domineering, pushing her children to perform
- Lousie (mezzo) – shy and loyal; at Mama’s prodding, becomes the famous stripper Gypsy Rose Lee
- June (alto) – pretty, talented, and frustrated with Mama’s domination
- Kim MacAfee (soprano) – 15-year-old, self-absorbed teen-aged girl who considers herself more mature than her “Conrad-Crazy” friends
- Rosie Alvarez (mezzo) – Albert’s secretary and wannabe fiancé; fed up with waiting for him to propose; vivacious and fiery
- Domina (mezzo)—A shrewish woman who dominates to the point of answering her own questions. Loves her husband, but is outwardly controlling, demanding, and manipulative.
- Philia (soprano) – A virgin in the House of Lycus; is promised to Miles and vows to give him (bodily) what he has paid for, but loves Hero and promises him her heart. Young, pretty, devoted.
- Amalia (soprano) – eager new employee; despite being skilled at her job, is intimidated and nervous; attractive, bright, and a lover of literature
- Ilona (mezzo) – sexy and learned in the game of love; longing for something more, something full of romance
- Tzeitel (mezzo) – the first daughter to marry and first to challenge traditions; pleads with her father to let her marry Motel the tailor, to whom she has pledged her love rather than the older man her father wants her to marry.
- Hodel (mezzo)—strong, independent middle child; outspoken but respectful; originally interested in the Rabbi’s son, but charmed by revolutionary Perchick upon meeting him. Dedicated to love.
- Chava (mezzo) – scholarly daughter who loves to read; loves Fyedka, a Russian, which tests her father to the limit.
- Charity Hope Valentine (alto/mezzo) – dancer at the Fandango ballroom; determined, fun, quirky, funny, despairing, optimistic girl.
- Helene (alto/mezzo) – dancer, friend to Charity; been around the block a bit; straight talking, feisty, confident, and street smart.
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