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Rise Up! Broadway and American Society from Angels in America to Hamilton
Penned by one of America's best-known daily theatre critics and organized chronologically, this lively and readable book tells the story of Broadway's renaissance from the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, via the disaster that was Spiderman: Turn off the Dark through the unparalleled financial, artistic and political success of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton. It is the story of the embrace of risk and substance. In so doing, Chris Jones makes the point that the theatre thrived by finally figuring out how to embrace the bold statement and insert itself into the national conversation - only to find out in 2016 that a hefty sector of the American public had not been listening to what it had to say.
Chris Jones was in the theatres when and where it mattered. He takes readers from the moment when Tony Kushner's angel crashed (quite literally) through the ceiling of prejudice and religious intolerance to the triumph of Hamilton, with the coda of the Broadway cast addressing a new Republican vice-president from the stage. That complex performance - at once indicative of the theatre's new clout and its inability to fully change American society for the better - is the final scene of the book.
Chris Jones was in the theatres when and where it mattered. He takes readers from the moment when Tony Kushner's angel crashed (quite literally) through the ceiling of prejudice and religious intolerance to the triumph of Hamilton, with the coda of the Broadway cast addressing a new Republican vice-president from the stage. That complex performance - at once indicative of the theatre's new clout and its inability to fully change American society for the better - is the final scene of the book.
226 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2018
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220 people want to read
About the author
Chris Jones
2 books2 followersChris Jones is the longtime chief theater critic and Sunday culture columnist of the Chicago Tribune, where he has been on staff since 2002. Throughout the 1990s, he covered Broadway and its tours for Variety. He is author of Bigger, Brighter, Louder: 150 Years of Chicago Theater (2013) and his work has appeared often in the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and many other publications. Jones read Drama at the University of Hull, UK, and has a PhD from The Ohio State University. In 2011, Jones was named by American Theater magazine as one of the most influential theater critics in America. In 2014, he became the director of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Critics Institute in Waterford, Connecticut. Jones is a winner of the George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism, the most prestigious honour for drama critics in the United States.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
June 26, 2018
I hope that the ARC I just read gets a very, very heavy copyedit before it goes to press. What it really needs is a developmental edit, top to bottom.
Ostensibly a work about "Broadway and American Society from Angels in America to Hamilton," Rise Up! is a collection of anecdotes and trivia with a poor narrative structure. The author has tried to put together a chronological presentation of musicals and politics, but is too often interested in asides and jumps forwards and backwards in time: the result is a book in need of a strong outline and re-writing.
The tone is casual, aimed at a general readership, and apparently the author is a professional critic. The author's bona fides come into question, however, with a number of examples in which he appears not to actually know much about music, the study of music and ethnography, or other extant studies about the arts, society, and politics. Even for a broad audience, the book's sources display a superficiality that is also obvious in the text. Jones provides a lot of facts, but little linking them together, and even less interpretation or insight. In regard to the musical literacy issue, here's a sample: "Their [Green Day's] music may have been dominated by thrashing downward guitar strokes but is also far more melodic than their inherently atonal British ancestors [referring to the Sex Pistols] [...] Green Day did not run a-feared of major keys. They made more ample use of arpeggios--and keyboards in general--than either their predecessors or their peers." Does Jones know what atonality is? Does he know what an arpeggio is? Does he think it's an instrument? Or that an arpeggio can only be played on a keyboard?
Other issues:
--The frequent use of "a person called X" as in: "an intern named Monica Lewinsky;" a [....] taxi-driver named Rodney G. King;" A man named George Holliday;" "an [...] actress named Anna Deavere Smith;" "a solo artist named Lily Tomlin," and countless more.
--Grammar errors. Here's my favorite: "...a fantastical adventure by an unknown writer called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." The WRITER is called Harry Potter?
--Numerous typos. "Taylor" for "Taymor;" and others.
--Too much passive voice. "In 2017, an 18-year-old man named Michael Brown (there's that"named" thing again) was short 12 times by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri...." No. "A police officer shot 18-year old Michael Brown...."
--Poor organization even on the paragraph/section level. Jones writes about American Idiot for four pages before mentioning the album/show's creators (..."an American punk band called Green Day...")
I'd hoped this would be a smart book appropriate for music history and music and politics courses, but alas, it is most definitely not. In fact, I'd be loath to recommend it even to the most die-hard fan of American musicals: they can find all of the info in this book elsewhere (and easily) and make their own observations and analyses.
Ostensibly a work about "Broadway and American Society from Angels in America to Hamilton," Rise Up! is a collection of anecdotes and trivia with a poor narrative structure. The author has tried to put together a chronological presentation of musicals and politics, but is too often interested in asides and jumps forwards and backwards in time: the result is a book in need of a strong outline and re-writing.
