The Merry World (Passions of 1926) Bolger, Ray performer Theatrical Performance 1926-06-08 Imperial Theater The international (musical) revue in two acts, 31 scenes. Dances by Larry Ceballos. Opened 8 June 1926 at the Imperial Theatre, moved 2 August 1926 to the Sam S. Shubert Theatre as "Passions of 1926" and closed 21 August 1926 after 87 performances. This musical marks the official debut of the "nimble, rubber-legged" dancer Ray Bolger to the Broadway musical stage (even though he appeared in "A Night in Paris" at the Casino de Paris 1/6/1926). Ray Bolger's eccentric style soft-shoe dance got a mention with no name: "A very baggy suit of clothes came out and whirled fantastically around. I never found out whether there really was anyone inhabiting the suit." (Norton 1926.15) Performing Arts Encyclopedia http://www.loc.gov/performingarts Bordman, Gerald: American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle. New York: Oxford University Press (1992). Norton Anthology of Drama: Norton Anthology of Drama: Nineteenth Century to the Present (Vol. 2). W.W. Norton & Company (2009). Thomas, Tony: That's Dancing!. New York, Harry Abrams (1984). Tap Dance America http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/html/tda/tda-home.html Ray Bolger (biography) loc.music.tdabio.24 tda IHAS 151216 loc.music.tda.1426