The Rise and Fall of the Broadway Musical
by Mark N. Grant
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Book Summary Information
Author: Mark N. GrantEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-07-01
ISBN: 1555536425
Number of pages: 380
Publisher: Northeastern
Book Reviews of The Rise and Fall of the Broadway Musical
Book Review: The Fabulous Musical Invalid
Summary: 4 Stars
An homage to the Golden Age of Broadway musicals (c. 1927-64), this analytical overview is musically astute and well-plumbed for detail, dissecting virtually every hit or should-have-been hit of the period. The pre-Golden Age is examined, too, with its froth and silliness exposed yet again. Contemporary composers and directors are skewered in contrast: the microphone destroyed singing, rock music killed the musical, librettos are dead, and no one can write lyrics any more except Sondheim. Though your hackles may rise at some points in the narrative (I do like SOME of Flaherty and Ahrens), there really are no substitutes for Gershwin, Weill, Porter, R&H, Bernstein and Larry Hart, right? Check out this passionate, professionally-crafted tome and share it with your Broadway-geek friends. Lively repartee will ensue!
Summary of The Rise and Fall of the Broadway Musical
Many of today's Broadway shows, from Rent to The Lion King, have become commercial hits, but do they have the cultural importance or the dramatic and musical artistry of such enduring productions as Oklahoma!, Show Boat, or Kiss Me, Kate?Mark N. Grant traces the transformation of singing and melody, libretto and lyric writing, dance rhythms, sound design, and choreography and stage direction through three distinct eras: the formative period (1866-1927), the golden age (1927-1966), and the fall (1967 to the present). He explores how and why the unsophisticated genre of pre-1927 musical comedy evolved into the creative, innovative, and immensely popular theatre produced by the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein and then steadily faded as a significant entertainment genre in American culture, giving rise to the "McMusicals" of today.
This provocative, sometimes irreverent work offers a refreshing perspective on the history of American musical theatre and provides strong views on restoring the genre to its former greatness.
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