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Ruozzo_Dissertation.pdf (2.81 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

The Legitimate Princess: Intersections of Broadway and the Little Theatre Movement in Jerome Kern's Musical Comedies

Ruozzo, Stephanie Marie
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3719-1491
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1591286570783829

Abstract Details

2020, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Musicology.
In my dissertation, I examine the Princess Theatre shows within their sociocultural contexts and situate them in relation to the Little Theatre Movement and World War I. I analyze three of the shows – Very Good Eddie (1915), Oh, Boy! and Leave It to Jane (both 1917) – in the context of dramatic integration and the Little Theatre Movement. I apply the philosophy and tenets of the Little Theatre Movement to encourage a fresh viewing of the Princess shows as legitimate theater. The first chapter of my dissertation is a historical and theoretical one synthesizing the writings of many leaders of the Little Theatre Movement and comparing their artistic aims to those of the creative team at the Princess. In this chapter, I explore the relationships among WWI, the Little Theatre Movement, and the American stage (legitimate and musical). The second, third, and fourth chapters are case studies of the three aforementioned shows. Each begins with an account of the events surrounding the writing and premiere of the musical. I conclude that Kern’s scores for the Princess Theatre were indeed integrated to a degree unusual for their time, and that impulses which fostered the Little Theatre Movement also shaped the Princess musicals. Ultimately, this project leads musical theater historians to reconsider the place of musicals in relation to the legitimate theatre and the historiography we construct around the “integrated” musical.
Daniel Goldmark (Advisor)
Susan McClary (Committee Member)
Georgia Cowart (Committee Member)
John Orlock (Committee Member)
250 p.
American History; American Studies; History; Modern History; Music; Performing Arts; Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies
Jerome Kern; Broadway; Musical Comedy; The Princess Theatre; Integration; Little Theatre Movement; World War I

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Ruozzo, S. M. (2020). The Legitimate Princess: Intersections of Broadway and the Little Theatre Movement in Jerome Kern's Musical Comedies [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1591286570783829

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Ruozzo, Stephanie. The Legitimate Princess: Intersections of Broadway and the Little Theatre Movement in Jerome Kern's Musical Comedies. 2020. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1591286570783829.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Ruozzo, Stephanie. "The Legitimate Princess: Intersections of Broadway and the Little Theatre Movement in Jerome Kern's Musical Comedies." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2020. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1591286570783829

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1591286570783829
424
© 2020, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.