Show Boat was first staged at New York's Ziegfeld Theater on December 27, 1927. The show changed the nature of musical theater by carefully blending tuneful music with realistic characters and a serious plot. Featuring the music of Jerome Kern and lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II, Show Boat tells a sophisticated tale of love and heartache on the Mississippi River. Several songs written for the show have become American classics, including "Ol' Man River," "Bill," and "Make Believe."