William B. Gill: From the Goldfields to Broadway

by Ganzl,Kurt

• ISBN13: 9780415937672
• ISBN10: 0415937671
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-09-06
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

A colorful, historically accurate biography of William B. Gill, a famous musical-comedy playwright and comedy performer of the late-19th-century who is now mostly forgotten, but who changed the course of American musical theater. Gill began his career as a comedic actor in the coalfields of Australia, then performed in India and England, before finally coming to the U.S. Achieving fame as one of the most popular playwrights of his days, Gill's works appeared for years on Broadway and in the repertories of touring troupes. For years, theater historians have wondered about the facts behind his life; now master theater maven Kurt Ganzl has uncovered a wealth of new information about this influential and colorful character. A must-read for all fans of the musical theater.

Author Biography

Kurt Ganzl worked as an operatic and musical-theatre performer, a talent agent, and a casting director in London's West End

Table of Contents

Series Introduction	p. IX
Introduction	p. I
Who was Willie Gill?	p. 5
From the Goldfields to Melbourne (and Back Again)	p. 19
A Comic Star at Home	p. 29
On the Road to Calcutta	p. 39
Great Varieties and Greater Expectations	p. 55
A Sojourn in the American Goldfields	p. 67
A Broadway Debut and Colville's Folly Company	p. 81
Lots of Goblins and an International Hit	p. 101
Plays Made to Order	p. 123
Adonis	p. 141
One Failure After Another	p. 171
From Pantomime to Sentimental Comedy: Arcadia to Old Jed Prouty	p. 197
Star Vehicles	p. 221
Last Hits	p. 241
Final Curtain	p. 261
Notes	p. 281
Index	p. 285
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