Tradition and Rock and Revolution: Broadway in the 1960s and 1970s

Comprehensive practice flashcards detailing Broadway theater history during the 1960s and 1970s, tracing the decline of the Golden Era, the emergence of rock musicals, concept musicals, and the work of Hal Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Michael Bennett, and Bob Fosse.

Vehicle Musicals

Musicals specifically built around and dominated by great leading ladies, frequently promoted with full one-page New York Times advertisements during the Golden Era.

1965 Broadway Production Cost

The average cost to produce a Broadway musical in 1965, reaching approximately $500,000.

Six-Month Break-Even Requirement

The mid-1960s economic threshold requiring a Broadway musical to run for six months at full capacity just to break even.

1960 Broadway Ticket Price

The benchmark top ticket price for a Broadway musical in 1960, which stood at $10.

1975 Broadway Ticket Price

The benchmark top ticket price for a Broadway musical in 1975, which rose to $17.50 as prices outpaced inflation.

1981 Broadway Ticket Price

The benchmark ticket price on Broadway by 1981, climbing to $40.00.

Pippin Television Commercial

The groundbreaking marketing initiative that made Pippin the first Broadway musical to lure audiences via television commercials.

Gypsy (1959)

Considered one of the last major shows in the Golden Era tradition; it ran for 702 performances, featured music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and starred Ethel Merman.

Gypsy Rose Lee

The famous stripper whose memoirs served as the basis for the musical Gypsy.

Rose (Gypsy)

The central character in Gypsy representing the ultimate stage mother who aggressively pushed her daughters because she never achieved stardom herself.

"Rose's Turn"

The climactic, show-stopping nervous breakdown solo in Gypsy where Mama Rose unleashes her lifelong frustration and ambition.

Gypsy 1975 Revival

A star-led Broadway revival of Gypsy starring Angela Lansbury that ran for 120 performances.

Gypsy 1989 Revival

A major Broadway revival of Gypsy starring Tyne Daly that completed a run of 581 performances.

Gypsy 2003 Revival

A Broadway revival of Gypsy starring Bernadette Peters that played for 451 performances.

Gypsy 2008 Revival

A Broadway revival of Gypsy starring Patti LuPone that achieved a run of 332 performances.

Gypsy 2024 Revival

A modern Broadway revival of Gypsy that totaled 269 performances.

No Strings (1962)

Richard Rodgers' first musical written after Oscar Hammerstein II's death; it featured an interracial romance set in Paris and ran for 580 performances.

Sammy Davis Jr.

Known as "Mr. Show Business," an entertainer who began performing at age three with the Will Mastin Trio and starred in Golden Boy on Broadway during the Civil Rights era.

Will Mastin Trio

The vaudeville act with which Sammy Davis Jr. began performing at three years old alongside his father and Will Mastin.

1964 Broadway Watershed Year

A landmark year in Broadway history distinguished by historic openings including Hello, Dolly!, Funny Girl, and Fiddler on the Roof.

Hello, Dolly! (1964)

A blockbuster musical comedy composed by Jerry Herman and starring Carol Channing, running for 2,844 performances.

Carol Channing

The iconic musical theater star who originated the title role of Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly! in 1964.

Jerry Herman

The composer and lyricist behind monumental hit musicals such as Hello, Dolly! and Mame.

Anyone Can Whistle (1964)

A Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents musical starring Angela Lansbury that closed after just 9 performances, becoming a legendary box office flop and cult favorite.

Angela Lansbury (1964)

The versatile stage actress who starred as Mayoress Cora Hoover Hooper in the short-lived 9-performance run of Anyone Can Whistle.

Funny Girl (1964)

A smash hit biographical musical starring Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice, achieving a run of 1,348 performances.

Barbra Streisand

The vocalist and actress whose star-making performance as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl catapulted her to international superstardom.

Funny Girl 2022 Revival

The Broadway revival of Funny Girl that played 569 performances, revitalized after struggling box office receipts when Leah Michielle joined the cast.

Davey Marlin-Jones

A theater figure referenced in connection with critical commentary and reviews of Broadway productions including Funny Girl.

Hal Prince

One of Broadway's most prolific directors and producers, earning a total of 21 Tony Awards across his career.

Hal Prince's Tony Awards

A career record totaling 21 Tony Awards: 8 for Direction of a Musical, 8 for Best Musical, 2 for Best Producer, and 3 Special Tony Awards.

Fiddler on the Roof (1964)

Celebrated as "The Great Jewish Musical," it ran for 3,242 performances to become the longest-running musical of its era after costing only $375,000 to produce.

Zero Mostel

A three-time Tony Award-winning actor who originated the role of Tevye the dairyman in Broadway's Fiddler on the Roof.

