ABSTRACT
Jerome Kern's "Princess Shows" showed how musical comedy could be less "silly", while Rudolf Friml's operettas demonstrated how operettas could also address more serious issues. At the opposite extreme of the theatrical spectrum were musical comedies that were so up-to-date that they sparked current fashion, such as No, No, Nanette. European theaters presented American shows with increasing frequency, and even works by European composers reflected American music. The one British operetta to come to America in the 1920s, Bitter-Sweet, failed to outrun the American operetta Rose-Marie in London; clearly, American theatrical clout was growing in power. Two future musical theater composers were born within twenty-four hours of each other in 1898: George Gershwin on September 26 and Vincent Youmans on September 27. Otto Harbach was initially assigned to write the lyrics as well, but he stepped aside for Irving Caesar, since Youmans and Caesar had an established working relationship.
