In this article we're going to cover one of the oldest and longest running musicals in history, the one and only Showboat. Showboat first came to the stage in 1927, almost 80 years ago as of this writing. It was actually quite ahead of its time in many respects. For one thing, it featured African American performers in predominant roles. It also included as part of the story a mixed marriage, which in those days was unheard of. Yes, Showboat was certainly ground breaking. There were actually several stories going on at the same time in the musical, very similar to one of today's soap operas. There was, of course, the actual operation of the Showboat itself and the struggles it faced along the way. There was the story of the mixed race couple and the odds that they had to fight against. There was the daughter of the showboat owner who wanted a career but also wanted to find true love. Instead she meets a man who betrays her and runs off leaving her with a baby to take care of all by herself. The sub stories go on and on. As tragic as the stories in showboat were, that's how beautiful the music was. Some of the greatest songs of all time could be heard in this production. The list of great songs is pretty long but there are a few highlights. For starters the is the great duet between the daughter and her soon to be snake of a husband. The song of course is "Make Believe." This song pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the play, which has had so many renditions that it's hard to pick out which pair was best. More on the various versions of this play later. Then of course there is "Can't Help Lovin Dat Man" which was sung by the highly visible African American couple. This is the kind of song that just makes one smile from ear to ear. In spite of the fact that her husband is a lazy so and so and pretty much drives her crazy, she just can't help but love him. But of course the highlight of the play, and probably one of the greatest songs of all time, is "Ol' Man River" which is sung by the black man of the couple. This song so perfectly depicts the struggles of the black man in society and the hard life that he leads. There are many debates as to who was the best singer of this song, whether it was Paul Robeson or William Warfield, which brings us to the number of renditions of this play. While it first came into existence in 1927, written by Jerome Kern, it was later made into not one but three screen adaptations in 1929, 1936 and finally in 1951. Many critics feel that the 1951 adaptation with Howard Keel, Ava Garner, Kathryn Grayson and William Warfield was the greatest one of all. Regardless of which one you may personally prefer, Showboat was without a doubt one of the most heartbreaking and musically beautiful creations of all time. Whatever version you decide to see, at least see one of them. You won't ever forget this one. |
