Show Boat is a musical; Show Boat is widely considered one of the most influential pieces of its time depicting issues that weren’t addressed then. Show Boat boldly portrayed racial issues, and was the first racially integrated musical, meaning that both black and white performers appeared and sang on stage together. It was the first Broadway musical to seriously depict an interracial marriage, and to feature a character of mixed race that was "passing" for white.
It was based on the 1926 (epic) novel by Edna Ferber. The theme includes prejudice and tragic, love; Ferber granted the rights to set her novel to music. After the first few songs, Kern and Hammerstein auditioned the show for producer Ziegfeld. He was so impressed with the show and agreed to produce it. "This is the best musical comedy, I have ever been fortunate to hear and get a hold of. Or was it just luck? Show Boat, was considered an unusual choice for Ziegfeld, with its serious and dramatic nature. Ziegfeld is known mainly for Ziegfeld Follies.
As the text book say, Flo’s family said this was a terrifying step for him. Since this was a sad story my (Flo) audience may not expect this from me so we can’t do this with all that sadness. An then changed a few things to include a music, story and dance.
The creators to include, music by Jerome Kern and the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The show opened on Broadway at the Ziegfeld Theatre on December 27, 1927. The production by Oscar Hammerstein II. Choreography was by Sammy Lee. The orchestrator was Robert Russell Bennett, and the conductor was Victor Baravalle.
In 1887, the show is set on a showboat called the Cotton Blossom. The premise is based on a sheriff that will come and arrest a mulatto woman. Because being a mulatto woman is prohibited by the law, the law is against miscegenation. When she admits that she is a mulatto, or race, she faints as a reaction to her secret coming out. Then the sheriff lets her go, but she leaves town