Character Standard
tagStarted 1928Peak 1940–1975Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
Character standards are songs inseparable from a persona, role, or sharply drawn point of view, even when performed outside the original show. They survive because the song itself contains enough character architecture for later singers to inhabit rather than merely cover.
History
Many stage and cabaret songs become standards only after a definitive character performance fixes them in the public imagination, from Joel Grey’s insinuating Emcee energy to Carol Channing’s Dolly brightness and Eartha Kitt’s feline mischief; cabaret performers especially prize these songs because they allow instant theatrical framing without scenery.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Cabaret" and "Musical"
- Library of Congress, "Musicals of Stage and Screen." citeturn6search0turn9search0turn6search5