Musical Theatre: A History

by John Kenrick

Overview

A comprehensive history of stage musicals from the 1840s all the way up to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Broadway as it we know it today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441148117
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	03/25/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	424
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

John Kenrick combines a passion for entertainment history with the practical know-how earned working on stage productions at every level from amateur to Broadway. This New York native pulls back the curtain and introduces audiences and students to the fascinating people behind show business legends. Every month, his website Musicals101.com introduces thousands of visitors to the history of stage and screen musicals. He has appeared on PBS, Biography, BBC TV and radio, National Public Radio and the Travel Channel. John currently teaches at the New School University and New York University's Steinhardt School.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS


Acknowledgments


Dedication


Introduction: "Let's Start at the Very Beginning . . ."


CHAPTER 1: ANCIENT TIMES TO 1850 - "Playgoers, I Bid You Welcome!"


CHAPTER 2: CONTINENTAL OPERETTA (1840-1900) - "Typical of France"


CHAPTER 3: AMERICAN EXPLORATIONS (1624-1880) - "The Music of Something Beginning"


CHAPTER 4: GILBERT & SULLIVAN (1880-1900) - "Object All Sublime"


CHAPTER 5: THE BIRTH OF MUSICAL COMEDY (1880-1899) - "It Belong'd To My Father Before I Was Born"


CHAPTER 6: A NEW CENTURY (1900-1913) - "Whisper of How I'm Yearning"


CHAPTER 7: AMERICAN ASCENDANCE (1914-1919) - "In a Class Beyond Compare"


CHAPTER 8: AL JOLSON - "The World's Greatest Entertainer"


CHAPTER 9: THE JAZZ AGE (1920-1929) - "I Want to Be Happy"


CHAPTER 10: DEPRESSION ERA MIRACLES (1930-1940) - "Trouble's Just a Bubble"


CHAPTER 11: A NEW BEGINNING (1940-1950) - "They Couldn't Pick a Better Time"


CHAPTER 12: BROADWAY TAKES STAGE (1950-1963) - "The Street Where You Live"


CHAPTER 13: ROCK ROLLS IN (1960-1970) - "Soon It's Gonna Rain"


CHAPTER 14: NEW DIRECTIONS (1970-1979) - "Vary My Days"


CHAPTER 15: SPECTACLES AND BOARDROOMS - "As If We Never Said Goodbye"


CHAPTER 16: MUSICAL COMEDY RETURNS (The 2000s) - "Where Did We Go Right?"


Suggested Reading: An Annotated Bibliography


Recommended Web Resources