All Aboard the Cotton Blossom

In Spring 2027 Houston Grand Opera present a new staging of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's revolutionary musical Show Boat, directed by Francesca Zambello. First performed on Broadway in 1927, the show brought a new level of seriousness to the musical theatre genre, boasting rich characterization and a plot that deftly dealt with issues of racial prejudice and discrimination. Add in a score packed full of memorable numbers and you're on to a real winner of a musical.

All Aboard the Cotton Blossom

In Spring 2027 Houston Grand Opera presents a new staging of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's revolutionary musical Show Boat, directed by Francesca Zambello. First performed on Broadway in 1927, the show brought a new level of seriousness to the musical theatre genre, boasting rich characterization and a plot that deftly dealt with issues of racial prejudice and discrimination. Add in a score packed full of memorable numbers and you're on to a real winner of a musical.

What is the Story?

Show Boat's epic story concerns the trials and tribulations of three generations of one family, headed by Show Boat Captain Andy. On board the Cotton Blossom, a floating theater on the Mississippi River, something lays in store around every bend for riverboat performers, Julie, Joe, Queenie, Magnolia and Ravenal. Making their way through the decades, they must navigate the trials of show business, love, and loss, in a landscape shaped and overshadowed by racial inequality.