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Stage Musical Chronology

1700-1859

Compiled by John Kenrick

(Copyright 2003)

All shows listed below are book musicals and all dates are for Broadway (NYC) openings, unless otherwise noted. In these years, a musical could bill itself as a burletta, extravaganza, spectacle, operetta, comic or light opera, pantomime or even parlor opera. These classifications were so vague that The Magic Deer (1852) called itself "A Serio Comico Tragico Operatical Historical Extravaganzical Burletical Tale of Enchantment" -- and for all that, it disappeared after 5 performances.

These are only some of the more important or interesting musicals of the 19th Century. Hundreds of short-lived productions were of little historical significance, and we can only guess how many left no historical record behind. Since there was no authorized organization maintaining statistics, some performance totals are approximations. For the most complete listing available, see Richard C. Norton's spectacular three volume set, A Chronology of American Musical Theater. New York: Oxford, 2002.

KEY

Show Title (Genre/City), Opening Date, Theatre, Number of Performances


1700s


Early 1800s


1840s


1850


1851


1852


1853


1854


1855


1856


1857


1858


1859

Go to: 1860s

 

(P) Pantomime
(R) Revival
(London) London Production
(City) Other Non-US productions
REP Repertory company - exact performance total unknown
?? Number of performances unknown

 

Other Stage Chronologies:

1860s    1870s    1880s    1890s    1900s    1910s    1920s    1930s    1940s    1950s    1960s    1970s    1980s    1990s    2000s