All That Glittered: The Golden Age of Drama on Broadway, 1919-1959

Book Description

From the late 1920s to late 1950s, the Broadway theatre was America's cultural epicenter. Television didn't exist and movies were novelties. Entertainment took the form of literature, music, and theatre. During this golden age of Broadway, actors and actresses became legends and starred in now classic plays. Laurence Olivier, Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontaine were names to remember, etching plays into memory as they brought the words of Tennessee Williams or Eugene O’Neill to life. Joseph Cotton romanced Katherine Hepburn in Philip Barry's The Philadelphia Story while Laurette Taylor became The Glass Menagerie’s Amanda Wingfield. Frederic March, Florence Eldridge, Jason Robards Jr. and Bradford Dillman showed us life among the ruins in Long Day's Journey Into Night. In All That Glittered, Ethan Mordden, long one of Broadway's best chroniclers, recreates the fascinating lost world of its golden age.

Customer Reviews:

Mordden Does It Again.......2007-09-30

Ethan Mordden has written many books on the topic of Broadway, although generally they have been about the musical stage. This time he writes about plays, (mostly) without music, and rather arbitrarily defines, perhaps for purposes of symmetry, its golden age as the period between 1919 and 1959 (although he can't help himself and goes on into the 1960s a bit). As usual one is amazed at his encyclopedic knowledge of Broadway history; one can imagine him spending weeks and months, perhaps even years, in dusty libraries reading all those old copies of Variety, Playbill and the New York newspapers. His all-but-copyrighted bitchiness is much in evidence and gave me more than a few chuckles. His penchant for pointing who was gay among the actors, authors and directors, and for finding gay themes where they aren't obvious, is prominent.

He chronicles the Broadway spoken play by decade and finds something characteristic about each period. I found his writing, always sparkling, becomes more so when he gets to the 1940s and beyond, perhaps because those plays and the people who made them are within living memory for many people. Clearly Mordden (who is right at sixty, although his glamorous never-changing dustjacket picture hasn't changed in at least two decades) has had personal contact with many of the people mentioned in those latter years and he has some tales to tell.

Included are some pretty obscure plays and we are all the more informed for that. He writes much about the important actors, writers, producers and directors and we pick up a lot of theater lore as a result. His writing style is dense with fact and sometimes hermetic but it always dances along. I had difficulty putting the book down.

Another valuable book by Mordden, possibly primarily for specialists but assimilable by the casual reader with even a modicum of interest in the subject.

Scott Morrison

A fascinating retrospective on the role of Broadway in American culture.......2007-06-25

I love theatre history, but Mordden is such a fine writer that I will read his "History of Plumbing" should he write one.

Unlike his essential seven-volume chronicle of the musical, this is not a show-by-show description. Instead, Mordden takes a thematic approach, insightfully linking the development of the Broadway play to broader cultural developments. The shift from rural to urban humor, the relationship between Broadway and Hollywood, and the role of theatre as educator to the unsophisticated are among his compelling through-lines. Despite my unfamiliarity with most of the titles referenced, this is a great read.

Play Time.......2007-04-06

Ethan Mordden is probably best known for three things: the impossibility of remembering how to spell his last name; the width and depth of his subject matter; and his encyclopedic knowledge of musical theater. To all this, we can now add a fourth; an almost equally deep knowledge of "straight" (in the theatrical sense) drama. While it is arguable as to whether the golden age began in 1919 and ended in 1959, Mordden's treatment of this span is as exciting and insightful as any of his other critical studies and that, as his readers know, is saying a lot! (Aside to Mr. Mordden: The title "Beggar on Horseback" may be more closely related to the saying, "If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride."... just a thought). Oh, and the only reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is to have somewhere to go for the next time.

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A pickle in the brine
A good script companion
Most thought provoking musical ever written!
Useful tool!
THE MOST UNIQUE MUSICAL EVER!!!!!

Urinetown: The Musical
Mark Hollmann , and Greg Kotis
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Urinetown (2001 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
Urinetown: Vocal Selections
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Spring Awakening - Vocal Selections
Bat Boy: The Musical

ASIN: 0571211828

Book Description

Winner of three Tony Awards, including Best Book, Urinetown is a tale of greed, corruption, love, and revolution in a time when water is worth its weight in gold.

Customer Reviews:

A pickle in the brine.......2007-09-29

Absolutely fantastic is really all I can say about this. Each line is more clever than the next and the music is absolutely genius. Each song is unique and each lyric has value. The show has a great message and is hilarious. I've read the script and listened to the music at least 50 times and I still laugh out loud every time. I can't even pick my favorite song or scene or say anything bad about it.