The tone is casual, aimed at a general readership, and apparently the author is a professional critic. The author's bona fides come into question, however, with a number of examples in which he appears not to actually know much about music, the study of music and ethnography, or other extant studies about the arts, society, and politics. Even for a broad audience, the book's sources display a superficiality that is also obvious in the text. Jones provides a lot of facts, but little linking them together, and even less interpretation or insight. In regard to the musical literacy issue, here's a sample: "Their [Green Day's] music may have been dominated by thrashing downward guitar strokes but is also far more melodic than their inherently atonal British ancestors [referring to the Sex Pistols] [...] Green Day did not run a-feared of major keys. They made more ample use of arpeggios--and keyboards in general--than either their predecessors or their peers." Does Jones know what atonality is? Does he know what an arpeggio is? Does he think it's an instrument? Or that an arpeggio can only be played on a keyboard?
Other issues:
--The frequent use of "a person called X" as in: "an intern named Monica Lewinsky;" a [....] taxi-driver named Rodney G. King;" A man named George Holliday;" "an [...] actress named Anna Deavere Smith;" "a solo artist named Lily Tomlin," and countless more.
--Grammar errors. Here's my favorite: "...a fantastical adventure by an unknown writer called Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone." The WRITER is called Harry Potter?
--Numerous typos. "Taylor" for "Taymor;" and others.
--Too much passive voice. "In 2017, an 18-year-old man named Michael Brown (there's that"named" thing again) was short 12 times by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri...." No. "A police officer shot 18-year old Michael Brown...."
--Poor organization even on the paragraph/section level. Jones writes about American Idiot for four pages before mentioning the album/show's creators (..."an American punk band called Green Day...")
I'd hoped this would be a smart book appropriate for music history and music and politics courses, but alas, it is most definitely not. In fact, I'd be loath to recommend it even to the most die-hard fan of American musicals: they can find all of the info in this book elsewhere (and easily) and make their own observations and analyses.
November 15, 2018
3.5 stars, actually.
Only twice in my life have I ever seen a real, live Broadway play; it happened sometime in the early 1980s when my husband and I accompanied a group of college business students who went to New York City to learn more about the garment industry. We managed to get discount tickets to two plays: "Noises Off," and "A Chorus Line." Both were awesome (the latter falling into the "OMG, I've died and gone to heaven" category). And while I've seen many Broadway touring company productions locally since then, nothing ever will compare to the "real" experience.
It was with that meager but thrilling experience in mind that I looked forward to reading this book, in which the author provides an inside look at some of the productions that have made an impact in ways far beyond simple entertainment. From "Angels in America" to "Hamilton," he examines how and why various shows have tried to shed light on societal issues like AIDS, slavery and divisive politics. It was interesting to learn, for instance, of Broadway's overall disdain for then-President Ronald Reagan, who refused to even acknowledge the existence of AIDS or, perhaps more importantly, approve funding for AIDS research. Also noteworthy, to me at least, was that when New York City virtually came to a halt after the horrific events of 9/11, city leaders including then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani ordered theater owners to reopen as a sign that the show - and in the broader sense the entire city - must go on.
In part because the book isn't very long, I'll leave the details of the plays to the author and you can read them for yourself. I must, however, note that I'm hoping it underwent a more thorough copy-editing before its release. I read an advance copy courtesy of the publisher (via NetGalley), for which I'm very appreciative. But I found numerous errors (it's Harriet TUBman, not TAUBman, for instance), and there's enough of what I'll call "jumping around" within the chapters that at times it's a little hard to follow. Overall, though, the author has put together an excellent history with insights that should enlighten theater-lovers everywhere.
Only twice in my life have I ever seen a real, live Broadway play; it happened sometime in the early 1980s when my husband and I accompanied a group of college business students who went to New York City to learn more about the garment industry. We managed to get discount tickets to two plays: "Noises Off," and "A Chorus Line." Both were awesome (the latter falling into the "OMG, I've died and gone to heaven" category). And while I've seen many Broadway touring company productions locally since then, nothing ever will compare to the "real" experience.
It was with that meager but thrilling experience in mind that I looked forward to reading this book, in which the author provides an inside look at some of the productions that have made an impact in ways far beyond simple entertainment. From "Angels in America" to "Hamilton," he examines how and why various shows have tried to shed light on societal issues like AIDS, slavery and divisive politics. It was interesting to learn, for instance, of Broadway's overall disdain for then-President Ronald Reagan, who refused to even acknowledge the existence of AIDS or, perhaps more importantly, approve funding for AIDS research. Also noteworthy, to me at least, was that when New York City virtually came to a halt after the horrific events of 9/11, city leaders including then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani ordered theater owners to reopen as a sign that the show - and in the broader sense the entire city - must go on.
