A hundred years on from 1921, we have a reasonable awareness of who was popular in the culture, especially in terms of music. As just one example, we're only 97 years removed from "Rhapsody in Blue", and I suspect people 100 years from now will still be aware of that one. In the same way, I think many of the popular songs that are woven into jukebox shows will still be known... and more importantly, the shows that are well crafted as dramatic musicals, rather than nostalgia tie-ins, could still be remembered and performed.
I'm not saying they will, but I think it's incredibly easy for us to dismiss with a wave of a hand all jukebox shows as if they are equally uninspired and inferior, but they are as varied a bunch as any other kind of show. If we ask ourselves which Golden Age shows will still be remembered and celebrate in 2065, I'd guess Oklahoma!, West Side Story, Gypsy are reasonable bets, and there's a couple others that may also stick around, but most of those shows will be equally forgotten. |