A good script companion.......2007-09-25

I used this book in our amateur production of the musical and I recommend this script. The pictures and story behind the musical was interesting.

Most thought provoking musical ever written!.......2007-05-13

I always thought "Forum" was the best musical written but that is now in second place to Urinetown. This one also has a lot to think about as a commentary on our times. Shouldn't be missed.

Useful tool!.......2006-02-21

Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) in Reno is performing this play in March 2006. I should add that it is one of the first community theaters to get the rights to producing this still-running show. Having the book in this format has been very helpful while blocking the show instead of lugging around the bulkier copies provided to us; however, as the Music Director pointed out, the lyrics written in the book don't exactly match what is in the score. But if you are an aficionado of Broadway Musicals, this is a fun book to have!

THE MOST UNIQUE MUSICAL EVER!!!!!.......2004-11-13

UrineTown was, i believe, the most unique musical ever been created! The Concept of this play was just fall-to-the-floor funny and has gone beyond what we see in broadway throughout the years. but what this show has is great characters and some witty dialogue and lyrics. It's unique concept gave the script strength and power and was a fame for all viewers who went out and saw it.

I encourage anyone who has heard little of Urinetown to go out and give it a shot. Maybe it could be a well-known musical some day.

Oklahoma!: The Making of an American Musical

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Oklahoma!: The Making of an American Musical
Tim Carter
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 030010619X

Book Description

Oklahoma! premiered on Broadway in 1943 under the auspices of the Theatre Guild, and today it is performed more frequently than any other Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. In this book Tim Carter offers the first fully documented history of the making of this celebrated American musical.
Drawing on research from rare theater archives, manuscripts, journalism, and other sources, Carter records every step in the development of Oklahoma! The book is filled with rich and fascinating details about how Rodgers and Hammerstein first came together, the casting process, how Agnes de Mille became the show’s choreographer, and the drafts and revisions that ultimately gave the musical its final shape. Carter also shows the lofty aspirations of both the creators and producers and the mythmaking that surrounded Oklahoma! from its very inception, and demonstrates just what made it part of its times.

Before the Parade Passes By: Gower Champion and the Glorious American Musical

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Before the Parade passes by Gower Champion
Behind the Lights
"Mack and Maybe"
Gower Champion
The Glorious Parade

Before the Parade Passes By: Gower Champion and the Glorious American Musical
John Anthony Gilvey
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312337760
Release Date: 2005-10-20

Book Description

On August 25, 1980, the curtain fell on the first night of the original production of 42nd St. David Merrick, the shows megalomaniacal producer, stepped to the footlights and told the audience that the shows director, Gower Champion, had died that afternoon. Some believe he took the classic Broadway musical with him. Starting his career as one-half of a song and dance team with his wife, Gower and Marge Champion first wowed audiences in nightclubs around the world and then moved to Hollywood where they starred in many films, most notably the 1951 MGM remake of Showboat. But the stage always called to Gower and in 1960, he was hired to direct Bye, Bye Birdie. It was a smash and Champions career was off and running. John Gilvey had extensive access to all of his archives as well as to everyone associated with Champion, including Marge Champion, Carol Channing, Jerry Hermann, Jerry Orbach, Chita Rivera and others. This is one of the great theater biographies that every Broadway devotee will want.

Customer Reviews:

Before the Parade passes by Gower Champion.......2007-03-28

Having a preference for biograhies of Show People I thought I would buy this particular book and have found it very interesting from the point of view that it does not appear to be a "warts and all" biography but it hones in on the various Broadway shows which Gower Champion directed. It gives a good insight as to how these shows are put together and the time and effort taken to do so. I have only ever seen Gower Champion on film and I always thought he was an excellent dancer and obviously a perfectionest. The story comes over as having him rather selfish and dominant, maybe self centred. His mother appears to have been a bit of a problem during his childhood and later years which affected his outlook. Despite all this he seemed to get the best out of the many stars he worked with except for leaving Jane Powell in the lurch with "Irene".
All in all a good read and far more interesting than some biographies I have read. One annoying point in the book is the continual use of the tiny numbers relating to notes. When one looks these up in the back of the book the majority of them are meaningless.
Rex Shields

