The Cambridge Companion to the Musical

Description

Tracing the development of the musical on both Broadway and in London's West End, this updated Companion continues to provide a broad and thorough overview of one of the liveliest and most popular forms of musical performance. Ordered chronologically, essays cover from the American musical of the nineteenth century through to the most recent productions, and the book also includes key information on singers, audience, critical reception, and traditions. All of the chapters from the first edition remain - several in substantially updated forms - and five completely new chapters have been added, covering: ethnic musicals in the United States; the European musical; Broadway musicals in revival and on television; the most recent shows; and a case study of the creation of the popular show Wicked based on interviews with its creators. The Companion also includes an extensive bibliography and photographs from key productions. The expanded and updated third edition of this acclaimed Companion provides an accessible, broadly based survey of one of the liveliest and most popular forms of musical performance. It ranges from the American musical of the nineteenth century to the most recent productions on Broadway, in London's West End, and many other venues, and includes key information on singers, audiences, critical reception, and traditions. Contributors approach the subject from a wide variety of perspectives, including historical concerns, artistic aspects, important trends, attention to various genres, the importance of stars, the influence of race, the various disciplines of theatrical production, the musical in varied media, and changes in technology. Chapters related to the contemporary musical have been updated, and two new chapters cover the television musical and the British musical since 1970. Carefully organised and highly readable, it will be welcomed by enthusiasts, students, and scholars alike. 1. How to create a musical: the case of Wicked - Paul R. Laird Part I. Adaptations and Transformations: Before 1940: 2. American musical theatre before the twentieth century - Katherine K. Preston 3. Non-English-language musical theatre in the United States - John Koegel 4. Birth pangs, growing pains, and sibling rivalry: musical theatre in New York, 1900–20 Orly - Leah Krasner 5. American and British operetta in the 1920s: romance, nostalgia, and adventure - William A. Everett 6. Images of African Americans: African-American musical theatre,Show Boat and Porgy and Bess - John Graziano 7. The melody (and the words) linger on: American musical comedies of the 1920s and 1930s - Geoffrey Block Part II. Maturations and Formulations: 1940–70: 8. 'We said we wouldn't look back': British musical theatre, 1935–69 - John Snelson 9. The coming of the musical play: - Rodgers and Hammerstein Ann Sears 10. The successors of Rodgers and Hammerstein from the 1940s to the 1960s - Thomas L. Riis and Ann Sears 11. Musical sophistication on Broadway: Kurt Weill and Leonard Bernstein - Bruce D. Mcclung and Paul R. Laird Part III. Evolutions and Integrations: After 1970: 12. Stephen Sondheim and the musical of the outsider - Jim Lovensheimer 13. Choreographers, directors, and the fully integrated musical - Paul R. Laird 14. From Hair to Rent and beyond: has 'rock' ever been a four-letter word on Broadway? - Scott Warfield 15. The megamusical: the creation, internationalisation, and impact of a genre - Paul Prece and William A. Everett 16. 'In this England, in these times': redefining the British musical since 1970 - Miranda Lundskaer-Nielsen 17. 'Tonight I will bewitch the world': the European musical - Judith Sebesta and Laura MacDonald 18. New horizons: the musical at the dawn of the twenty-first century - Bud Coleman Part IV. Legacies and Transformations: 19. Why do they start to sing and dance all of a sudden? Examining the film musical - Graham Wood 20. Revisiting classic musicals: revivals, films, television, and recordings - Jessica Sternfeld 21. Big dreams on the small screen: the television musical - Mary Jo Lodge.