In part because the book isn't very long, I'll leave the details of the plays to the author and you can read them for yourself. I must, however, note that I'm hoping it underwent a more thorough copy-editing before its release. I read an advance copy courtesy of the publisher (via NetGalley), for which I'm very appreciative. But I found numerous errors (it's Harriet TUBman, not TAUBman, for instance), and there's enough of what I'll call "jumping around" within the chapters that at times it's a little hard to follow. Overall, though, the author has put together an excellent history with insights that should enlighten theater-lovers everywhere.
June 10, 2018
This is another book sure to appeal more to us nerds who can't read too much about Broadway, and in this case, Christopher Jones expounds on the talents that have kept it going strong despite outside forces. From the devastation of AIDS through the recession of 2009, the tragedy of 9/11, the as-yet repercussions of the current administration, Broadway has continued to provoke and spark controversy even while entertaining, culminating in Hamilton, the phenomenon that bookends this journey. On a personal note, I was fortunate enough to have seen many of the seminal works in their original forms he references (most notably the original August: Osage County with Dennis Letts, Hamilton's original cast twice, and American Idiot in Berkeley), but still found Jones's fresh take on Albee, Letts, Hansberry and Miranda informative and fun to read.
May 15, 2019
I quit reading this somewhere around p. 50. It's just the usual story Broadway tells itself about how innovative it is and how connected it is with contemporary politics. There's no analysis here whatsoever - except maybe a little on whether a show is good or not according to the author (he doesn't think much of Rent). The book has no argument. Instead it jumps from playwright to playwright, charting a kind of fake history of Broadway's engagement with contemporary politics. This might have been interesting if he demonstrated how particular people we've all been forgetting about actually influenced Broadway in ways we haven't yet adequately noted, but Jones just includes all of the usual suspects. You've heard this story before. Broadway is forever telling it. The Normal Heart begat Angels in America, which begat Rent, which eventually begat Hamilton. I might have kept reading if Jones's style had been elegant in some way, but this is written in the short non-sentences of a blogger, and like most blog-posts, it is also in need of a copy-editor.
July 2, 2018
'There is something about shows with 'America' in their name.'
"Identity is always being negotiated. To what extent do people who come to America have to give up something about their own identity to conform to an idea of what America is?'
I found it hard to put down when I started. Luckily, I'd seen or read most of the shows written about here, which really makes it a 5 star for me. It's incredibly readable and fast paced. I found more than anything, Jones was able to write exactly what made plays and musicals successes (i.e. 'it was populist but avant-garde, epic but human; gran but intimate; hugely complex but seemingly as simple as pie. It utilised one of the most potent and universal of human stories: overcoming the loss of a parent and the subsequent assumption of adulthood with a symbolic nod from the one deceased. Audiences never tired of that theme, of course, because no-one wearies the hope that the people we've loved and lost are still there to take care of us, even if we cannot easily discern their form.'-Why LION KING, LION KING! is a success)
A must read for those who love musicals and broadway.
I received a free copy from netgalley for an honest review. And there are some typos.
"Identity is always being negotiated. To what extent do people who come to America have to give up something about their own identity to conform to an idea of what America is?'
I found it hard to put down when I started. Luckily, I'd seen or read most of the shows written about here, which really makes it a 5 star for me. It's incredibly readable and fast paced. I found more than anything, Jones was able to write exactly what made plays and musicals successes (i.e. 'it was populist but avant-garde, epic but human; gran but intimate; hugely complex but seemingly as simple as pie. It utilised one of the most potent and universal of human stories: overcoming the loss of a parent and the subsequent assumption of adulthood with a symbolic nod from the one deceased. Audiences never tired of that theme, of course, because no-one wearies the hope that the people we've loved and lost are still there to take care of us, even if we cannot easily discern their form.'-Why LION KING, LION KING! is a success)
A must read for those who love musicals and broadway.
I received a free copy from netgalley for an honest review. And there are some typos.
November 25, 2019
I don’t think this book was for me.
Seeing as I work in arts management, grew up as a Broadway aficionado, and was alive for all but one of the years this book claims to chronicle, I picked up this book thinking it was my bread and butter. Broadway? My jam. Cultural criticism of American society? My thing. Hamilton? I’d been accepted to graduate school with an essay on why Hamilton made me want to pursue commercial theater. I couldn’t be any more “target” for this book.
