Just Because (musical)

Just Because was a 1922 musical. According to Cait Miller at the Library of Congress, the play "may well have been the first full-length Broadway musical authored entirely by women".[1] The musical is set in the suburbs of New York City.

Background

The original version of the musical was copyrighted in 1919, with the book written by Anna Wynne O'Ryan, the lyrics written by Annelu Burns and the musical score composed by Madelyn Sheppard.[2][3] The title of the play was named by Burns. While the play was being prepared for production in New York, O'Ryan rewrote parts of the book and rewrote the comedy lyrics on behalf of Burns, who was staying in the Southern United States and was unable to return to New York City. During production preparation, Helen Smith Woodruff helped to organize funding for the show.[3]

Still unable to return before the New York production, Burns sold her rights of the musical to Woodruff. Songs sold to Woodruff that were written by Burns included "Love-Just Simply Love", "It's Hard to Be A Lady All The Time", "I'll Name My Dolly for You" and "A Wedding is a Mournful Thing Unless it is Your Own". According to an article in The Montgomery Advertiser, credit about who wrote the book and lyrics to the musical were incorrectly reported.[3] In the 1922 version of the musical, Woodruff was credited for writing the lyrics and collaborating on the book.[4]

The play's debut was scheduled to be in Northampton, Massachusetts, on February 24, 1922.[5] Just Because was premiered on March 22, 1922, at the Earl Carroll Theatre.[6][7] It closed on April 29, 1922.[6]

Critical reception

After theater productions took place, the musical received praise.[8]

References
  1. Miller, Cait (October 18, 2019). "Songwriters, Suffragettes, and the Musical Stage". In The Muse: Performing Arts Blog. Library of Congress. ISSN 2691-6525. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  2. Catalog of Copyright Entries: Musical compositions. Library of Congress, Copyright Office. 1919. p. 636. Retrieved November 16, 2021 – via Google Books.
  3. "Popular Selma Girl Sells Rights In Musical Comedy "Just Because"". The Montgomery Advertiser. February 26, 1922. p. 2. Retrieved November 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "A Pictorial Review of Recent Important News Developments: Mrs. Lewis B. Woodruff". The Spokesman-Review. January 1, 1922. p. M3. Retrieved November 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Notes of the Stage". New York Herald. February 22, 1922. p. 10. Retrieved November 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Norton, Richard C. (2002). A Chronology of American Musical Theater. Oxford University Press. pp. 280–281. ISBN 0-19-508888-3. OCLC 48474113.
  7. "Just Because". Variety. 66 (6): 17. March 31, 1922.
  8. ""Just Because" Highly Praised". The Selma Times-Journal. March 2, 1922. p. 3. Retrieved March 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading


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