Fiddler on the Roof Film Adaptation

The 1971 film adaptation of the stage show that became a massive financial hit, grossing $83 million on a $9 million budget.

Fiddler on the Roof Total Gross

The cumulative worldwide gross earnings achieved across productions of Fiddler on the Roof, reaching $590,250,000.

Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick

The acclaimed songwriting team who wrote the music (Bock) and lyrics (Harnick) for Fiddler on the Roof.

Jerome Robbins (Fiddler on the Roof)

The legendary director and choreographer who staged and directed the original 1964 production of Fiddler on the Roof.

Topol

The Israeli actor who achieved international fame playing Tevye in the 1971 film adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof.

"Tradition"

The iconic opening number of Fiddler on the Roof that outlines the social structure, family roles, and communal balance of the shtetl Anatevka.

Cabaret (1966)

A groundbreaking musical directed by Hal Prince set against the backdrop of the rise of Nazi Germany in Weimar Berlin, running 1,165 performances.

Cabaret 1998 Revival

The reimagined Broadway revival directed by Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall that ran for 2,377 performances and won Tony Awards for Best Revival and Best Actor.

Joel Grey

The actor who won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for originating the role of the Emcee in Cabaret (1966).

Alan Cumming

The Scottish actor who won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for playing the Emcee in the 1998 revival of Cabaret.

Cabaret Film (1971)

The celebrated film adaptation directed by Bob Fosse starring Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles.

The Surrogate Son

The moniker given to Stephen Sondheim representing his deep mentorship under legendary lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.

Stephen Sondheim

Innovative composer and lyricist who created major Broadway concept musicals and earned 8 Tony Awards after learning his craft from Hammerstein.

Follies (1971)

A Stephen Sondheim concept musical produced by Hal Prince centered on former showgirls reuniting in a crumbling theater scheduled for demolition.

Pacific Overtures (1976)

A Sondheim musical utilizing traditional Japanese theatrical conventions to dramatize the westernization of Japan following Commodore Perry's 1853 arrival.

A Little Night Music (1973)

A sophisticated Stephen Sondheim musical written almost entirely in variations of 3/4 waltz time, based on Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night.

Merrily We Roll Along (1981)

A Stephen Sondheim and George Furth musical told in reverse chronological order, tracking the decay of friendships and artistic integrity over two decades.

Assassins (1990)

A Stephen Sondheim musical exploring the distorted American Dream through historical figures who attempted or succeeded in assassinating U.S. presidents.

Into the Woods (1987)

A Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical blending classic Brothers Grimm fairy tales to examine personal responsibility and consequence.

Passion (1994)

An intense, epistolary chamber musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine depicting obsessive love in 19th-century Italy.

Sunday in the Park with George (1984)

A Pulitzer Prize-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine inspired by Georges Seurat's painting A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.

1964 British Invasion on Billboard

The 1964 pop music turning point when the Beatles arrived in America and simultaneously occupied the top five songs on the Billboard charts.

"Hello Dolly!" Pop Chart Takeover

The singular Broadway crossover occurrence when Louis Armstrong's recording of "Hello, Dolly!" briefly knocked the Beatles out of the top spot on pop charts.

Clive Barnes

Influential theater critic who championed the necessity for Broadway scores to reflect contemporary popular music, particularly rock and roll.

The 1960s Generation Gap

The cultural divide between traditional older theater audiences and the younger counterculture, highlighted by magazines like MAD and LIFE.

The Boomer Generation (1946–1964)

The postwar demographic cohort whose soaring birth rates, large families, and youth culture catalyzed demands for rock musicals on Broadway.

Henry, Sweet, Henry (1967)

A traditional Broadway musical that closed after 80 performances, criticized by Clive Barnes for ignoring modern music shifts while earning Michael Bennett a Tony nomination.

Barnes's Critique of Henry, Sweet, Henry

Clive Barnes's statement that the musical 'could have been written anytime within the last twenty or thirty years and takes no account for the enormous changes in popular music.'

Michael Bennett (Choreographer)

A dancer and director-choreographer who earned an early Tony nomination for Henry, Sweet, Henry before creating A Chorus Line.

HAIR (1967)

The first full-score rock musical on Broadway; it ran for 1,750 performances celebrating the hippie lifestyle, individual freedom, and anti-war pacifism.

Hit Songs of HAIR

The three major chart-topping singles emerging from HAIR: 'Hair', 'Let the Sunshine', and 'Aquarius'.

The 5th Dimension

The popular vocal group that achieved a monumental #1 hit record with their medley 'Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In' from the musical HAIR.

