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The American musical is a specific genre that developed from a long history of opera, drama, minstrel shows, and various other art forms. Denny Flinn provides a definition: “The American book musical, then, is a drama – or tragedy, comedy, or farce – presented through the elements of dialogue, lyrics, and dance all woven together to create the seamless presentation of a story ” (xiv). The most important element of this description is the word seamless. The incorporation of song, dance, and scenes to form a cohesive, integrated whole is what established the true advent of the American musical in 1927, with Hammerstein and Kern’s Showboat. From Showboat through the 60s, the Golden Age musical was the most common form on Broadway. In considering this distinct style of musicals, it is noteworthy how many are inspired by existing works, such as operas, plays, and novels. Many of those which are prized for being exemplars of the form of the American musical, such as Oklahoma!, South Pacific, Hello Dolly!, and My Fair Lady, are all founded on novels or plays (Flinn 16-33). Before examining the process by which another work is transformed into a musical, one must be familiar with how the American musical evolved into the Golde