Show Boat Tickets

In the history of the performing arts, there have been hundreds of musicals! Out of these scores have won prestigious awards! However, there are very few musicals which could be credited with starting a whole new genre! Show Boat is one of those few musicals, which has often been described as a musical which started the concept of “musical play”. It is a play, into which humor and songs have been integrated with perfection. The team which is responsible for its creation is also the team of perfectionists. So when this one of a kind musical won some serious and prestigious awards like the Laurence Olivier Award for “Best Musical Revival” and the Tony Award for “Best Revival of a Musical”, the critics were hardly surprised.

 
Show Boat, the musical, is based on Edna Ferber’s 1926 novel of the same name. The prevailing theme revolves around two subjects; tragic but enduring love, and racial prejudice, prevalent in the American society during the late 19^th and early 20^th century. Ferber’s novel, like any other novel was based on fictional characters, but unlike other novels, it was based on real life stories. The author had made sure that her work was well researched and substantial, and to this end she lived on the James Adams Floating Palace Theatre, in Bath, North Carolina. The characters in her novel are based on those who either lived and/or worked on the boat. It must be remembered that back in the days, river show boats were the primary source of entertainment for the higher socio-economic classes of America.

 
The novel, Show Boat, had such powerful story to tell that the winning team of OscarHammerstein II, Jerome Kern, and Florenz Ziegfeld, composed it into a musical. In the words of its producer, Ziegfeld, “This is the best musical comedy I have ever been fortunate to get a hold of; I am thrilled to produce it, this show is the opportunity of my life….” In addition, to Ziegfeld, it was Hammerstein II who wrote the book and the lyrics for the musical, which were masterfully composed into a musical by Jerome Kern. It premiered in New York in 1927, and was an instant success. Since in those days, awards were non-existent for the musicals, the production had to wait for its revival in later years to receive some of the best awards ever. However, it is not that hard to imagine that had these awards existed then, Show Boat would have won them all!

 
As mentioned earlier, the musical is based on the lives of people on a show boat. While Ferber lived on a showboat in Bath, North Carolina, the show boat in her novel is called, Cotton Blossom. This boat was a Mississippi River show boat, which entertained its patrons from the late 19^th century to early 20^th century. It is pertinent to mention here that when Mississippi is placed in that era, the unfortunate chapter of slavery from the US history comes to the mind, immediately. The novel, too, is based on the interaction of the white community with the black community, which was largely doing labor work on the boat. How does the two communities interact with one another, is for you to find out, by buying Show Boat tickets?

 
It is mentioned above that this musical started a new genre under the name “musical play”! It is worth mentioning here that before 1927, musicals were usually light musical comedies, produced solely for the sake of entertainment. The production of this musical marked a departure from that well-established trend. It was more substantial in the form of “musical play”, rather than “musical comedy”. The play, itself was of primary importance and everything else was secondary. With this play, production numbers, humor, and songs were intertwined into one purposeful entity.

 
Show Boat is one of those musicals where you need to see it to believe it! One of the most favorite musicals of all time, it has been produced all over the world, ever since 1927. It gets better with time, some would argue! So while the production now comes to your lovely town, do not miss out on this one, as it is unique in many aspects! Buy your Show Boat tickets now!