Behind the Lights.......2007-03-06

I completely enjoyed this book because it managed to show the joys and sorrows and just plain hard work that it takes to become someone so successful in the world of entertainment. So many times you simply get a lurid expose or shoddy manipulation of facts to justify a preconceived idea by the author. In Gilvey's work I was allowed to discover the theater and the man, as we traveled through Mr. Champion's life. The book gave me information which allowed me to grow in appreciation of what it takes to even attempt to produce shows which look magical. When I see any well done production, I am made to feel as if what I am seeing is effortless. I am transported into the world of dancing, singing or feeling with the actors on stage. This behind the lights history reveals the price of that art. It shows the real work of real people, without being overly technical. Consequently anyone can understand and appreciate Mr. Champion's life, and the struggle it takes to put on the magic we so deliciously take for granted as we leave the theater. Kudos to Gilvey for being able to share his love of the theater through the life's journey of an artist who could do it all. This biography illuminates the man and reveals the heart and soul of the artist. A must read for anyone who is contemplating entering the theater.

"Mack and Maybe".......2006-10-09

Gower Champion! Forgotten name as the parade passes by. His greatest achievements on the stage failed to make it onto the screen, though shreds of his glory can perhaps be glimpsed through George Sidney's sensible restaging in his film of BYE BYE BIRDIE. And something of his flagwaving spirit makes it through Gene Kelly's otherwise terrible treatment of HELLO DOLLY. But alas, MGM never did make CARNIVAL the way Champion envisioned it. And actually, who would really want to see a movie of I DO, I DO, or SUGAR? (I would have enjoyed, however, seeing the film he planned of THE FANTASTICKS.) He threw away a lot of his pearls in front of a lot of swine. And Gilvey was there for all of it, or so it seems. Could he have been? He doesn't seem that old in the jacket photo.

You wind up not really liking Champion very much. His sense of self makes even Michael Bennett, Bob Fosse and George Balanchine seem well-adjusted socially, even a bit on the wallflower side. After reading this book, I admire Marge Champion more and am eager to seek out some of the work she did with Gower in the derided MGM musicals they danced in.

His career seems like an odd amalgam of hard work, talent, and a hell of a lot of luck. The appearance on Ed Sullivan--a whole Ed Sullivan show devoted to the Champions, just when MGM had dropped them and they were really facing Hasbeen House--seems nothing short of a miracle.

The book gets repetitive and it always takes Gower's side, but the amount of research is prodigious and even a seasoned theatergoer will find something of interest on nearly every page. It's a book of monsters, but fascinating monsters at that.

Gower Champion.......2006-07-03

Enjoyed this book very much! It is a detailed and fascinating look at the life and work of Gower Champion, a name not as well remembered today as some of the other notable B'way directors from B'way's "golden era" such as Hal Prince, Bob Fosse, and Jerome Robbins.

The Glorious Parade.......2006-05-27

When thinking of the "Golden Era" of Broadway and some of its "glorious musicals," it is likely that Bye Bye Birdie, Hello, Dolly! or 42nd Street will come to mind. With these, as with many of Broadway's finest musicals, the name Gower Champion is closely related. In John Anthony Gilvey's Before the Parade Passes By, the life and works of Gower Champion are chronicled and brought to the public eye for the first time, allowing readers to experience the story of the man behind the musicals.

The book encompasses his whole life, both on and off stage, providing an intimate portrait of who he was and how his personal life affected him and his work. It also does not skip a single major work that Gower was part of. Not only are all of his creative endeavors mentioned (including his nightclub and films with partner/wife Marge Champion), but they are discussed in such detail that even if you had not seen the productions (as was the case with this reader for the majority of them), it feels as though you have because costumes, sets, choreography and casting are described so vividly.

This well researched and detailed book is written with a passion and respect for Gower Champion and a love for the classical, elegant "Golden Era" in which he was a prominent driving force. Those who lived through that time will enjoy this "behind-the-scenes" look at how Gower shaped and molded some of Broadway's biggest successes as well as works that should have been laid to rest. For those unfamiliar with this time, Parade is an opportunity to gain knowledge of where present-day musicals find their roots: in the heartfelt, extravagant days of the "glorious American musical."

