"There's no business like show business like no business I know
Everything about it is appealing, everything that traffic will allow
Nowhere could you get that happy feeling when you are stealing that extra bow
There's no people like show people, they smile when they are low
Even with a turkey that you know will fold, you may be stranded out in the cold
Still you wouldn't change it for a sack of gold, let's go on with the show
The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Are secretly unhappy men because
The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Get paid for what they do but no applause.
They'd gladly bid their dreary jobs goodbye for anything theatrical and why?
There's no business like show business and I tell you it's so
Traveling through the country is so thrilling, standing out in front on opening nights
Smiling as you watch the theater filling, and there's your billing out there in lights
There's no people like show people, they smile when they are low
Angels come from everywhere with lots of jack, and when you lose it, there's no attack
Where could you get money that you don't give back? let's go on with the show
You get word before the show has started that your favorite uncle died at dawn
Top of that, your pa and ma have parted, you're broken-hearted, but you go on
Yesterday they told you you would not go far, that night you open and there you are
Next day on your dressing room they've hung a star, let's go on with the show!"
- Annie Get Your Gun (1946)
Everything about it is appealing, everything that traffic will allow
Nowhere could you get that happy feeling when you are stealing that extra bow
There's no people like show people, they smile when they are low
Even with a turkey that you know will fold, you may be stranded out in the cold
Still you wouldn't change it for a sack of gold, let's go on with the show
The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Are secretly unhappy men because
The butcher, the baker, the grocer, the clerk
Get paid for what they do but no applause.
They'd gladly bid their dreary jobs goodbye for anything theatrical and why?
There's no business like show business and I tell you it's so
Traveling through the country is so thrilling, standing out in front on opening nights
Smiling as you watch the theater filling, and there's your billing out there in lights
There's no people like show people, they smile when they are low
Angels come from everywhere with lots of jack, and when you lose it, there's no attack
Where could you get money that you don't give back? let's go on with the show
You get word before the show has started that your favorite uncle died at dawn
Top of that, your pa and ma have parted, you're broken-hearted, but you go on
Yesterday they told you you would not go far, that night you open and there you are
Next day on your dressing room they've hung a star, let's go on with the show!"
- Annie Get Your Gun (1946)
Show Business
Irving Berlin's There's No Business Like Show Business. One of the most well known Broadway show tunes in history. A timeless titan of the big stage, explicitly explaining to countless generations of audiences what makes musical theatre the dignified, idealistic emblem of change that we know it to be. Every aspect respected, every show bringing a fresh, flavorful perspective to the table of performing arts to later be adopted by creative teams and composers of the future. "There's no people like show people." The ever-assiduous working men and women abundantly populating the stages of The Great White Way, living and constantly relying on the applauding crowds and the controlled chaos of the standing ovation, whose first appearance in response to a diligently rehearsed execution of prodigious talent forever marks the recipient as a born-to-be star. A haven for thespians and theatregoers alike, Broadway, in my opinion, is the only form of entertainment on this earth that just gets more enjoyable and enthralling with age. Don't believe me? Then I'll just have to prove it to you. Let's go back to the beginning. Before what we know as modern Broadway, before the latter was even conceived, and before the Golden Age.
Vaudeville
The common terminology for the early days of Broadway is Vaudeville. The latter, for the most part, consisted of performances made up of separate acts that, unlike the scenes composing the well-known modern musical we know and love, weren't connected, and didn't coincide with a shared overall plot line. At the time, Broadway was less like theatre, and more like a circus, incorporating strong men, comedians, and dancing girls into the individual performances. It was based more on the sheer visual spectacle than anything else. Later on, this focus shifted to the presentation of music. Probably the most famous performer from this particular time period was Al Jolson, a proponent of black-face, in which a white actor portrays a black character, just for the sake of reaching even further into the acting "box of tricks" to give a more in-depth portrayal. A couple of Jolson's most famous hit songs were California, Here I Come by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Meyer, and Swanee by George and Ira Gershwin.