Yet, as I read it, I didn’t realize that this book would take every little thing argument and say how it would pave the way for Hamilton. I read the author claim how off broadway was dying and sought clarity on whether he meant commercial or nonprofit and then wanted to know the data. The book felt very much like the author was trying to explain to a blind date why Hamilton was important even though the woman said “Okay, okay, I get it, please stop.” when he got so far as Rent. There really wasn’t any information I didn’t know before (as someone considered relatively well educated on theater) but I don’t think this text has any place for someone who doesn’t already care about most of the shows mentioned.
The pacing of the book confused me. I’d be fine if it was a collection of essays, but attempting to sort it chronologically but then jump around anyway made it frustrating. For instance, Raisin in the Sun’s chapter was 2014- No Longer a Dream Deferred. The play debuted on Broadway in 1959. The chapter would go on to explain how that production begat the revival that the Obamas saw which then somehow influenced Hamilton etc. etc. It weakens the argument when every single Broadway show appears to have influenced Hamilton. If that’s the case, then you could make that argument for literally any show. It’s a flimsy argument.
To be petty, the reason it got 1 instead of 2 stars was the omission of Next to Normal from the text. It was the first musical to get a Pulitzer Prize for Drama since Rent and the next musical that received the award after NtN was......HAMILTON. That’s a strange omission in my eyes considering the copyright date of my book’s edition was 2019. Oh well.
Seeing as I work in arts management, grew up as a Broadway aficionado, and was alive for all but one of the years this book claims to chronicle, I picked up this book thinking it was my bread and butter. Broadway? My jam. Cultural criticism of American society? My thing. Hamilton? I’d been accepted to graduate school with an essay on why Hamilton made me want to pursue commercial theater. I couldn’t be any more “target” for this book.
Yet, as I read it, I didn’t realize that this book would take every little thing argument and say how it would pave the way for Hamilton. I read the author claim how off broadway was dying and sought clarity on whether he meant commercial or nonprofit and then wanted to know the data. The book felt very much like the author was trying to explain to a blind date why Hamilton was important even though the woman said “Okay, okay, I get it, please stop.” when he got so far as Rent. There really wasn’t any information I didn’t know before (as someone considered relatively well educated on theater) but I don’t think this text has any place for someone who doesn’t already care about most of the shows mentioned.
The pacing of the book confused me. I’d be fine if it was a collection of essays, but attempting to sort it chronologically but then jump around anyway made it frustrating. For instance, Raisin in the Sun’s chapter was 2014- No Longer a Dream Deferred. The play debuted on Broadway in 1959. The chapter would go on to explain how that production begat the revival that the Obamas saw which then somehow influenced Hamilton etc. etc. It weakens the argument when every single Broadway show appears to have influenced Hamilton. If that’s the case, then you could make that argument for literally any show. It’s a flimsy argument.
To be petty, the reason it got 1 instead of 2 stars was the omission of Next to Normal from the text. It was the first musical to get a Pulitzer Prize for Drama since Rent and the next musical that received the award after NtN was......HAMILTON. That’s a strange omission in my eyes considering the copyright date of my book’s edition was 2019. Oh well.
June 14, 2018
Wow, just WOW!! This is an important book, not only for theatre people, but for anyone who cares about the world we live in. I am so proud of the theatre community. We are always the ones who bring our important work and social commentaries to the Public. Look at Robert DeNiro at the Tonys this past weekend..I say Bless him for mouthing the truth!! This book is so very very very current and valuable! From Angels in America to RENT to the AIDS crisis, to Hamilton to HAIR and A CHORUS LINE to Bloody Bloodly Andrew Jackson...(I have to admit, not one of my favorite shows)..I loved reading about Lin Manuel Maranda and In The Heights!! ! Chris Jones’ wonderful book tells us the importance of activism yesterday and today. All I can say again, is God Bless The Theatre Community in America! Keep It Up! #RESIST!!! Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Academic and Methuen Drama Publishers for the perusal of this very very very important book! Thank you Chris Jones!!!!!!
March 25, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining exploration of Broadway shows from Angels in America to Hamilton, with many other landmark shows in between, examining the relationship between the productions and American society and culture. I felt that the narrative structure could have been tightened up somewhat – there was a fair bit of repetition and jumping about in time – but the anecdotes and historical background to the writing and staging of the shows more than compensated for any quibbles I have. A must read for anyone who loves theatre.
June 15, 2020
As a lifelong fan of Broadway, I'm always interested in reading books that give me inside info about the shows I love. "Rise Up!" had a lot of insight into how Broadway shows have impacted everything from politics to pop culture. I did learn some things ("Wicked" was written by the person who wrote the 90s classic TV show, "My So-Called Life"!) But overall the flow of the writing just didn't work for me. I was left kinda skimming through some sections that felt bogged down with details and analysis. Full disclosure: because this was an ARC copy, there were so many grammar mistakes and continuity errors that made it hard for me to follow. For example, when discussing Disney's foray into Broadway shows, the book maintains that Alan Menken died (he's very much alive). I hope that these errors were fixed in final copies for this book, but it did make it a tad harder for me to get a take on the effectiveness of the writing. I'm glad I read it but probably wouldn't recommend this one even to the hardcore Broadway fans I know.
