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The world of musical comedy;: The story of the American musical stage as told through the careers of its foremost composers and lyricists
Acclaimed through three editions for its uniquely informative and entertaining style, this fourth edition of Stanley Green’s World of Musical Comedy updates and enlarges the theatrical scope to include such recent shows as A Chorus Line, Barnum, They’re Playing Our Song, and Annie. In a format that provides biographies of all the leading figures in the musical’s development, Stanley Green manages to convey the spirit of the Broadway stage, its musical make-believe, and yet remain objective about the creative swings in its history and the careers of its individual creators. Everyone is here: Victor Herbert, Sigmund Romberg, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Rodgers and Hart, the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Frank Loesser, Lerner and Loewe, Stephen Sondheim, Cy Coleman, Marvin Hamlisch, and many others—not in a quick run-through but in vivid detail accompanied by pertinent interviews and photographs.This latest edition contains an expanded appendix that lists the casts, credits, songs, and recordings of every Broadway musical written by these illustrious and industrious composers and librettists. As always in a Stanley Green book, the research is exhaustive and impeccable, the presentation enjoyable, the judgments fair. From America’s foremost theater historian, here is another edition of a classic theater chronicle.
556 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1960
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 19, 2015
If you are looking for a rather comprehensive history of musical theatre in the first half of the 20th century, this is a great resource. However, it does lose a little as it gets closer to its 1962 publication date.
March 13, 2016
I can't begin to tell you how delighted I was to find this book on the BARD (Braille and audio reading download) site several weeks ago. I've heard it referenced for years, but I never actually read it.
The subtitle tells you exactly what you will get should you decide to read it. Since no further summary is needed, I'll simply make a few comments so that you'll understand why it's worth your time.
First of all, the book will appeal to just about anyone. If you have almost no knowledge of the subject at hand, you'll come away with a basic knowledge of the evolution of the Broadway musical along with information about the key players in its history up through 1973. (The edition on BARD is the third; there is a later one available in print.) If, like me, you have a true passion for this art form, you'll still find the book quite entertaining. You'll hear familiar and much loved anecdotes and you may even pick up a fact or two which you either never knew or forgot. It will serve as a handy reference as you listen to the scores.
It should be noted that the focus of this work is on the men and women who were responsible for the music you hear on stage; if you are looking for a comprehensive view of the musical which includes discussion of the book writers, directors, costume designers, etc., this isn't where you'll find that.
It's fun to think about what would change if this book were updated today. Certainly more attention would be given to the work of Stephen Sondheim. Some of the people who are listed in the final chapter which talks about those who are likely to impact the Broadway musical would probably not appear and others might take their place. Most of this remarkable history would, however, remain intact because Green did an excellent job choosing those who made a significant contribution to the art form.
Forty per cent of the book consists of the back matter which lists all of the musical productions in which the highlighted composers and lyricists took part along with comments about many of the recordings of those musicals which were available at that time. I doubt that many people will read that appendix, though I have to admit that I was thrilled to find it. Nowadays, such an appendix is probably not as important as it once was because such information is easily available through websites like IBDB, (the International Broadway Database.)
At the very end of the book is an addendum to this appendix which gives an alphabetical listing of shows by the featured lyricists and composers which appeared between the original edition and the third one; this ends in 1973.
The book jacket information claims that this edition is a "complete revision" which updates the book to its publication date. While it's true that an addendum is added to cover shows which premiered after the original book came out, there are statements in the text which were no longer valid in 1973. For example, the book states that FIDDLER ON THE ROOF was the longest running Broadway musical; however, the original production of HELLO DOLLY, which closed in 1970, surpassed FIDDLER and would, I believe, have been the longest running show when the 1973 edition came out. (It also says that at the time of the writing, Pearl Bailey was playing Dolly; Ethel Merman was the last person to play dolly in the show's original run; so this, too, shows that the text was not fully updated.) This is a minor quibble and I mention it only for the sake of historical accuracy. (These statements were verified through IBDB.)
If you've always wanted to learn more about the Broadway musical, this may be a good place to start. If you already have a passion for this quintessentially American art form, this book will remind you on every page why you fell in love with it.
The subtitle tells you exactly what you will get should you decide to read it. Since no further summary is needed, I'll simply make a few comments so that you'll understand why it's worth your time.
First of all, the book will appeal to just about anyone. If you have almost no knowledge of the subject at hand, you'll come away with a basic knowledge of the evolution of the Broadway musical along with information about the key players in its history up through 1973. (The edition on BARD is the third; there is a later one available in print.) If, like me, you have a true passion for this art form, you'll still find the book quite entertaining. You'll hear familiar and much loved anecdotes and you may even pick up a fact or two which you either never knew or forgot. It will serve as a handy reference as you listen to the scores.
It should be noted that the focus of this work is on the men and women who were responsible for the music you hear on stage; if you are looking for a comprehensive view of the musical which includes discussion of the book writers, directors, costume designers, etc., this isn't where you'll find that.
It's fun to think about what would change if this book were updated today. Certainly more attention would be given to the work of Stephen Sondheim. Some of the people who are listed in the final chapter which talks about those who are likely to impact the Broadway musical would probably not appear and others might take their place. Most of this remarkable history would, however, remain intact because Green did an excellent job choosing those who made a significant contribution to the art form.
Forty per cent of the book consists of the back matter which lists all of the musical productions in which the highlighted composers and lyricists took part along with comments about many of the recordings of those musicals which were available at that time. I doubt that many people will read that appendix, though I have to admit that I was thrilled to find it. Nowadays, such an appendix is probably not as important as it once was because such information is easily available through websites like IBDB, (the International Broadway Database.)
At the very end of the book is an addendum to this appendix which gives an alphabetical listing of shows by the featured lyricists and composers which appeared between the original edition and the third one; this ends in 1973.
The book jacket information claims that this edition is a "complete revision" which updates the book to its publication date. While it's true that an addendum is added to cover shows which premiered after the original book came out, there are statements in the text which were no longer valid in 1973. For example, the book states that FIDDLER ON THE ROOF was the longest running Broadway musical; however, the original production of HELLO DOLLY, which closed in 1970, surpassed FIDDLER and would, I believe, have been the longest running show when the 1973 edition came out. (It also says that at the time of the writing, Pearl Bailey was playing Dolly; Ethel Merman was the last person to play dolly in the show's original run; so this, too, shows that the text was not fully updated.) This is a minor quibble and I mention it only for the sake of historical accuracy. (These statements were verified through IBDB.)
If you've always wanted to learn more about the Broadway musical, this may be a good place to start. If you already have a passion for this quintessentially American art form, this book will remind you on every page why you fell in love with it.
October 27, 2008
One of the greatest overviews of American musical theater! Not only is the text very informative, but the pictures are fantastic!
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July 17, 2012Loved this book when we used it in Musical Theatre history class
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews