Broadway
In 1946 sophisticated and would-be-sophisticated middle-class New Yorkers went to the theater regularly, as much as once or twice a month, a habit that faded gradually after the war when the middle class relocated to suburbia and came in to town in the evening only occasionally to see the big hits, often as part of a theater party. But regular theater attendance was more possible in 1946 when tickets were far more affordable than they are now.
Theater going was less the norm for lower-middle-income New Yorkers in the outer boroughs who might catch the occasional big musical like "Oklahoma!" to celebrate a birthday or anniversary, when out on a date or as a special treat. The average blue collar Joe seldom if ever went to the theater, now that vaudeville was dead, being satisfied by the stage shows at the movie palaces. Even then, tourists accounted for a lot of ticket sales, and now that travel restrictions were lifted they were coming back. Songs from musicals were recorded by popular singers of the day and performed on the radio. They often were big hits. "It's Wonderful" from the upcoming "Annie Get Your Gun" already was getting a lot of play this week.
According to the end-of-the-season roundup in Time on June 10, the 1945-46 season was profitable if not quite razzle-dazzle. Holdovers from prior seasons and revivals dominated the scene. That week's Time magazine said "Life With Father," "Oklahoma!" and "The Voice of the Turtle" had been running so long they were "as much Broadway landmarks as shows." Other long-running hits included "The Voice of the Turtle," "Anna Lucasta," "I Remember Mama," "Harvey," "Dear Ruth" and the musicals "Follow the Girls," "Song of Norway," "Bloomer Girl" and "Carousel." Revivals of "Showboat" and "The Red Mill" were among the biggest hits of the season.
"The Glass Menagerie" was among the notable dramas playing, bringing Laurette Taylor back to Broadway. Other theater royalty who trod the boards that week included Lunt and Fontanne, Gertrude Lawrence and Katherine Cornell as well as promising newcomers Kirk Douglas, Marlon Brando, Barbara Bel Geddes, Judy Holliday and Pearl Bailey. The soon-to-be smash hits "Call Me Mister" and "Annie Get Your Gun" were on the way. Rodgers & Hammerstein were involved as creators or producers of five box-office successes of the moment.
In his annual Best Plays, former Daily News critic Burns Mantle, who had issued a volume every year since 1920, called the 1945/46 Broadway season, which had begun in September 1945, one month after VJ Day, the Victory Season. His book contained a summary of the plays Mantle deemed to be the best of the season with sections of dialogue, as well as an overview and cast information and statistics about all the shows that had opened on Broadway during that twelve-month period. Mantle's choice for the best of this season were "State of the Union," "Deep Are the Roots," "The Magnificent Yankee," "Antigone," "O Mistress Mine,""Born Yesterday," "Dream Girl" and "Lute Song," as well as "Home of the Brave" and "Rugged Path," which were no longer playing in April. In his season roundup, he mentioned the success of "Call Me Mister" and "Annie Get Your Gun," which opened at the tail end of the season, but included neither in his Best Plays, all of which, except for "Lute Song," were straight dramas or comedies.
Broadway was not the only place in New York to see plays. As Mantle noted, the Cherry Lane Theatre and Provincetown Playhouse both were active in the Village. The Readers Theatre presented readings of plays at the Majestic Theatre. The Equity Library Theatre produced 48 productions during the 1945/46 season at the Hudson Park, George Bruce, Fort Washington and Hamilton Grange public library branches. The non-profit group was designed as a showcase for actors and directors. as well as a way to bring theater to those who could not afford a ticket to Broadway. Up to 20 percent of the cast members could be non-Equity. Admission was free, although donations were encouraged. In April the organization produced "The Servant of Two Masters," "Coquette," "Waiting For Lefty," "Mandragola" (in its first professional production in the US), "The Last Mile," "The Lawyer," "Blind Alley," "The Hasty Heart," "Othello" and "Family Portrait." American Negro Theatre, which had a success on Broadway with "Anna Lucasta," was putting on plays at an Elks hall in Harlem. Yiddish theater still existed on the Lower East Side and in Jewish neighborhoods in the outer boroughs.
In his book, Mantle also recognized the various dance companies performing in New York as well as the sizable role that ballet and modern dance played in Broadway musicals at this time. Among the companies he mentioned were the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Ballet Theatre and Asadata Defora, who was presenting a company of 50 African dancers at Carnegie Hall that month. Smaller groups including La Meri and her Natya Dancers, Regina Devi, Carmencita Maracci. Martha Graham and Rosario and Antonio.
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