*Free ARC provided by Netgalley and Bloomsbury Academic in exchange for an honest review*
*Free ARC provided by Netgalley and Bloomsbury Academic in exchange for an honest review*
April 2, 2019
Enjoyed this! I felt like it was riding on Hamilton a little too much, in that there were constant asides making sure you didn't forget that was his overarching example, but I learnt a lot about recent Broadway history I didn't know.
October 6, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Academic for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rise Up! By Chris Jones is an interesting historical look at Broadway shows from Angels in America to Hamilton. The author covers a variety of shows: more popular ones like Angels in America, The Lion King, Hamilton, and lesser known ones like Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. The in-depth explanation of how the shows came to be, how they affected Broadway in their time and afterward, how long they ran, all helped me get a better understanding of something I thought I knew a lot about. Reading about these lesser-known shows placed them in their historical contexts and gave me a glimpse into something I’ll never get the chance to see on stage. By giving attention to these less popular shows and covering heavy hitters, Jones makes sure to give you a wide array of Broadway history.
I found the chapter on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark particularly fascinating because I thought I’d followed the development of that show pretty closely and I still learned a lot of new information. I also appreciated the coverage of more diverse shows, like the revival of A Raisin in the Sun.
This book was a quick read for me. The pacing is quick and the writing fun and easy to follow, all while giving you historical details and cultural context.
I think every single chapter mentions Hamilton, which at a certain point started to feel like too much. While I love Hamilton and it obviously revitalized Broadway, as is clearly explaining in Jones’ own work, it was a bit too repetitive for me there.
Rating: 4/5
Rise Up! By Chris Jones is an interesting historical look at Broadway shows from Angels in America to Hamilton. The author covers a variety of shows: more popular ones like Angels in America, The Lion King, Hamilton, and lesser known ones like Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. The in-depth explanation of how the shows came to be, how they affected Broadway in their time and afterward, how long they ran, all helped me get a better understanding of something I thought I knew a lot about. Reading about these lesser-known shows placed them in their historical contexts and gave me a glimpse into something I’ll never get the chance to see on stage. By giving attention to these less popular shows and covering heavy hitters, Jones makes sure to give you a wide array of Broadway history.
I found the chapter on Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark particularly fascinating because I thought I’d followed the development of that show pretty closely and I still learned a lot of new information. I also appreciated the coverage of more diverse shows, like the revival of A Raisin in the Sun.
This book was a quick read for me. The pacing is quick and the writing fun and easy to follow, all while giving you historical details and cultural context.
I think every single chapter mentions Hamilton, which at a certain point started to feel like too much. While I love Hamilton and it obviously revitalized Broadway, as is clearly explaining in Jones’ own work, it was a bit too repetitive for me there.
Rating: 4/5
April 7, 2019
Chris Jones's last book was full of interesting stories I had never heard before and enlightening analysis, so I was excited for this one... but what a disappointment! The hook is interesting--Jones focuses on about a dozen landmark Broadway productions and explains their political aspects, trying to show the path that led to Hamilton. Unfortunately, in the place of original analysis, Jones mostly provides brief production histories. And the book is extremely short. There was very little in this book I did not already know, and Jones failed to frame anything he wrote in very interesting ways. His attempts in each chapter to relate the show in question to Hamilton are superficial at best (in the chapter on Twilight: Los Angeles, he doesn't even think to compare Anna Deveare Smith's onstage transformations of race and gender to the race-bent casting in Hamilton). Furthermore, the book is in need of a far more thorough copy editing. In addition to numerous typos, there are so many factual errors it becomes laughable (the #metoo movements started in 2017, not 2018, and 2018 was also not the year of Eric Garner's murder). I have appreciated Chris Jones's clear and efficient prose, coupled with his depth of knowledge and passion for the field, but this book feels rushed into publication. If you are well-studied in the theatre, you will probably not find anything new here, and if you are not, a the best way to use this book would be just to use the table of contents as a suggested reading list.
September 4, 2018
Rise Up! by Chris Jones offers a view of the changing Broadway landscape from the early 1990s until 2016 with the emergence of Hamilton. As one would expect the social and political climates of the time found their way to the Great White Way in pieces highlighted through this book. From the talk about AIDS and HIV mentioned in Angels in America, The Normal Heart and Rent! to political indifference from the past that is still present today in Hamilton, Broadway has acted as a beacon for individuals to find their voice and let it be heard. Rise Up! also highlighted works by playwrights such as August Wilson who provided a voice for the African American population that had sadly been missing from the majority of mainstream productions.