Kaufman and Co.: Broadway Comedies (Library of America)

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Broadway's Best
Very Interesting Collection
The Best of George Kaufman's Broadway Comedies

Kaufman and Co.: Broadway Comedies (Library of America)
George S. Kaufman
Manufacturer: Library of America
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Arthur Miller: Collected Plays 1944-1961 (Library of America)
Thornton Wilder: Collected Plays and Writings on Theater (Library of America)
Isaac Bashevis Singer Stories V. 3 Brazil: One Night in Brazil to the Death of Methuselah (Library of America)
Isaac Bashevis Singer Stories V.2 Kafka: Kafka to Passions (Library of America)
Isaac Bashevis Singer: Collected Stories V. 1 Gimpel the Fool to The Letter Writer (Library of America, 149)

ASIN: 1931082677

Customer Reviews:

Broadway's Best.......2007-07-12

A collection of Kaufman's zingiest plays, written with, among others, Moss Hart, Edna Ferber, Morrie Ryskind, including the first musical book to win a Pulitzer Prize, Of Thee I Sing, and the Marx Brothers hit, Animal Crackers. The only significant omission is the lack of character breakdowns for the plays included, but that's more than made up for by an excellent compendium of biographical and production chronology included at the end of the book. Recommended highly.

Very Interesting Collection.......2005-02-15

The amazon page currently features Michael Dirda's review of this volume, which basically disses all of the plays except those written with Moss Hart. That review somewhat misses the mark.

There are several good plays here. Certainly the 2 best plays are "The Man Who Came to Dinner" and "You Can't Take It With You". But "Stage Door" and "Dinner at Eight" are not far behind. (Beware the movie versions of these two: they differ substantially from the written plays. Also an earlier review claims there are movies of all the plays, but I'm not aware of a film version of "Once in a Lifetime"). The script of "Animal Cracker" is amazing for how close it is to the movie version... all these years I assumed Groucho made up a lot of his lines, but here they all are, in black and white.

The real clunker here, and it's a surprise, is the Pulitzer Prize Winning "Of Thee I Sing". There's a reason why, even with a script by Kaufman and songs by the Gershwins, this is never revived... it's a stinker through and through.

The Best of George Kaufman's Broadway Comedies.......2004-10-25

The Library of America has done another outstanding effort in pulling together nine of George Kaufman's comedy collabrations from Broadway's Golden Era. Excluding "Once In A Lifetime", all of his plays were made into movies by Hollywood (with "You Can't Take It With You" winning the Oscar for Best Picture in 1938).

Since Mr. Kaufman's humor is firmly rooted in the era of the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression for these plays, a little historical knowledge of that period goes a long way in enjoying them. The explanatory notes at the conclusion of this collection clarifies the numerous topical references within each play.

This volume is best read one play at a time (usually less than a 100 pages per play) and then the reader can enjoy the film production of the play. The quality of his writing can be seen by the actors/actresses drawn to portray his characters in the movies: James Stewart, Jean Harlow, Kate Hepburn, Frederic March, Betty Davis, Lionel Barrymore and so many more. Mr. Kaufman's comedies are no more dated than the plays by William Shakespeare.

But Darling, I'm Your Auntie Mame!: The Amazing History of the World's Favorite Madcap Aunt

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But Darling, I'm Your Auntie Mame
The Best People at their Worst
Terrific Book
Mame fan finds it disappointing
Great REVISED edition more photos/gossip (Cher/Barbra/Bette)

But Darling, I'm Your Auntie Mame!: The Amazing History of the World's Favorite Madcap Aunt
Richard Tyler Jordan
Manufacturer: Kensington
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Auntie Mame

ASIN: 0758204825

Customer Reviews:

But Darling, I'm Your Auntie Mame.......2007-09-17

This is a well written and interesting book that gives the reader an "insider's" view of the history of all of the varied productions, stage and screen, of both Auntie Mame and Mame. It's interesting to see the personalities and egos of the playwrights, the actors, producers, directors and choreographers interplay with the characteristics of the character herself. Auntie Mame always wins. She embraces those who are in tune with her and easily dispatches those who are not. Mame remains invincible.

The Best People at their Worst.......2007-08-23

I enjoyed this compendium of backstage lore, but other reviewers are correct in saying that Jordan provides little context for the phenomenon of AUNTIE MAME. But who cares about that really when you have all these wonderful stories of difficult people and the tantrums they throw to get their own way?

Sumner Locke Elliott, the playwright and novelist originally hired to adapt Patrick Dennis' 1955 novel to the stage, gives a chiseled portrait of the late Rosalind Russell, depicting her as a sort of sacred monster who made sure everything went her way. Russell was never a great star but she knew how to adapt her act for changing times, and turned from comedy to drama to musical to farce to suspense to religion, whatever paid the rent. Her efforts at drama were pretty feeble, she was no Nazimova that's for sure, but in the annals of high comedy she will always have a shining place due to the sheer intensity of her performances in HIS GIRL FRIDAY, THE WOMEN, and of course AUNTIE MAME.

