Quotes About Show Boat

Those who see Show Boat as the progenitor of the form mistake its epic grandeur for its essence. No: most of Show Boat inheres in the zany frivolity of musical comedy, though revisions have been stamping out much of the fun since 1946. Still, the comic nature of Captain Andy and other leads and the use of dance as decoration rather than interpretation place Show Boat in a category of its own.

To me, 'Show Boat' was the first American musical, the first to have the real texture of this country.

I wouldn't be here if it weren't for 'Show Boat.' The kind of theater I chose to be involved in is completely a direct reflection of what 'Show Boat' made possible.