534 BC  first tragedy competition (trilogy satyr play) held in Athens

486 BC  first comedy play competition held in Athens
 

1594  Dafne first "opera" presented by Camerata of Florence
          text by Ottavio Rinuccini and Giulio Caccini, music by Caccini

1607  Claudio Monteverde's Orfeo

1637  first public opera house opens in Venice

1728  English ballad opera / John Gay's The Beggar's Opera
          sung in English to popular tunes
          spoken dialogue instead of recitative
 
 

Minstrel Shows / Minstrelsy 1828  Thomas D. Rice (18-8-1860) introduced "Jim Crow" 1840  William Henry Lane "Master Juba" (1825-1852)            considered the best minstrel performer in the business 1843  minstrelsy now a full-length entertainment "Virginia Minstrels" 1846  minstrel shows given distinctive form by E.P. Christy (1815-1862) 1850-70  minstrel shows reached their peak of popularity 19 June 1863  Emancipation Proclamation 1865  first all-black minstrel company, Georgia Minstrels 1891  The Creole Show introduced women into minstrel show 1896  only ten minstrel companies still performing

 

Melodrama spoken text with music underscoring stock characters poetic justice:  "good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people" very simple morality -- clear distinction between good and evil contrived plot often depends on with held information and coincidence possibly some songs, and/or music to accompany pantomime

 

VAUDEVILLE 1881    Tony Pastor (1837-1908) opens his 14th Street Theatre for "refined" vaudeville             discouraged drinking and solicited a family trade 1885    B. F. Keith and E.F. Albee open the Bijou Theatre in Boston for vaudeville 1900    about 67 theatres in the USA devoted to vaudeville 1901    often three shows a day; 16 turns:  8 turns appear in the supper show             admission is 25 cents to $1.00             performances everyday but Sunday                       11:30am to 5pm         afternoon show                        5pm to 8pm               supper show                       8pm to 10:30pm         night show 1913    almost 3000 vaudeville theatres in the USA 1923     two-a-day vaudeville's peak year 1890-1930   vaudeville the most popular form of theatre in America

MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT 1735   Flora, or Hob in the Well was a ballad opera; presented in Charleston, SC 1796   William Dunlap's The Archers, or Mountaineers of Switzerland 1866   The Black Crook 1868   Humpty Dumpty  pantomime produced by George L. Fox 1874    Evangeline; or, The Belle of Acadia             music by Edward E. Rice; book and lyrics by J. Cheever Goodwin             burlesque of Longfellow's poem; a dancing heifer, an amorous whale, etc.             most enduring and popular of American musical burlesques for the next 30 years 1879   The Brook written and produced by Nate Salsbury            often considered the first American musical; songs and story were integrated             but musical score was composed by several composers and show contained no dance 1879   Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore (1 December 1879) opened on Broadway            Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance (31 December 1879) opened on Broadway 1891    A Trip to Chinatown; or, The Idyl of San Francisco             opened 9 November 1891 at the Madison Square Theatre; 657 performances             book and lyrics by Charles H. Hoyt; contained the hit song "Reuben, Reuben"             for 28 years (until Irene), it held the record for the longest running musical (1891 to 1919)             with this show, farce-comedy became musical comedy 1898    Clorindy, the Origin of the Cakewalk             Casino Theatre Roof Garden, began 11:45pm and ended 12:45am             hit song was "Who Dat Say Chicken in Dis Crowd?"             first African-American musical to play Broadway             music by Will Marion Cook; lyrics by Paul Lawrence Dunbar

Edward Harrigan    26 October 1845 -- 6 June 1911

Tony Hart                  25 July 1855 -- 4 November 1891

Harrigan's father-in-law David Braham wrote the music

1879   The Mulligan Guards' Ball
1880   The Mulligan Guards' Surprise
1880   The Mulligans' Silver Wedding -- their theatre burnt and the team split up

           Harrigan builds another theatre

1891   Tony Hart died in Worcester, MA at the age of 36