StageBible

Musical Theatre history, tips and tricks for the aspiring performer!

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Juanita - Lady, Be Good!

Music: George Gershwin

Lyrics: Ira Gershwin

Premiere: 1924, Broadway (jazz age)

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Character: M ensemble

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Linger in the Lobby - Lady, Be Good!

Music: George Gershwin

Lyrics: Ira Gershwin

Premiere: 1924, Broadway (jazz age)

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Character: M/F ensemble

Voice Part: SATB

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Lady, Be Good - Songs You May Know

Music: George Gershwin

Lyrics: Ira Gershwin

Premiere: 1924, Broadway (jazz age)

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Character: Watty Watkins

Voice Part: Tenor / Baritone

Song Range: D4-E5

Sheet Music: here

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Fascinating Rhythm - Lady, Be Good!

Music: George Gershwin

Lyrics: Ira Gershwin

Premiere: 1924, Broadway (jazz age)

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Character: Originally a trio between Susie, Dick and Jeff. Sheet music here for Susie solo.

Voice Part: Soprano

Song Range: Bb3-F5

Sheet Music: here

[stagebible]

Lady, Be Good!

Opened: 1924, Broadway

Music: George Gershwin

Lyrics: Ira Gershwin

Book: Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson

Synopsis:

Orphaned siblings Dick and Susie Trevor get evicted from their home as they are broke. They crash wealthy Jo Vanderwater’s party for a free meal. They both fall in love with the wrong people - people with no money!

Dick loves Shirley Vernon, but goes after Jo instead. Susie falls for “hobo” Jack Robinson, but convinces herself to go after the richer Jeff White instead. Local lawyer, Watty Watkins tries to get Jo to help, but it turns out it’s Jo who evicted them!

Jack's uncle dies, and it turns out he was a millionaire. Watty is looking for Jack Robinson on behalf of his client, the flamboyant Manuel Estrada, who says that his sister married Jack in Mexico. Watty offers Susie $50,000 to dress up as Jack’s widow to help him, so they can get the money from the Robinson estate. Meanwhile Dick proposes to Jo, since he thinks he can never afford to marry Shirley, his true love.

In Act 2, everything resolves. Dick professes his true love to Shirley. Watty and Susie try to claim the money left by Jack’s uncle. Jack (still dressed as a hobo) returns when he hears he is heir to a fortune, but is shocked to find Susie, claiming the money as his "widow". Susie does not know that her "hobo" is newly-wealthy Jack, nor that Manuel Estrada is using her - his sister never really married Jack.

Jack saves Susie from disgrace and proclaims his love, Dick and Shirley are reunited, Jo and Watty form a happy love knot. It ends happily with a multiple wedding.

You May Know:

Oh, Lady, Be Good

Fascinating Rhythm

Fave Songs:

Linger in the Lobby

Juanita

Fascinating Rhythm

Did you know?

The original cast starred Fred and Adele Astaire!

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A post shared by Trainer + Ballet Teacher (@motionmedicine) on Jan 13, 2020 at 7:38am PST

Stretchy Sunday - Hamstring Stretch!

From @/motionmedicine on Instagram!

“|| HAPPY HAMSTRINGS || Do you struggle with tight hamstrings? 🙋‍♀️ Give yourself 5 minutes of goodness by relieving tension in your hamstrings and keeping them happy, healthy, and strong. Just 5 minutes of consistent stretching a day can make a WORLDS worth of difference. 🌍

Release - forward fold, plié and stretch x 10

Wide leg forward fold with twist x 10

Single leg hold and twist x 5 per leg

Flat back to forward fold x 10

Crossed leg forward fold with breath x 10 per leg”

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The Jazz Age

The Jazz Age of musical theatre is seen as the period of time from the 1920s to the introduction of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Book Musical in the 1940s.

It is characterised by American Musical Comedies such as Oh, Kay! and Anything Goes.

These American Musical Comedies didn’t always have the strongest storylines (especially compared to what we have come to expect from Rodgers and Hammerstein Book Musicals!) but audiences didn’t seem to mind. They provided lots of opportunities for songs, dances and star vehicles, and the plots were believable (if silly!) and conveyed emotion well.

Notably, the music was usually composed first, compared to the Rodger and Hammerstein era, where it was the lyrics that were nearly always written first!

This was also a period where the accessibility of Musical Theatre to the public increased dramatically. By the end of the 1920s, practically every family had access to a radio, and the first musical film, ‘The Jazz Singer’, came out in 1927.

However, the 1920s and 1930s had vastly different social climates, and this is reflected in the popularity of the shows at the time. The 1929 Wall Street Crash and resulting Great Depression led to a long period of social unrest and high employment. This meant that people had less money to spend on the theatre, and composers were also less likely to risk putting on shows not guaranteed to be a massive hit. You can see this shift as in the 1920s, 10 book musicals ran for over 500 performances on Broadway, whereas in the 1930s, only 3 book musicals managed to last for just 400 performances!

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Who’s ready for our first musical Monday?

Keep your eyes peeled 👀

[stagebible]

Hello and welcome to StageBible, your go-to-guide for all things Musical Theatre related!

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Looking to hone your skills?

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What can I expect from StageBible? ✨

Singing and Vocal Health tips

Dance Technique and Strengthening advice

Musical Theatre History summaries

Technical Terms, explained

Repertoire Suggestions

And much, much more!

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