The 100 Most Important People in Musical Theatre

The 100 Most Important People in Musical Theatre

Author: Andy Propst

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2019-09-09

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 1538116197

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From Show Boat and Oklahoma! to Wicked and Hamilton, the musical is constantly evolving thanks to the contributions of some of theatre’s most prominent figures. Never have musicals been more popular than they are today. With live television broadcasts of shows like Rent and Hairspray and films like Mean Girls and Shrek being adapted to the stage, musicals—as well as the creators and artists who bring them to life—are at the forefront of popular culture. In 100 Most Important People in Musical Theatre, Andy Propst profiles the individuals who have helped shape this beloved art form. Songwriting greats such as Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, Stephen Sondheim, and Andrew Lloyd Webber are some of the familiar names in the book. So, too, are performers such as Nathan Lane, Ethel Merman, Audra McDonald, and Patti LuPone, and directors and choreographers such as Bob Fosse, Harold Prince, Jerome Robbins, and Tommy Tune. Readers learn not only about these men and women’s exceptional lives and achievements, but can peek backstage at such groundbreaking shows as Show Boat, Oklahoma!, West Side Story, Company, and A Chorus Line, among others. Period reviews and interviews highlight both the shows and the people who contributed to them. The profiles in 100 Most Important People in Musical Theater provide a terrific history of musical theater, guiding readers from the era of operetta and the ascendancy of the book musical to the emergence of the concept musical and contemporary productions—from The Mikado and The Phantom of the Opera to Fun Home and Hamilton. This book is an invaluable addition to any musical theatre fan’s library, and will also appeal to researchers and scholars.


Musical Theatre

Musical Theatre

Author: John Kenrick

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-07-27

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 1474267017

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Musical Theatre: A History is a new revised edition of a proven core text for college and secondary school students – and an insightful and accessible celebration of twenty-five centuries of great theatrical entertainment. As an educator with extensive experience in professional theatre production, author John Kenrick approaches the subject with a unique appreciation of musicals as both an art form and a business. Using anecdotes, biographical profiles, clear definitions, sample scenes and select illustrations, Kenrick focuses on landmark musicals, and on the extraordinary talents and business innovators who have helped musical theatre evolve from its roots in the dramas of ancient Athens all the way to the latest hits on Broadway and London's West End. Key improvements to the second edition: · A new foreword by Oscar Hammerstein III, a critically acclaimed historian and member of a family with deep ties to the musical theatre, is included · The 28 chapters are reformatted for the typical 14 week, 28 session academic course, as well as for a two semester, once-weekly format, making it easy for educators to plan a syllabus and reading assignments. · To make the book more interactive, each chapter includes suggested listening and reading lists, designed to help readers step beyond the printed page to experience great musicals and performers for themselves. A comprehensive guide to musical theatre as an international phenomenon, Musical Theatre: A History is an ideal textbook for university and secondary school students.