The Great Depression crippled the world economy in the 1920s-1930s, leaving many unemployed and without enough money to spend on entertainment. Musicals of this era reflected the hardship and depression, often featuring tragic storylines about poor characters struggling to survive. However, some comedies provided relief. Popular musicals like Porgy and Bess and Babes in Toyland related to audiences through their depictions of poverty but also hope of achieving dreams. Musicals became more tragic in nature and tried to appeal to wealthier audiences, but put on lower budget productions due to financial constraints of the time.

1. Creative and Media<br />What was happening in the 1920’s – 1930’s in America and Britain? <br />In the 1920’s and 30’s the Great Depression crippled the world. Everybody was out looking for Jobs. This meant people travelled the world to look for Jobs and people only had enough money to live not any treats.<br />What was ‘The Great Depression’?<br />The Great Depression was a worldwide economic problem. There was no Money anywhere and every country had millions unemployed. It was due to the crash of the Stock Market.<br />How did ‘The Great Depression’ effect the popularity of musicals, the narrative and audience types<br />As there was no money about, less and less people went to the shows. There was barely enough money to live on let alone go to the theatre. The plays put on also reflected the bad times. The plays were mainly tragedy as everybody felt depressed at the time. There were however the odd comedy plays to cheer people up. The productions used less props and costume to save money. <br />Find examples of well-known musicals of this time. Explain why they were popular and what they were about.<br />One of the most well know plays from the time was Porgy and Bess which was written by George Gershwin. The story line of this was about a black, disabled beggar who lived in the slums. A man called Charleston tried to rescue him from the slums and help him. This play was liked as people could relate to it and the general mood of the time which was poor and depression.<br /> Another popular play was Babes in Toyland. The story of the play is Tom the Piper's Son is about to marry Mary Quite Contrary. On the eve of their wedding, evil miser Barnaby hires two henchmen to drown Tom and steal Mary's sheep, cared for by Little Bo Peep, therefore divested Mary and the children she lives with of their livelihood, forcing her to marry Barnaby. The sheep are stolen, but Gonzorgo and Roderigo, Barnaby's henchmen, double-cross him by selling Tom to a band of gypsies instead, leaving Tom with the opportunity to escape and make his way with Mary, Bo-Peep, and other Mother Goose characters to Toyland.<br />This play was liked because it was all about dreams and what you could do if you really tried hard to archive. Of course, as everybody was depressed, this play gave people jope and went on to archive the American dream.<br />How had musicals changed at this time and WHY?<br />The musicals became more triadic then before to reflect the bad times. The type of performances changed to. As only the rich people had enough money to spend on luxuries, the plays tried to be more up market but due to the lack of money, the performances were really not hitting the mark.<br />