Musicals101 Historic Calendar
February
Compiled by John Kenrick
(Revised 2011)
February 1
- Composer Victor Herbert born (1859)
- Jerome Kern's Oh Lady! Lady! opened on Broadway (1918)
- MGM's landmark film musical The Broadway Melody premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Los Angeles (1929)
February 2
- Composer Leo Fall born (1873)
- Composer Burton Lane born (1912)
- Actress/singer Elaine Stritch born (1925)
- Rio Rita opened on Broadway (1927)
- Arms and the Girl opened on Broadway (1950)
- Revival (5th) of Fiddler on the Roof starring Alfred Molina opened on Broadway (2004)
February 3
- Actress/singer Leonora Braham born (1853)
- Producer Sam Harris born (1872)
- Broadway's original Merry Widow Ethel Jackson born (1877)
- Cabaret singer Mabel Mercer born (1900)
- Actor/singer Nathan Lane Born (1956)
- Canterbury Tales opened on Broadway (1969)
February 4
- Actor/singer Walter Catlett born (1889)
- Actor/singer Eddie Foy, Jr. born (1905)
- Actor Robert Coote born (1909)
- Actor/singer Conrad John Shuck born (1940)
- Oh Captain starring Tony Randall opened on Broadway (1958)
- Composer/lyricist Jonathan Larson born (1960)
- Golden Rainbow opened on Broadway (1968)
- Pump Boys and Dinettes opened in New York (1982)
- Revival of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown opened on Broadway (1999)
February 5
- Actor/singer Stuart Damon born (1937)
- Actor/singer Jonathan Freeman born (1950)
- Redhead starring Gwen Verdon opened on Broadway (1959)
February 6
- Lute Song starring Mary Martin opened on Broadway (1946)
- Kelly opened and closed on Broadway (1965)
- Dear World starring Angela Lansbury opened on Broadway (1969)
February 7
- Actor/singer Francis Wilson born (1854)
- Composer Eubie Blake born (1883)
- Actor/singer Eddie Bracken born (1915)
February 8
- Vienna's original Merry Widow Mizzi Gunther born (1879)
- Actor/singer Ray Middleton born (1907)
- French cabaret star Georges Guetary born (1915)
- Sunny Days opened on Broadway (1928)
- Ain't Misbehavin' opened Off-Broadway at MTC (1978)
February 9
- Actress/singer Peggy Wood born (1892)
- Actress/singer Carmen Miranda born (1909)
- Burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee born (1914)
- The Cohan Revue of 1916 opened on Broadway (1916)
- Actress/singer Kathryn Grayson born (1922)
- Stars in Your Eyes starring Ethel Merman opened on Broadway (1939)
- Kander & Ebb's The Rink opened on Broadway (1984)
February 10
- Lyricist Bert Kalmar born (1884)
- Actor/singer/comedian Jimmy Durante born (1893)
- Lyricist/librettist Bertolt Brecht born (1898)
- Rodgers & Hart's America's Sweetheart opened on Broadway (1931)
February 11
- Librettist Fred Saidy born (1907)
February 12
- British music hall singer Marie Lloyd born (1870)
- Actor/singer Todd Duncan born (1903)
- Cohan's George Washington Jr. opened on Broadway (1906)
- Actor/singer Patrick Quinn born (1950)
- Revival of Canterbury Tales opened on Broadway (1980)
February 13
- Set designer Oliver Smith born (1918)
- Actress Stockard Channing born (1944)
- The Duchess Misbehaves opened on Broadway (1946)
- Merlin starring Doug Henning opened on Broadway (1983)
- Next to Normal opened off-Broadway (2008)
February 14
- Merry Widow co-librettist Leo Feld born (1869)
- Actress/singer Florence Henderson born (1934)
- Actor/singer/dancer Gregory Hines born (1946)
- Gantry opened and closed on Broadway (1970)
- Grease premiered Off-Broadway (1972)
- Revival of Whoopee opened on Broadway (1979)
- Revival of West Side Story opened on Broadway (1980)
- Hedwig and the Angry Inch opened Off-Broadway (1998)
February 15
- Composer Walter Donaldson born (1898)
- Composer Harold Arlen born (1905)
- Actor/singer Keene Curtis born (1933)
- Actress/singer Ethel Merman died (1984)
February 16
- Actress/dancer Vera-Ellen born (1921)
- Foxy starring Bert Lahr opened on Broadway (1964)
- Baker Street opened on Broadway (1965)
- Fiddler on the Roof starring Topol opened in London (1967)
February 17
- Composer Edward German born (1862)
- Actor/singer Donald Brian born (1877)
- Composer Tom Jones (The Fantasticks) born (1928)
- British actress/singer Patricia Routledge born (1929)
- Face The Music opened on Broadway (1932)
- Actress/singer Julie McKenzie born (1941)
- Actor/singer Chris Groenendaal born (1948)
- Actor/singer/director Don Scardino born (1949)
- Lionel Bart's Fings Ain't What They Used to Be opened in London (1959)
- Gower Champion's production of Rockabye Hamlet opened on Broadway (1976)
- Bea Arthur On Broadway opened (2002)
February 18
- In Dahomey starring Williams & Walker opened on Broadway (1903)
- Maid in America starring Nora Bayes opened on Broadway (1915)
- Rodgers & Hart's Simple Simon Starring Ed Wynn opened (1930)
- Actor/singer Christopher Sieber born (1969)
- Actress/singer Susan Egan born (1970)
February 19
- Actress/manager Lydia Thompson born (1836?)
