Brook, the; or, a Jolly Day at the Picnic

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre | 2004 | 700+ words | Copyright

Brook, the; or, a Jolly Day at the Picnic (1879). This musical farce was first offered to New York in 1879 at the San Francisco Minstrels' Hall. It was presented by the Salsbury Troubadors, whose leader, Nate Salsbury, had earlier written a similar piece called Patchwork, which he dropped as unsuitable after touring. The simple plot took a very small handful of performers on a picnic where they entertained with songs, dances, and other turns. The work proved so popular that it gave birth to the whole tradition of farce‐comedy, which in turn led to the development of the American musical comedy. Coming as it did at the end of the same season that saw the premiere of H. M. S. Pinafore and the first extended Harrigan and Hart vehicle, it marked the 1878–79 season as the real beginning of modern American musical theatre.

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Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Brook, the; or, a Jolly Day at the Picnic." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Brook, the; or, a Jolly Day at the Picnic." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-BrooktheoraJollyDytthPcnc.html

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Brook, the; or, a Jolly Day at the Picnic." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-BrooktheoraJollyDytthPcnc.html

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