Ragtime
 Evelyn Nesbit during
her years on stage.
Coalhouse Walker, Sarah, Tateh and "The Family" are fictional,
but the period setting and many of the supporting characters in Ragtime
are straight
out of the history books. The musical follows E.L. Doctorow's best-selling
novel closely in depicting them. For example:
- Stanford White was murdered while attending a performance at one of
NY's summertime rooftop theatres. Harry K. Thaw was "a violent man," one of
the first American murderers
to successfully avoid the death penalty by using the insanity defense.
- Evelyn Nesbit was acclaimed for her beauty. After she testified for
husband Harry Thaw's defense, he divorced her – leaving her with a paltry
settlement. She headlined in vaudeville, but gradually slid into obscurity,
spending her final years in poverty.
- Harry Houdini was interested in spiritualism, but he eventually moved from
belief to skepticism.
- Emma Goldman's anarchist speeches and writings infuriated the
authorities, who eventually had her deported.
- Booker T. Washington was a voice for peaceful progress in race relations,
but some African American leaders felt him too willing to appease powerful whites.
- Henry Ford and J.P. Morgan were hopelessly removed from the concerns of
working class Americans, and neither was averse to using murderous violence to
control their workers.
- I have found no record of a black woman being arrested – let
alone killed – for attempting an attack on any Vice-President of the
early 1900s.
1776
Author Peter Stone often boasted about the historical veracity of his 1776
libretto, and it is accurate up to a point. The scenes and songs shared by John and
Abigail Adams are taken almost verbatim from their private correspondence, and the
sharp divisions in the colonies over rebellion and slavery are honestly depicted. The
personalities of Adams, Franklin and Jefferson are brought to delightful
life, and audiences get a convincing taste of the emotions of a distant era. Because
their deliberations were considered treasonous, Congress kept no notes on its
actual debates -- but the final arguments over independence as Stone conceives them
are brilliant and riveting. No wonder this show and its handsome screen version
remain effective entertainment after more than three decades. However, Stone did take
a number of (you should pardon the expression) liberties. The most notable
include --
- The real congressional chamber had no daily calendar
– that device was added to make the passage of time clearer
to the audience.
- Those who signed the Declaration did so over a period of several
weeks. To provide a strong final image, 1776 depicts
everyone signing at the same time.
- John Adams did write to Abigail that he was "obnoxious and
disliked," but he was actually one of the most respected figures
in Congress. Happily, the gifted actor William Daniels succeeded in capturing the
man's singular devotion to "independency."
- Martha Jefferson was seriously ill during the summer of 1776. She
didn't have the energy to write her husband letters, let alone the
stamina required for the then arduous journey to Philadelphia. So Thomas
Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence without the
"refreshment" of a conjugal visit.
- The surviving first draft shows that Jefferson had a relatively
smooth time writing the Declaration -- by his own account, there
were no mountains of crumpled rejects scattered across his floor.
- Richard Henry Lee was a somber Puritan noted for his oratorical
skill. Other than his height, he bore no resemblance to the effusive
blowhard portrayed so delectably by Ron Holgate.
- Stephen Hopkins of Rhode Island did enjoy a tot of rum, but never to
excess and only at night -- he drank nothing stronger than water
during the day.
- The early summer of 1776 saw Washington's army planning the defense
of New York City, so the General's dispatches during these weeks would
have been filled with optimism. It was not until August and the
British victory at the Battle of Long Island that Washington expressed a
gloomier view.
- James Wilson did not change his vote at the last moment to avoid the
wrath of posterity -- he openly switched over to the pro-independence side
some time before the final vote took place.
- The real John Dickinson did not oppose the idea of American independence --
he just felt it was too soon to take such a drastic and then
unprecedented step. In the end, Dickinson refused to stand in the way and
gracefully chose not to show up for the final vote -- knowing his absence
would guarantee passage of the Declaration.
The Sound of Music
The real Captain Von Trapp was relatively easy-going, and easily old enough to be
Maria's father. It turns out that ex-postulant Maria was the strict disciplinarian.
By her own admission, she initially married the Captain because of her love for the
children – the couple's affection for each other developed over time. Most of
the family fortune, which the Captain inherited from his first wife, was wiped out
in the Great Depression. In fact, the Von Trapps had been forced to rent out most
of their palatial home to lodgers long before the Nazi's arrived. While it is true
that the family left Austria when the Captain refused a commission to command a
submarine in the Nazi German navy, the Von Trapps did not leave behind a fortune or
climb any mountains to escape – they simply took a train to neutral Switzerland.
Teddy and Alice
We have no reason to believe that Theodore Roosevelt's second marriage and relationship
with his daughter Alice were plagued by the ghost of his lamented first wife. This
predictable approach turned what could have been a fun musical comedy
about America's most famous father-daughter tug-of-war into a weak soap
opera. Pity, since the enjoyable score had some entertaining songs, with several
based on melodies by John Phillip Sousa.
Titanic
 Isidor
and Ida Strauss shortly before The Titanic sailed.
Every character in this musical was an actual passenger or crew member of
the R.M.S. Titanic. Many are depicted in a factual manner – including
Isidor Strauss and his wife Ida, who refused to leave the sinking liner without her
longtime husband. However, librettist Peter Stone changed some life
stories to enrich the atmosphere. For example, Charles Clark and Caroline Neville
(who are seen eloping in the show) were already married, and the little boy who
runs about with a model sailing ship during the opening number was actually a strapping
teenager. As far as I have been able to determine, Alice Beane's hilarious social
ambitions and Kate Murphy's unwed pregnancy are fictitious. However, all technical
information regarding the ship and it's tragic accident are depicted with textbook
accuracy, and the finale truthfully reflects who survived – and who did not.
It is not surprising that this skillful use of truth as drama came from the same
librettist responsible for 1776.
The Will Rogers Follies
This show plays freely with the facts – as its narrator freely admits.
Considering what had to be done to adapt the story to a Ziegfeld Follies revue
format, we get a reasonable outline of the great humorist's life. He supposedly
had some friction with his father, but nothing as serious as this show
suggests. Rogers was nominated for the Presidency, but strictly for laughs.
(Note: When I first saw this show, I had to restrain myself from belting Wily Post
every time he shrieked "Let's go flying, Will!" Like we need constant
reminders of how Rogers is going to die in the end?) In a business noted for its
marital disasters, it is refreshing to verify that Rogers was a devoted husband and
father.
Return to Musicals on History |
Evelyn Nesbit during
her years on stage.