My biggest problem with this work was the constant comparison to Hamilton. Don't get me wrong I enjoy this musical and look forward to seeing it in a few months, but I don't think it needs the constant comparisons. Each work prior to Hamilton had their own voice, that may have paved a path for Hamilton, and they should be appreciated in their own light. By the comparison to Hamilton, I felt like it cheapening the works of the playwrights, musicians, actors and everyone else who participated in making those other productions reality. Hamilton will stand the test of time, at least it currently appears, and so will these other works so please let them stand alone.
This book is a good read for those that appreciate theater, want to know more about Broadway's contemporary history and are Hamilton fans.
My biggest problem with this work was the constant comparison to Hamilton. Don't get me wrong I enjoy this musical and look forward to seeing it in a few months, but I don't think it needs the constant comparisons. Each work prior to Hamilton had their own voice, that may have paved a path for Hamilton, and they should be appreciated in their own light. By the comparison to Hamilton, I felt like it cheapening the works of the playwrights, musicians, actors and everyone else who participated in making those other productions reality. Hamilton will stand the test of time, at least it currently appears, and so will these other works so please let them stand alone.
This book is a good read for those that appreciate theater, want to know more about Broadway's contemporary history and are Hamilton fans.
June 15, 2020
While this book does have some really great information in it and was a pretty easy read, it’s fundamental flaw is its structure and confusing narrative. The whole time it feels as if the book can’t make up its mind as to whether it is a history book or a book about Hamilton’s influences. Hamilton often feels shoehorned into every chapter, and it often feels like the connections being made are such a stretch it undercuts the validity of the entire argument being made. For example, the author tried to argue in a chapter on solo performance that Miranda could also be considered in the category of a solo performer. This feels like a disservice to the solo performers, Miranda, and the creative teams and casts of all the shows Miranda has created. There also is quite a double standard between many other theatre practitioners and Miranda. The author spends much of the chapter about Rent belittling Jonathan Larson’s writing and mocks him for coming from a well-off background and choosing to live among and write about disenfranchised groups. The author later talks about how Miranda had a very successful family and the political clout from his father to have an in at the White House, but he is celebrated for it. Obviously Lin Manuel-Miranda is an excellent writer, but when your entire argument for his importance is based on bashing or minimizing the contributions of other artists, it doesn’t feel like a legitimate argument.
The other problem is the way the chapters are split up by year. First of all, I have no idea why it started with 1993 and Angels in America. Angels In America is my favorite piece of theater but it almost felt arbitrary to start with this show when discussing influences on Hamilton. In pretty much every following chapter the author will start by discussing a show from whatever year the chapter is titled, but then start to bounce around to other years and other shows. It just came off as disjointed and could easily be confusing for the reader.
I think the book just needs to decide what story is being told: the story of Hamilton or the story of contemporary theatre?
The book also has quite a few grammatical errors throughout.
The other problem is the way the chapters are split up by year. First of all, I have no idea why it started with 1993 and Angels in America. Angels In America is my favorite piece of theater but it almost felt arbitrary to start with this show when discussing influences on Hamilton. In pretty much every following chapter the author will start by discussing a show from whatever year the chapter is titled, but then start to bounce around to other years and other shows. It just came off as disjointed and could easily be confusing for the reader.
I think the book just needs to decide what story is being told: the story of Hamilton or the story of contemporary theatre?
The book also has quite a few grammatical errors throughout.
June 19, 2021
Chris Jones' book is an brisk accounting of the highlights of the relationship between Broadway, the American theatre more generally and American society even more generally between 1993 (the Broadway premiere of Angels in America) and 2016 (Hamilton). As theater critic for The Chicago Tribune, Jones has deep experience and insight upon which to draw, and he makes a number of important and interesting connections. My two critiques are: 1) the frequency with which a show "changes everything" about Broadway - it seems unlikely that the American theater has been changed forever that many times in so short a historical window - and 2) his seeming indecision about the ultimate purpose of the book. Sometimes it's to chart the ways in which American society and Broadway have influenced, and been influenced by, the other. I think these chapters and sections are strongest. Sometimes, however, his focus seems to be on how a particular show set the stage for Hamilton. While some of these connections land, others are rather spurious. But, these critiques aside, this is a good book for any theater lover that will deepen appreciation of more recent works or introduce a fan of the Golden Age of Broadway to the ways in which Broadway has been renewed over the last quarter-century.
August 5, 2018
I was lucky to receive a copy of “Rise up!” By Chris Jones to review on Netgalley. Everyone close to me is aware of my slight obsession with Hamilton and my love for Broadway. Overly excited, I jumped right in, reading the entire book within a day.