- Actor/singer George Rose born (1920)
- Actor/singer Hugh Panaro born (1964)
- Cy Coleman's On the 20th Century opened on Broadway (1978)
- Stardust opened on Broadway (1987)
- Crazy For You opened on Broadway (1992)
- The Story of My Life opened on Broadway (2009)
February 20
- Librettist Russel Crouse born (1893)
- Jerome Kern's Oh Boy! opened on Broadway (1917)
- Choreographer/dancer Gillian Lynne born (1927)
- Actress/singer Sandy Duncan born (1946)
February 21
- French lyricist/librettist Henri Meilhac born (1831)
- British actress/singer Gertie Millar born (1879)
- Actress Tyne Daly born (1946)
- Actress/singer Christine Ebersole born (1953)
- Legendary flop Portofino opened on Broadway (1958)
- Elaine Stritch: At Liberty opened on Broadway (2002)
- Sunday in the Park with George revived (1st time) on Broadway (2008)
February 22
- Composer Nacio Herb Brown born (1896)
- Actor/singer Robert Weede born (1903)
- Actor/singer Jules Munchin born (1915)
- Actress/singer Ellen Greene born (1950)
- Actress/singer Lea Salonga born (1971)
February 23
- Actress/singer Sophie Hayden born (1954)
- Sarava opened on Broadway (1979)
February 24
- Actor/singer Victor Moore born (1876)
- Costume designer Patricia Zipprodt born (1925)
- Actor/singer Barry Bostwick born (1946)
- Songwriter/librettist Rupert Holmes born (1947)
- Cole Porter's Silk Stockings opened on Broadway (1955)
February 25
- Actress/singer Lisa Kirk born (1926)
- Playwright/librettist Larry Gelbart born (1928)
- Actress/singer Susan Browning born (1941)
- Leonard Bernstein's Wonderful Town opened on Broadway (1952)
- Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music opened on Broadway (1973)
February 26
- Actor/singer Robert Alda born (1914)
- Actor Jackie Gleason born (1916)
- Actress/singer Betty Hutton born (1921)
- Actress/singer/dancer Priscilla Lopez born (1948)
- The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas opened in London (1981)
- Jerome Robbins' Broadway opened on Broadway (1989)
February 27
- Actress/singer Elizabeth Welch born (1908)
- Librettist Peter Stone born (1930)
- Actress/singer Debra Monk born (1949)
- What Makes Sammy Run? opened on Broadway (1964)
February 28
- Actress Molly Picon born (1898)
- Director Vincent Minnelli born (1903)
- Actor/singer Zero Mostel born (1915)
- Dancer/choreographer/actress Gemze de Lappe born (1925)
- Director/choreographer/actor/dancer/singer Tommy Tune born (1939)
- Actress/singer/dancer Kelly (Carol) Bishop born (1944)
- Actress/singer Bernadette Peters born (1948)
- Composer/lyricist/librettist William Finn born (1958)
- Actor/singer Brent Barrett born (1957)
- Cabaret opened in London (1968)
- Passing Strange opened on Broadway (2008)
February 29
- Dancer/actor/singer James Mitchell born (1920)
- Mame starring Ginger Rogers opened in London (1969)