American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle
Gerald Bordman's American Musical Theatre has become a landmark book since its publication in 1978. It chronicles American musicals, show by show and season by season, and offers a running commentary and assessment as well as providing the basic facts about each production. This updated edition includes the new shows that have opened on Broadway since the original publication. Also included are over a hundred musicals that were turn-of-the-century, cheap-priced touring shows which never...
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Hailed as "absolutely the best reference book on its subject" by Newsweek, American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle covers more than 250 years of musical theatre in the United States, from a 1735 South Carolina production of Flora, or Hob in the Well to The Addams Family in 2010. Authors Gerald Bordman and Richard Norton write an engaging narrative blending history, critical analysis, and lively description to illustrate the transformation of American musical theatre through such incarnations as the ballad opera, revue, Golden Age musical, rock musical, Disney musical, and, with 2010's American Idiot, even the punk musical. The Chronicle is arranged chronologically and is fully indexed according to names of shows, songs, and people involved, for easy searching and browsing. Chapters range from the "Prologue," which traces the origins of American musical theater to 1866, through several "intermissions" (for instance, "Broadway's Response to the Swing Era, 1937-1942") and up to "Act Seven," the theatre of the twenty-first century. This last chapter covers the dramatic changes in musical theatre since the last edition published-whereas Fosse, a choreography-heavy revue, won the 1999 Tony for Best Musical, the 2008 award went to In the Heights, which combines hip-hop, rap, meringue and salsa unlike any musical before it. Other groundbreaking and/or box-office-breaking shows covered for the first time include Avenue Q, The Producers, Billy Elliot, Jersey Boys, Monty Python's Spamalot, Wicked, Hairspray, Urinetown the Musical, and Spring Awakening.Discussion of these shows incorporates plot synopses, names of principal players, descriptions of scenery and costumes, and critical reactions. In addition, short biographies interspersed throughout the text colorfully depict the creative minds that shaped the most influential musicals. Collectively, these elements create the most comprehensive, authoritative history of musical theatre in this country and make this an essential resource for students, scholars, performers, dramaturges, and musical enthusiasts. Booknews A standard since its original publication in 1978, Bordman's guide chronicles American musicals, show by show and season by season, offering a running commentary and assessment as well as providing the basic facts about each production. This updated edition includes the new shows that have opened on Broadway since the original publication and a complete general index, as well as adding over a hundred musicals newly discovered by Bordman--turn-of-the-century touring shows that never played Broadway. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
1Prologue: Origins to 186612Act One: Early Successes18Scene One: Opera Bouffe and Native Elements, 1866-187818Scene Two: H.M.S. Pinafore and the Great Transformation, 1878-1892433Intermission: Further British Influences and New Stirrings, 1892-19021184Act Two: The Emergence of American Talent, 1902-19071835Intermission: Viennese Operetta and the American Retreat, 1907-19142306Act Three: The Birth of the Modern Musical, 1914-19212977Intermission: The Cinderella Era, 1921-19243628Act Four: The Golden Age of the American Musical, 1924-1937388Scene One: Songwriters' Shows as Pure Entertainment, 1924-1929389Scene Two: Depression and "Talkies"--Broadway's Answer, 1929-19374519Intermission: Broadway's Response to the Swing Era50310Act Five: The American Musical as a Conscious Art Form529Scene One: Americana Amid a New Seriousness, 1942-1951530Scene Two: Increasing Problems--Lowering Standards, 1951-196558011Intermission: Exhaustion, 1965-196964212Act Six: Full Circle?; or, Return of the Brits663Scene One: Startlingly New, Delightfully Old, 1969-1981666Scene Two: A Musical Trade Imbalance, 1981-1990707Appendix730IndexShows and Sources761Songs784People801
\ Library JournalThis updated and revised edition (following the 2001 third edition) incorporates developments to musical theater from the last decade. Bordman (coauthor, The Oxford Companion to American Theatre) and Norton (A Chronology of American Musical Theater) open this admittedly New York-centric guide with a prolog on the late 18th-century genesis of musical theater. Throughout, sidebars offer thumbnail profiles of actors, directors, and notable figures in musical theater history. The content is organized chronologically by season, and several paragraphs detail the significance and critical reception of each year's debuts. This is the most up-to-date subject reference available and an enjoyable read.\ \ \ \ \ BooknewsA standard since its original publication in 1978, Bordman's guide chronicles American musicals, show by show and season by season, offering a running commentary and assessment as well as providing the basic facts about each production. This updated edition includes the new shows that have opened on Broadway since the original publication and a complete general index, as well as adding over a hundred musicals newly discovered by Bordman--turn-of-the-century touring shows that never played Broadway. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
