Description
The dawn of the talkies brought an explosion of creativity to film musicals, as writers and directors were unfettered by rules or formulas. This course explores titles from 1929, including Hallelujah, the first musical with an all-Black cast, Applause, a slice-of-life story set backstage in a burlesque house, and The Love Parade, featuring the debonair but dueling duo of Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald.
Mark Tiarks developed a love for musicals as a child watching stars like Robert Preston and Angela Lansbury at The Muny in St. Louis. He began as a stage director, then segued into management roles in opera and theater companies, including Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago’s Court Theatre, and the Santa Fe Opera. He writes about theater, opera, and more for the Santa Fe New Mexican.