1776 (1969)

A history musical by Sherman Edwards that ran 1,217 performances dramatizing the contentious Philadelphia debates surrounding the Declaration of Independence.

Sherman Edwards

The history-teacher-turned-songwriter recognized as a one-hit wonder for conceiving and writing the music and lyrics for 1776.

"Sit Down, John"

The energetic opening debate number in 1776 where members of the Second Continental Congress plead with an obnoxious, unyielding John Adams to be quiet.

COMPANY (1970)

A landmark concept musical by Stephen Sondheim running 705 performances featuring a non-linear storyline exploring marriage among upper-middle-class New Yorkers.

"City of Strangers"

The thematic descriptor and lyrical motif in Company capturing the isolation and psychological detachment of living in New York City.

"The Ladies Who Lunch"

Stephen Sondheim's famous sardonic, biting critique of affluent, cynical Manhattan socialites performed by Elaine Stritch in Company.

Elaine Stritch

The Broadway veteran actress who originated the cynical role of Joanne in Company and immortalized the song 'The Ladies Who Lunch'.

Jesus Christ Superstar (1971)

A rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice that achieved 711 performances on Broadway following a record-breaking concept album release.

Jesus Christ Superstar Concept Album

The original double-LP rock album recorded and released prior to stage staging because theatrical producers initially refused to finance the show.

Ted Neeley

The rock vocalist and actor who starred as Jesus in the 1973 film adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice

The British songwriting duo who pioneered modern rock opera with shows including Jesus Christ Superstar.

Pope Paul VI (Jesus Christ Superstar)

The head of the Roman Catholic Church who publicly expressed appreciation and approval for the 1973 film adaptation of Jesus Christ Superstar.

A Chorus Line (1975)

A revolutionary Pulitzer Prize-winning musical directed and choreographed by Michael Bennett that ran for 6,137 performances, revitalizing Broadway during a steep financial decline.

"I Really Need This Job"

The driving dramatic sentiment and refrain of Broadway gypsies auditioning on the line in Michael Bennett's A Chorus Line.

Marvin Hamlisch

The celebrated composer who wrote the score for Broadway's record-breaking hit A Chorus Line.

Times Square 1970s Decline

The urban decay characterized by adult movie houses, crime, and dereliction that threatened Broadway theatergoing prior to the blockbuster success of A Chorus Line.

"One" (A Chorus Line)

The dazzling, gold-clad finale number in A Chorus Line celebrating the unification of individual dancers into an anonymous, cohesive ensemble.

Bob Fosse

Visionary director and choreographer recognized for his singular jazz style utilizing turned-in knees, rolled shoulders, finger snaps, and bowler hats.

The Pajama Game (1954)

An early hit musical featuring career-defining choreography by Bob Fosse, including the classic number 'Steam Heat'.

Damn Yankees (1955)

A musical comedy choreographed by Bob Fosse featuring Gwen Verdon performing signature movement in 'Whatever Lola Wants'.

Sweet Charity (1966)

A musical vehicle created and choreographed by Bob Fosse for Gwen Verdon, later adapted into a 1969 film starring Shirley MacLaine.

Pippin (1972)

A Stephen Schwartz musical directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse that utilized television advertising to become a major commercial hit.

Chicago (1975)

A cynical musical vaudeville directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse that ran for 936 performances in its original production.

Chicago 1996 Revival

The smash hit Broadway revival of Chicago that accumulated over 9,710 performances to become one of the longest-running American musicals in history.

John Kander and Fred Ebb

The prolific songwriting team behind the music (Kander) and lyrics/book (Ebb) for landmark musicals such as Cabaret and Chicago.

"All That Jazz"

The opening signature anthem of Chicago introducing Bob Fosse's sultry vaudeville aesthetic and the roaring 1920s jazz world.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979)

A Stephen Sondheim thriller musical blending Penny Dreadful melodrama with Grand Guignol horror, running for 557 performances.

Penny Dreadful

Cheap, sensational Victorian serialized fiction publications that originally introduced the legendary murderous barber Sweeney Todd in The String of Pearls.

Grand Guignol

A historic Parisian theatrical style specializing in graphic, naturalistic horror, gore, and melodrama that influenced the staging of Sweeney Todd.

The String of Pearls

The 1846–1847 Victorian serial story in which the character of Sweeney Todd was first mentioned in print.

Mrs. Lovett

Sweeney Todd's pragmatic, pie-baking accomplice who bakes his slaughtered victims into meat pies, originated on Broadway by Angela Lansbury.

Sweeney Todd

The vengeful barber unjustly exiled to Australia who returns to Victorian London to exact razor-sharp retribution on Judge Turpin.