What was the theater like in the 1920's?

Question:Broadway?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Broadway?

I did a reserch paper titled "The History of Broadway" and broke every decade or so down. Here is a shortened version of what I got for the Twenties...

"The twenties was like the baby boom of the 50’s for theaters. Though no one knows eaxctly how many theaters there were, some say 70, and some say 80, but either way there were more theaters on Broadway then there have ever been. The Roaring Twenties was the era of Broadway that began at 1920’s and ending in 1929, right before the Great Depression. It was a time of maturing for Broadway. World War One had just ended, and the nation was in celebration. Times Square became flooded with people at the end of the war, with them waving flags in celebration. From that momment, Times Square had become the center of the United States, and has stayed this way til present day.
The prohibitaion began on January 16, 1920. The prohibitaion made it illegal to sell or transport alcohol. This effected Manhattan’s social life a lot, and New York City’s for that matter too, but it did not effect Broadway to the point where a musical or play was ever closed. As result of the prohibition, a new species of entertainment in New York was born, called the speakeasy. In Harlem liquor was easier to purchase and because of this, it became the new center for singing and dancing. Harlem got to the point where it was a step below Broadway, but never did it make a step above. (Kantor, 2004)
Proof that Broadway wasn’t affected during the prohibition lies in the phenominal increase in shows. In the 1927-1928 Broadway season, Broadway had a record of 264 plays and musicals. Broadway was still the thing to do, shows began later and was followed by nightclubs and supper clubs. The actors and actresses became more powerful in the industry, and so did the playwrights and producers. The Broadway of the 20’s defined Broadway for the rest of it’s life and still does today. (Atkinson, 1974)
With the actors and actresses of Broadway becoming more popular, Broadway began to create acting ledgends. Al Jolson is one of the few entertainers who have become a part of the history of Broadway. He began his life in show bussiness by singing and dancing on the street cornor for pennies. In 1904, when he was a young boy he ran off and joined the circus, where he created the character Blackface. Between 1911 an 1926, he had nine consecutive hits. By 1922 he was earning $10,000 a week, giving him the right to be called, “The Worls’s Greatest Entertainer.” (Hughes, 1951)
The shows of the 20’s were lively and upbeat. Broading their plot, they would make fun of the prohibition, and have characters such as Blackface. The twenties dared to be different and succeded, and the procedding years of Broadway would have to live up to that. The thirties proved to be a stuggle with the Great Depression."

There was a lot more of it. The musical had not yet taken the form as we know it. Operettas were popular. Besides lots more Broadway theatres and plays, there was vaudeville, a variety entertainment that was very popular. The acting style was more theatrical than today's realism. It is worth reading more about--check out wikkepedia. Tons of new plays were written in the 20's. Not many remain popular nowadays.