Perfectly composed, Rise up! Goes into depth over the cultural, historical, economical, and political events that have influenced Broadways biggest works, such as AIDS, Police Brutality, gentrification, terrorism, war, gun violence, and inequality. It provides insight on Broadway’s past and how we can relate today. Many themes are still relevant, and can be found in Hamilton. Moving and very educational, I learned a lot about Broadway and people that create it.
"When senseless acts of tragedy remind us That nothing here is promised, not one day This show is proof that history remembers. We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger. we rise and fall, and light from dying embers Remembrances that hope and love last longer. And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love; cannot be killed or swept aside. I sing Vanessa’s symphony; Eliza tells her story. Now fill the world with music, love, and pride" Lin Manuel Miranda - Tony Awards 2016
Perfectly composed, Rise up! Goes into depth over the cultural, historical, economical, and political events that have influenced Broadways biggest works, such as AIDS, Police Brutality, gentrification, terrorism, war, gun violence, and inequality. It provides insight on Broadway’s past and how we can relate today. Many themes are still relevant, and can be found in Hamilton. Moving and very educational, I learned a lot about Broadway and people that create it.
"When senseless acts of tragedy remind us That nothing here is promised, not one day This show is proof that history remembers. We live through times when hate and fear seem stronger. we rise and fall, and light from dying embers Remembrances that hope and love last longer. And love is love is love is love is love is love is love is love; cannot be killed or swept aside. I sing Vanessa’s symphony; Eliza tells her story. Now fill the world with music, love, and pride" Lin Manuel Miranda - Tony Awards 2016
August 21, 2018
See this review on 1776books.net...
http://1776books.blogspot.com/2018/08...
The thoroughly researched Rise Up! comes from Chris Jones, chief theatre critic of the Chicago Tribune. In it, Jones explores the sociological and political ramifications throughout the history of Broadway, showing a direct line from Angels in America to Hamilton.
So often, Broadway can be seen as a mirror of ourselves and what is happening in society. As Jones says about Hamilton, people come out of the theatre inspired to take on the challenges of their own lives. He also discusses how Angels in America helped people understand the AIDS crisis and how Broadway became a solace after the horrors of 9/11. More issue-heavy works such as Spring Awakening and of course, Rent, are also explored.
All this being said, Rise Up! is not without its problems. The writing really rambles on at times without cohesion. It also seemed that no matter which play or musical Smith was describing, he couldn't help comparing whatever it was to Hamilton. However, if you can read through the minutiae, Rise Up! is an enjoyable book for theatre lovers.
MY RATING - 3
http://1776books.blogspot.com/2018/08...
The thoroughly researched Rise Up! comes from Chris Jones, chief theatre critic of the Chicago Tribune. In it, Jones explores the sociological and political ramifications throughout the history of Broadway, showing a direct line from Angels in America to Hamilton.
So often, Broadway can be seen as a mirror of ourselves and what is happening in society. As Jones says about Hamilton, people come out of the theatre inspired to take on the challenges of their own lives. He also discusses how Angels in America helped people understand the AIDS crisis and how Broadway became a solace after the horrors of 9/11. More issue-heavy works such as Spring Awakening and of course, Rent, are also explored.
All this being said, Rise Up! is not without its problems. The writing really rambles on at times without cohesion. It also seemed that no matter which play or musical Smith was describing, he couldn't help comparing whatever it was to Hamilton. However, if you can read through the minutiae, Rise Up! is an enjoyable book for theatre lovers.
MY RATING - 3
January 14, 2019
I love Broadway. Love it. So I was excited to read this book. Unfortunately, I had a lot of trouble getting into it. It is arranged somewhat chronologically to discuss how Broadway eventually made its way into the national conversation and used that platform to address real issues like AIDS, LGBTQ+ culture, slavery, etc. However, when discussing a play from the 1980s, the author would add a teaser about an upcoming Hamilton discussion. Then in the chapter about RENT, the author again brought up comparisons to Hamilton and said something similar to we'll discuss that later. I really did not like this. If you're going to do a chronological discussion, let it be chronological. Then draw the comparisons at the end. I want to know about RENT. I want to know about Angels in America. If there are connections to Hamilton, I don't want to know that until I'm learning about Hamilton. There were so many important issues and histories that the author discusses but it was lost in the poor writing style. That's unfortunate.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in return for an honest review.
