The boys from Syracuse: the Shuberts' theatrical empire

Abstract

The sons of a religious fanatic, the Shubert brothers from Syracuse - Sam, Lee, and J.J. - seemed unlikely casting for the most ruthless titans in the history of American theatre, notes biographer Foster Hirsch. But since the turn of the century, the Shuberts and their heirs have exercised on unequaled power over Broadway and the road, and not until now has there been a complete account of their lives and the evolution of their business. During their heyday from 1905 to the crash of 1929, the Shuberts presented a dozen or more shows each season in New York and twice that number on tour, featuring the most respected and sought-after stars of the day: Al Jolson, Richard Mansfield, Beatrice Lillie, Carmen Miranda, Lillian Russell, Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Mae West, Fred Astaire, and the Three Stooges, among many others. They also worked with famed vaudeville team Olson and Johnson on Hellzapoppin' and with Sigmund Romberg, their in-house composer, on The Student Prince and Blossom Time, among the biggest financial successes in the history of the American theatre. Nearly illiterate, the Shuberts conquered commercial theatre, in part because rivals saw them as malaprop-spouting yokels from Syracuse who posed no threat. They were excellent businessmen who seldom financed their enterprises with their own money and who instinctively understood star power. The story of the Shuberts is an epic tale of business successes and shenanigans on an enormous scale. Embellished with original interview material, this chronicle is a major contribution to the history of the American theatre and is certain to become an essential reference work.

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