Let's Put on a Musical: How to Choose the Right Show for your Theater, Revised & Expanded Edition

by Peter Filichia

A Backstage favorite, now revised and updated to include the latest shows and the freshest ideas. So you want to do Rent ... at a senior-citizen home. So you want to do Wicked ... with your kindergarten class. So you want to do Cats ... for an audience of allergy sufferers. Those ideas won't work. Let's Put on a Musical gives you what will work, no matter how big the group, no matter how small, no matter how specialized the requirements. Limited budget? Way-too-huge stage? Leading man who can’t sing? Audience that can’t shut up? Renowned theater critic Peter Filicia looks at more than 200 famous and little-known shows, all cleverly categorized and described in terms of story, best-known songs, musical requirements (including instrumentation), chorus and dance numbers, and staging, including sets, costumes, and props needed. Readers will also find fun nuggets about original Broadway productions and great tips on casting and publicity. Let's Put on a Musical is the entertaining, indispensable resource that helps every theater group find the show that's just right for them.

Genres: Theatre

464 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1993

About the author

Peter Filichia is the critic for the Star-Ledger and News 12 New Jersey. Each week, he writes a column for MasterworksBroadway.com and three columns for TheaterMania.com. He is a past president of the Drama Desk, the current president of the Theatre World Awards, and the author of Let's Put on a Musical!"

Reviews

[Bob Manasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thorough, encyclopedic book detailing popular (and some not-so-popular) stage musicals that can be produced by amateur groups. Peter Filichia is a professional theatre critic in the New York area, but unlike those at the Times, is an incredibly nice person, and this comes through in his writing. Good insights, suggestions, and categorizations -- very useful for those performance selection committee meetings when no one has any good ideas!