Showboat; a revolutionary production The 1900s were a time of great transformation and growth within the theater community. Of all the types of theater developed during that time, musical theater matured into the most respected and widely desired form of entertainment. Musical theater transformed from blackface minstrel shows with gag productions into pieces of respectable theater. One of the most influential productions in turning this breakthrough into sophistication is Showboat. Based on the Edna Ferber novel Showboat was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II (Smith 627). Showboat premiered at the Ziegfeld Theater on December 27, 1927 (Smith 627). The 1926 novel chronicled the lives of a musical and racially integrated cast on the Cotton Blossom. The production of Showboat marked the rebirth of musical theater because it set the standard for any American musical by shattering theatrical traditions. For the first time, Showboat introduced a well-written production with built-in, advanced music and lyrics that furthered the plot. The caricatural style of flashy actions and unrealistic productions had disappeared. For the first time, the plot was as important as the music. The new format of a high production along with the controversial topics of the time shook the mores of musical theater. Showboat is often considered one of the most influential American productions because it made a timeless statement about the culture of the Civil War-era American South and established a new genre of theater. Showboat is a production that pioneered a new genre of musical theatre. Even today, most moviegoers can't classify Showboat; “Smith calls it a musical comedy; McSpadden a......middle of paper......en, Stanley. The world of musical comedy. New York: A. S. Barnes & Co., 1960. 2, 71, 72, 73, 75-7, 81. Print.Hemming, Roy. The melody persists. New York: Newmarket, 1986. 87-9, 98-101, 113-4, 115-8. Print.Howard, John Tasker. Our American music. 1946. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1954. 666. Print.Howard, John Tasker, and George Kent Bellows. A Brief History of Music in America. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1957. 342-3. Print.Kislan, Richard. The Musical: A Look at the American Musical. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1980. 84, 110, 116-121, 125-127, 128, 134, 163, 195, 201, 209. Print.Smith, Cecile Michener, and Glenn Litton. Musical comedy in America. New York: Theater Arts Books, 1950. 627-8. Press.South, Eileen. The music of black Americans. 2nd ed. 1971. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1986. 367, 404-5, 407, 430, 437. Print.