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The Great American Musical
The Gershwin Brothers
Brothers Ira and George Gershwin were born in New York in 1896 and 1898. They became the great musical team of the Jazz age - George writing the music and Ira the lyrics. Hits included Lady be Good, Of Thee I Sing, Funny Face, Porgy and Bess and Oh Kay! starring Gertrude Lawrence. Their work became hugely popular through recordings and film.
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Funny Face programme |
Fred and Adele Astaire
Lady be Good in 1924, starring Fred and Adele Astaire, was the Gershwins’ first full-scale collaboration as composer and lyricist. The score included standards such as the title song and ‘Fascinatin’ Rhythm’. It came to London in 1926. The Astaires brought to British musical theatre energy, fluency, dexterity and a casual slickness that contrasted with the laid-back style of British musical stars such as Jack Buchanan.
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Fred and Adele Astaire in Stop Flirting |
Adele gave up the stage in 1932 when she married Charles Cavendish, youngest son of the Duke of Devonshire. Fred went on to partner British performer Claire Luce in Cole Porter’s The Gay Divorce. This was his first romantic lead and his last stage show before taking up a Hollywood contact. His first major starring role was a film version of The Gay Divorce with Ginger Rogers. Gershwin wrote several films for Astaire, including Shall We Dance and Damsel in Distress which featured the song ‘A Foggy Day in London Town’.
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Fred Astaire and Claire Luce in The Gay Divorce |
