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For Broadway audiences of the 1980s, the decade was perhaps most notable for the so-called “British invasion.” While concept musicals such as Nine and Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George continued to be produced, several London hits came to New York. In addition to shows like Chess, Me and My Girl, and Les Miserables,the decade’s most successful composerAndrew Lloyd Webberwas also well represented by Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Song & Dance, and Starlight Express. There were also many revivals (such as Show Boat and Gypsy), surprise hits (The Pirates of Penzance), huge hits (42nd Street), and notorious flops (Into the Light, Carrie, and Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Reveng...
John Lewis Benson, born in Crawford County, Pennsylvania, was an 8th generation descendant of John Benson, who arrived in America at Plymouth Colony on 11 April 1638 on the ship "Confidence." After being reared in Chautauqua County, New York, John Lewis Benson's father, William, took him to Rock Island County, Illinois, following his daughters who had already made the migration. Shortly after reaching his majority, John Lewis Benson went to "Bleeding Kansas" as part of the wave of Abolitionists who sought to "keep Kansas free," which action reflected the devout Puritan Calvinism of his Benson forebears. He enlisted in the 5th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry two months after the first canon was fire...
On March 31, 1943, the musical Oklahoma! premiered and the modern era of the Broadway musical was born. Since that time, the theatres of Broadway have staged hundreds of musicals--some more noteworthy than others, but all in their own way a part of American theatre history. With more than 750 entries, this comprehensive reference work provides information on every musical produced on Broadway since Oklahoma's 1943 debut. Each entry begins with a brief synopsis of the show, followed by a three-part history: first, the pre-Broadway story of the show, including out-of-town try-outs and Broadway previews; next, the Broadway run itself, with dates, theatres, and cast and crew, including replacements, chorus and understudies, songs, gossip, and notes on reviews and awards; and finally, post-Broadway information with a detailed list of later notable productions, along with important reviews and awards.