1933-1942 Hard Times
1933
"Let 'Em Eat Cake" is an unsuccessful antifascist sequel to "Of Thee I Sing." Irving Berlin and Moss Hart have a hit with "As Thousands Cheer," a topical revue featuring Ethel Waters singing "Heat Wave" and the controversial "Supper Time."
42ND STREET, the quintessential backstage musical film, is released.
1934
Cole Porter and Ethel Merman team up for the first time with the frothy "Anything Goes"; a big hit, its songs include "You're the Top" and "I Get a Kick out of You."
The depression hits the New York theater; many legitimate theaters close or are renovated as movie theaters, which are less financially risky to run.
Fiorello La Guardia becomes mayor of New York City.
1935
German composer Kurt Weill, an exile from Hitler's Germany, arrives in New York.
Rodgers and Hart, unhappy in Hollywood, return to Broadway to create the circus-themed "Jumbo."
"Porgy and Bess," an ambitious folk opera written by Du Bose Heyward and George and Ira Gershwin, opens to mixed reviews. Its relatively short run sends the Gershwins back to Hollywood.
1936
"On Your Toes," a Rodgers and Hart show, stars Ray Bolger and features choreography by recent émigré George Balanchine.
The "Ziegfeld Follies of 1936," produced by the Shuberts, opens and stars Fanny Brice as Baby Snooks, Bob Hope, and Josephine Baker.
1937
George Gershwin dies unexpectedly of a brain tumor in Hollywood.
Three political satires open: "I'd Rather Be Right," a spoof of FDR's administration by Rodgers and Hart; "Pins and Needles," a semiprofessional revue produced by the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union; and "The Cradle Will Rock," a left-wing, pro-labor musical written by Marc Blitzstein and directed by Orson Welles. The federal government closes the show before opening night.
1938
Mary Martin debuts on Broadway in Cole Porter's "Leave It to Me!," captivating audiences by singing "My Heart Belongs to Daddy."
The first Broadway show to adapt Shakespeare to the musical stage is Rodgers and Hart's "The Boys from Syracuse."
1939
Bert Lahr and Ethel Merman crack up audiences with their hijinks in "DuBarry Was a Lady."
The New York World's Fair opens in Flushing, taking customers away from Broadway.
The movie THE WIZARD OF OZ premieres, with songs by Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg; it features such beloved Broadway performers as Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Frank Morgan, and Billie Burke.
1940
"Pal Joey," remarkable for its groundbreaking mature approach to sexuality, opens with Gene Kelly in the lead; songs include "Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered."
Al Jolson makes his last Broadway appearance in "Hold on to Your Hats."
1941
"Lady in the Dark," written by Moss Hart, Kurt Weill, and Ira Gershwin, opens with Gertrude Lawrence as a fashion editor with a vivid dream life; the dynamic Danny Kaye is a cast member.
United States enters World War II
1942
A scaled-down version of "Porgy and Bess" is successfully revived on Broadway.
Irving Berlin creates another revue for the U.S. armed forces, "This Is the Army," in which he performs; he takes the show on tour throughout the rest of the war.
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II begin adapting GREEN GROW THE LILACS for the musical stage.
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