For many fans, the golden age of Broadway musicals (1942-1972) are best remembered by the covers that graced original cast albums on vinyl records and compact discs years after the shows had closed. Those cover images most often displayed the graphics from show posters and playbills used to market the original productions. It seemed then that Broadway was willing to write a musical about almost anything, and the big creative swings of the period gave audiences hits from Cabaret and My Fair Lady to The Pajama Game and Hair. The show posters reflected that range, using engaging graphics to highlight the characters and plots and attract the interest of audience members.
In Fall 2024, University of Georgia students in Professor George Contini’s Musical Theatre and American Culture class explored the Samuel Golden Theatre Collection at the UGA Special Collections Building. Working in teams, the students selected the posters, playbills and ephemera displayed here to give visitors a glimpse into this heyday of Broadway. Their choices convey the vibrant energy and wide-ranging offerings of musical theatre in mid-20th century America. A complementary performance, “How to Make a Musical: A Concert of Golden Age Show Tunes” will take place on Monday, March 24.