Show Boat: Musical Info & Synopsis


Synopsis:

Show Boat spans several decades, exploring the lives and relationships of the performers, stagehands, and workers aboard a Mississippi River showboat. The central love story involves Magnolia Hawks, the daughter of the showboat’s owner, and Gaylord Ravenal, a charming gambler. As their lives intertwine with the others on the boat, Show Boat delves into the complexities of race, class, and love during a transformative period in American history.


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Musical Information

Musical Type: Jazz Age (1927)

Cast Size: 30+

Genre: Drama

Setting: 1800s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s / USA (Illinois, Mississippi), At Sea


Creative Team

Music: Jerome Kern

Lyrics/Book: Oscar Hammerstein II

Additional Lyrics: P.G. Wodehouse (for “Bill”)

Additional Songs: Joseph E. Howard, Charles K. Harris


Cast Albums

Broadway Cast (1946)➝

London Studio Cast (1959)➝

Studio Cast (1962)➝

Lincoln Center Cast (1966)➝

Studio Cast (1988)➝

Studio Cast (1993)➝

Toronto/Broadway Cast (1994)➝


Resources

Audition Songs: Theatre Trip

Licensing: Concord Theatricals➝

Sheet Music: Musicnotes➝


Tags

Based on a Book, Classic, Dramatic, Epic, Large Cast, OperaticPopular


Similar Musicals

If you’re looking to discover new shows, here are some musicals like Show Boat.

Porgy and Bess


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