Cambridge Companion to the Musical

Description

The Cambridge Companion to the Musical, edited William A. Everett & Paul R. Laird, provides an accessible introduction to musical theatre. Written by a team of specialists in the field of musical theatre especially for students and theatregoers, it offers a guide to the history and development of the musical in England and America (including coverage of New York's Broadway and London's West End traditions). Starting with the early history of the musical, the volume comes right up to date and examines the latest works and innovations, and includes information on the singers, audience and critical reception, and traditions. There is fresh coverage of the American musical theatre in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the British musical theatre in the middle of the twentieth century, and the rock musical. The Companion contains an extensive bibliography and photos from key productions. CUP, 2012: paperback, 310pp.

Introduction - William A. Everett & Paul R. Laird

Part I. Adaptations and Transformations: Before 1940

1. American musical theatre before the twentieth century - Katherine K. Preston

2. Birth pangs, growing pains & sibling rivalry: musical theatre in New York 1900-20 - Orly Leah Krasner

3. Romance, nostalgia & nevermore: American and British operetta in the 1920s - William A. Everett

4. Images of African-Americans: African-American musical theatre, Show Boat, and Porgy and Bess - John Graziano

5. The melody (& the words) linger on: American musical comedies of the 1920s & 30s - Geoffrey Block

Part II. Maturations and Formulations: 1940 to 1970

6. We Said We Wouldn`t Look Back: British musical theatre 1935-60 - John Snelson

7. The coming of the musical play: Rodgers & Hammerstein - Ann Sears

8. The successors of Rodgers & Hammerstein, 1940s-60s - Thomas L. Riis & Ann Sears with William A. Everett

9. Musical sophistication on Broadway: Kurt Weill & Leonard Bernstein Bruce D. McClung & Paul R. Laird

Part III. Evolutions and Integrations: After 1970

10. Stephen Sondheim & the musical of the outsider - Jim Lovensheimer

11. Choreographers, directors & the fully integrated musical - Paul R. Laird

12. Distant cousin or fraternal twin? Analytical approaches to the film musical - Graham Wood

13. From Hair to Rent: is rock a four-letter word on Broadway? - Scott Warfield

14. The Megamusical & beyond: the creation, internationalization & impact of a genre - Paul Prece & William A. Everett.