Category Archives: History

Today in Musical History: Glee

Posted on May 19, 2021 by boz

The musical TV series Glee premiered May 19, 2009, on Fox and continued for six seasons, ending its run on March 20, 2015, after 121 episodes. The show centered on the New Directions glee club at William McKinley H.S. in … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Carrie

Posted on May 12, 2021 by boz

The legendary musical Carrie opened on May 12, 1988, at Broadway’s Virginia (now August Wilson) Theatre. In 1981, Lawrence D. Cohen, who wrote the 1976 film Carrie, and Michael Gore began work on a musical adaptation of the Stephen King … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: The Threepenny Opera

Posted on March 10, 2021 by boz

On March 10, 1954, Marc Blitzstein’s adaptation of The Threepenny Opera opened at New York’s Theatre de Lys (now Lucille Lortel). Its unprecedented success helped to launch the Off-Broadway movement. The musical’s journey began in 1927, with Elizabeth Hauptmann’s translation … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”

Posted on March 8, 2021 by boz

On March 8, 1969, the single “Aquarius / Let the Sunshine In,” a medley of the opening and closing songs from the 1967 musical Hair, made its debut on Billboard’s Hot 100, eventually rising to the top of the chart, … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Cinderella

Posted on March 4, 2021 by boz

Cinderella, the 12th animated feature from Walt Disney Productions, went into wide release on March 4, 1950. The project was years in the making. As early as 1938, Al Perkins had written an outline for Disney based on Charles Perrault’s … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Carmen

Posted on March 3, 2021 by boz

On Mar. 3, 1875, Carmen premiered at the Opéra-Comique, Paris, with music by Georges Bizet and libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella. Its depictions of working class life and the death of its … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: The Sound of Music

Posted on March 2, 2021 by boz

On March 2, 1965, the film adaptation of the 1959 stage musical The Sound of Music premiered in New York. The story began with Maria von Trapp’s 1949 memoir, which was adapted for a 1956 German film. Paramount bought the … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: A Little Night Music

Posted on February 25, 2021 by boz

On Feb. 25, 1973, A Little Night Music opened at the Shubert Theatre, running on Broadway for 601 performances. After the success of She Loves Me, Hal Prince asked Stephen Sondheim about writing a romantic musical. Their first choice to … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Posted on February 19, 2021 by boz

On Feb. 19, 1964, the sung-through musical film Les Parapluies de Cherbourg was released in France, premiering in the U.K. that October and in the U.S. that December as The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. It is the second in an informal … Continue reading →

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Today in Musical History: “Hello, Dolly!”

Posted on February 15, 2021 by boz

On Feb. 15, 1964, Louis Armstrong’s cover of the musical title song “Hello, Dolly!” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, one month after the show premiered on Broadway, where Carol Channing had introduced the tune. Armstrong’s recording spent 22 weeks … Continue reading →

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