The most zealous period for musical theatre was undoubtedly the Golden Age, which occurred between 1940 and 1960. The Golden Age can be separated into two periods – the first, lasting from 1900 to the late 1920’s. This was an age of musical comedy. Emphasis was placed on comedy, singing, youthful romance, lightly clad chorus girls, as well as spectacular dancing. It featured very simple plots and characters that were strictly romantic or comedic. The themes were quite unchallenging. While the musical comedy form was highly entertaining the Golden Age’s second phase, musical drama shifted its features into the form which many people are familiar with today. Increasingly sophisticated musical treatments and serious plots now carried by the music and dancing as well as the dialogue characterized the phase. Works like Show Boat, Porgy and Bess, Oklahoma!, The King and I and even Fiddler on the Roof stemmed from this period and achieved a very high level of commercial success. The Broadway Musicals of the Golden Age were more successful than the musicals that came before because of a combination of many different elements. The writers, composers, lyricists, and choreographers had fresh ideas about what Broadway should be, and the structure of the plot and story became much more thought out, and because of this, audiences came for a true show, an escape from their ordinary, everyday lives.