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Broadway: The American Musical
A Film by Michael Kantor

TIMELINE

100 YEARS OF MUSICAL THEATER

  • Timeline: Broadway Grows Up (1904-1919)
    Timeline: Broadway Grows Up (1904-1919)
    As theater styles and personalities from around the world and the country come to New York, the theater district is born -- and so is the American musical.
  • Timeline: 1920-1932: Broadway Melody
    Timeline: 1920-1932: Broadway Melody
    Broadway enters its most prodigious period; songwriters create a new musical mythology of Broadway and send it across the country.
  • Timeline: 1933-1942: Hard Times
    Timeline: 1933-1942: Hard Times
    During the Great Depression, Broadway distracts audiences with escapism, while also offering political commentary and social engagement.
  • 1943-1959: Golden Age
    1943-1959: Golden Age
    Rodgers and Hammerstein pioneer a new form of narrative storytelling that brings a new age of musical classics.
  • 1960-1979: Changing Times
    1960-1979: Changing Times
    Broadway confronts the seismic changes in American culture by reinventing its own tradition.
  • 1980-2004: Second Century
    1980-2004: Second Century
    Broadway becomes a truly global phenomenon as new innovations respond to economic challenges.

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