There are many misperceptions about the musical theatre. This list aims to address some of them, especially those related to past artists and shows.

Annie Get Your Gun (1946)
…was not Irving Berlin’s first book musical.

The Black Crook (1866)
…was not the first American musical.

The Blackbirds Series
…was officially begun in a Broadway nightclub with Black Birds of 1925.

Clorindy, or The Origin of the Cake Walk (1898)
…was not the first Black musical on Broadway.
…was not the first Black-authored musical on Broadway.

Company (1970)
…was not the first musical built around a theme or a psyche.
…was not the first musical with theatrical comment.
…was not the first instance of nontraditional storytelling on Broadway.

Fine and Dandy (1930)
…was not the first musical composed by a woman.
…was not the first musical on Broadway composed by a woman.

Hair (1967)
…was not the first musical to utilize rock ‘n’ roll.

In Dahomey (1902)
…was not the first Black musical on Broadway.
…was not the first Black-authored musical on Broadway.

Madame Rentz’s (1870)
…was not the first female burlesque troupe.
…was not the first female minstrel troupe.

Ethel Merman
…was not Broadway’s first female belter.

Oklahoma! (1943)
…was not the first book musical.
…was not the first integrated book musical.
…was not the first book musical with a ballet.
…was not the first integrated book musical with a ballet.

Harold Prince and Stephen Sondheim
…were not the first to introduce cynicism and darkness to the musical stage.
…were not the first to traffic in nontraditional storytelling.

The Princess Musicals
…were only six in number: Nobody Home (1915), Very Good Eddie (1915), Go to It (1916), Oh, Boy! (1917), Oh, Lady! Lady!! (1918), and Oh, My Dear (1918).
…did not officially include Have a Heart (1917) or Leave It to Jane (1917).
…were not the first small-scale musicals on Broadway.
…were not written exclusively by Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, and Jerome Kern.

Show Boat (1927)
…was not the first book musical.
…was not the first musical with serious subject matter.
…was not the first musical in which the leading lady aged over the course of the show.
…was not the first musical in which Black and white performers shared the stage.

Shuffle Along (1921)
…was not the first Black musical on Broadway.
…was not the first Black-authored musical on Broadway.
…was not the first successful Black musical on Broadway.
…was not the first successful Black-authored musical on Broadway.
…was not the first musical on Broadway with jazz.
…was not the first musical on Broadway with syncopation.
…was not the first appearance of Black jazz musicians on Broadway.
…was not the first production on Broadway with a Black conductor.
…was not the first Black musical to include genuine romance.
…was not a revue.

Shuffle Along (1932)
…was not a revival of Shuffle Along (1921).

Shuffle Along (1952)
…was not a revival of Shuffle Along (1921).

Shuffle Along, or The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed (2016)
…was not a revival of Shuffle Along (1921).
…was not entirely accurate historically.
…did not have a score exclusively by Noble Sissle and or Eubie Blake.

A Trip to Coontown (1897)
…was not a minstrel show.
…did not use blackface.
…was not presented on the roof of the Casino Theatre in the summer of 1899.

Yip Yip Yaphank (1918)
…was not the first World War I soldier show on Broadway.