March 27, 2019
This book jumped out at me from the library stacks (who finds books like that anymore? It was so pleasant!) and thought it would make for a good read on my commute. Given the cover, I suspected the contents were superficial at best and primarily intended to capitalize on Hamilton fame. On the contrary, I found the text to be thoroughly researched and sensitive to historical and sociocultural issues. I learned about the political roots and sprawling nature of Angels in America and the factors that contributed to the failure of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark. Jones took care to discuss both musicals and plays in equal measure. Each chapter, in some small way, foreshadowed the final Hamilton section, drawing the lines between past Broadway shows and the current landscape. Yet, despite these glimmers of the future, the Hamilton-ness did not overshadow the preceding chapters. This truly is a contemporary history of Broadway revolutions, both small and large.
September 16, 2024
More like 3.5 stars. I thought this book would be about how theatre/Broadway reflects on American society and vice versa. And it does some of that, and when it does, it's GOOD. But honestly 80% of this book is Jones recounting theatre stories I and I'm sure lots of others already knew (Jonathan Larson passing away before RENT, the trials of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, etc.). The actual sociological perspective I was hoping for was completely undermined by well-researched stories. And the hints about how everything was leading up to the grand juggernaut of Hamilton was frankly EXHAUSTING. This didn't feel like a theatre studies book, it felt like a theatre history book. So I was disappointed. That being said, if you'd like a survey of important works in New York theatre over the last 35 years, this is a decent book for you (and it's a quick read!).
June 13, 2018
Rise Up! is a wonderful tome that investigates how Broadway has influenced, and been affected by, culture, politics and social values over the last thirty years. By highlighting certain productions, it tells the story of societal development and changing attitudes since the 1990s, and how these have related to the types of productions seen on the stage. I knew most, but not all, of the shows referenced, and found it an interesting and informative work. This is a book that will appeal to theatre lovers who enjoy a more thought-provoking approach to theatrical commentary. Definitely worth a read!
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley.
November 10, 2018
Theatre critic Chris Jones talks about Broadway shows and their relationship to American culture beginning with "Angels in America" and ending with "Hamilton". He looks at how Broadway began to take risks with the subject matter of their shows focusing on the ills of society like "Angels" and "Rent". He also looks at how Broadway began to take more risks with the scale of their shows as well looking at shows like "The Lion King" and "Spiderman: Turn off the Dark". I can't say I really learned much by reading this book, and I imagine anyone who is a Broadway fan wouldn't. However I found it a fun trip down memory lane and enjoyed reading the book.
November 14, 2020
As someone who loves musical theatre but lives at the opposite end of the world from Broadway, I enjoyed learning more about some musicals I hadn’t seen (eg Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson). I’m obsessed with Hamilton, but found the grasp in almost every chapter to relate one musical to Hamilton a bit of a stretch sometimes. The book also seemed to rely on a vocab which seemed at times overly intellectual and seemed be poorly edited in places 🤷🏻♀️
Overall, I learned more than I knew going in, so that’s something.
Overall, I learned more than I knew going in, so that’s something.
August 15, 2019
I am not normally a fan of non-fiction but I heard Mr. Jones speak about his book so I bought it. I absolutely loved this book! I am a theatre fan (I went 101 times in 2018) and an American history fan so I was truly engrossed in Mr. Jones’s insightful writing. I can’t remember the last time I was moved to tears by non-fiction. Thank god for art! Thank god for theatre. And thank god for Chris Jones and his fantastic book!
September 1, 2019
The book covers about twenty-five years of theatrical history on Broadway. I learned a lot about the commercial theater, especially how writers, directors, and producers work to get their plays performed on Broadway and why that is so important to the financial well being of a production. The next time I go to the theater in Chicago I'm sure I will be thinking about what I learned from this book.
October 3, 2025
Like many books about theater, this spends a lot of time explaining the plots of shows and who people are when those really aren't that important. That being said, I did enjoy learning that mormons are featured in Angels in America because Kushner believed that Moroni was "the only real American angel," and that Urinetown was created out of the Chicago comedy scene (specifically the Neo-Futurists). Entertaining enough read but without a ton of substance or POV.
December 29, 2018
Absolutely essential reading for any theater maven and especially for anyone who saw, has tickets or plans to see Hamilton anytime in the future. Hamilton didn't just arrive out of nowhere and Jones clearly identifies and explains why and how the blockbusters, the hits and the misses that came before paved the way for the phenomenon that is Hamilton.
January 2, 2019
I loved this book! Chris Jones is my local theater reviewer and I’ve enjoyed his works over the years. I love the history given in each chapter and it is well thought out in the way that the works he chose to spotlight all connected back to the central theme of Hamilton. A great read for theatre fans!
August 6, 2021
An analysis of how America's culture, politics and social values have influenced or been influenced by Broadway shows over the last 30 years starting with "Angels in America" all the way to "Hamilton." As a huge fan of Broadway shows, I really enjoyed this deep dive into modern Broadway. I learned a lot about Broadway's history as well as American history.
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