Show Boat

There were many characters in the story of Show Boat. In the beginning we met Captain Andy Hawks and his wife Parthy Anne. Andy was the caption of the Cotton Blossom. They had one daughter and her name was Magnolia. The purpose of Andy and Parthy Anne is to add comedy and conflict in the story. They fought a lot and it was very humorous, and it seemed as if they both stood on opposite sides when it came to raising their daughter. Magnolia was probably the star of the musical. She tied in to almost everyone in the story.

Later on, Magnolia married Gaylord Rayenal. He is a gambler and gives Magnolia a good life for a while. His purpose in the story was to add the romance, and to also add conflict. They eventually have a daughter named Kim.

In the beginning we also met a girl named Julie LaVerne. She was married to a man named Steve Baker. Julie was also Magnolia’s piano teacher. We also met a “friend” of Julie’s named Pete Gavin. Pete had obviously been involved (probably not romantically) with Julie before Show Boat started. The purpose of those two was to tell of racial issues during that time.

There were also two characters in the beginning named Frank Shultz and Ellie May Chipley. They were the comedians on board. They were there