Research Project: Women Creating Musicals
Women in Creative Roles in Musicals from 1904 to 1930
by MJ Halco
Summary
The beginning of the 20th century saw the creation and development of musical theater, as well as its associated genres of musical comedy and operetta. The growing popularity of these staged works necessitated creative positions like producers, directors, composers, lyricists, librettists, and many more. While history books tend to focus on the notable men that served in these roles, they fail to mention the significant impact women made on the formation of the genre. Specifically looking at composers, lyricists, and librettists, there are six women I would like to bring into the spotlight. Liza Lehmann was an established composer of both art music and staged works, including the musical comedy Sergeant Brue in 1904. Nora Bayes collaborated to write “Shine On, Harvest Moon” in 1908, which lived on for decades. Rida Johnson Young, Anne Caldwell, and Dorothy Donnelly were three extremely talented and successful women in the fields of lyrics and librettos. Young wrote the lyrics for many hit shows, including Maytime in 1917. Caldwell worked on a plethora of shows, most notable The Night Boat with Jerome Kern in 1920. Donnelly wrote lyrics and librettos for many popular shows, and frequently collaborated with Sigmund Romberg for shows such as Blossom Time in 1921 and The Student Prince in 1924. Kay Swift has earned herself the distinction of being the first woman to compose the score for a hit Broadway musical, Fine and Dandy, in 1930. While these women made substantial strides for women in creatives roles, they all faced significant sexism. It is possible that women were able to break into lyric and libretto writing because they were deemed lower than composing and held less glory. The press frequently asked women more about their personal lives than their work, and wrote about their appearances rather than their accomplishments. Despite these obstacles, women such as the ones I have mentioned made their mark on the creation and development of musical theater.
Sources:
I have used books and dissertations to study these women. They have cited newspapers and periodicals from the time period, as well as including materials from the original scores of the works of these women.
Significance:
Women in the positions of composer, lyricist, and librettist played a much larger role in the development of musical theater, musical comedy, and operetta, than many records show. They were critical in the creation of this genre.