Jordan shows us how Hollywood got it wrong, casting Lucy as Mame when the cognoscenti wanted Lansbury in the musical version of Dennis' play. After reading this book I felt sorry for Lucy for the first time in my life, for reading the savage reviews attacking her physical appearance is actually painful, as though all the critics in the world had turned into John Simon for this one occasion. Lucy was 61, is that really 15 or 20 years too old to play Auntie Mame? Why? Not that Lucy was any good, I'm not standing up for her, but no one deserves the venom she got for playing in that one movie, shooting herself in both feet for her arrogance and pride and vanity.

Jerry Herman wrote the foreword to this book, but could he really have read it? He comes off like a spoiled princess, scuttling plans for a TV remake of MAME with Bette Midler for no good reason, then lacing into a great screenwriter for daring to pen an adaptation of MAME with the temerity to cut two horrible Herman numbers (Saint Bridgette and That's How Young I Feel) which are, apparently, sacrosanct. Jerry Herman always seems so good natured and sweet, but now after reading this book I know he's a Teri-Hatcher style diva.

Terrific Book.......2006-06-25

I don't know what edition of this wonderful book some of the reviewers had read, but in the current one I just purchased from Amazon, there are none of the grammer errors or typos mentioned in other reviews.

For anone who loves Auntie Mame in any of her creations, play, musical or R. Russel film, this is a must have book. (I won't mention the disaster film with Lucille Ball although it is also covered in the book).

I was lucky enough to have seen Miss Russell on stage and Angela Lansbury twice on stage. They were so different yet so right as this wonderful lady. That is the clue to Mame, she is not a funny woman, she is an excentric LADY. Her humor comes from being elegant, beautiful and excentric. (The only real failure I saw was Bea Lilli in London.)

This book is filled with terrific backstage stories, confirming some already told and stating new ones. It is a book impossible to put down once you pick it up.

For a really fun and enjoyabloe read, a Mame fan could not do better.

Mame fan finds it disappointing.......2004-04-21

I looked forward to reading this book, having discovered the novel Auntie Mame as a child and then finding Around the World with A,M. years later.
As a few other reviewers have remarked, there is a disconnect in the book between the novel and the movies/plays, There is a small effort to explain the differences among performers but it is perfunctory.
I found this book rather shallow and superficial. There is little substance or depth to it. It would have been nice to read some analysis of how so many actresses could portray the same role in the musical play and whether that enhances the play's value or detracts from it,
It is occasionally enjoyable and certainly a quick read but the style is that of a
gushing fan with very little discrimination and a very elementary view of the
phenomenon of Auntie Mame. The book is almost too tactful and respectful sometimes, e.g., not naming individuals who behaved badly or summarizing Uncle Mame, the biography of Tanner but leaving out major facts.

Great REVISED edition more photos/gossip (Cher/Barbra/Bette).......2004-03-25

I'm so thankful that Kensington has republished this wonderful, long out-of-print treasure and went several steps beyond by having the author UPDATE the book. We now have a fuller picture of the recent battles to bring AUNTIE MAME to the big and small screen with Richard Jordan detailing all the initial interest, demands for script changes, and collapse of various projects when scripts were written (and REWRITTEN) for actresses like Angela Lansbury, Goldie Hawn, Whoopi Goldberg, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler and Cher. Jordan not only read many of the scripts--which range from misguided (Goldie Hawn's script would have been set in the 60s and present day) to the glorious. BUT DARLING... is filled with great B&W photos and whether you're a fan of the Rosalind Russell AUNTIE MAME or even the Lucille Ball musical MAME (did you know Madeline Kahn was fired from that film by Lucy?), there's plenty of gossip and deep affection for the creators (not only Patrick Dennis but Jerome Lawrence, Robert E. Lee and Jerry Herman). A fascinating, enlightening tale of the evolution of this eternal gay icon who told us to "Live! Live! Live! Life is a banquette and most poor suckers are starving to death!" The perfect gift for movie and theatre buffs.

Broadway Babies: The People Who Made the American Musical

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Broadway Babies: The People Who Made the American Musical
Ethan Mordden
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Sing for Your Supper: The Broadway Musical in the 1930s (Golden Age of the Broadway Musical)
Beautiful Mornin': The Broadway Musical in the 1940s
Coming up Roses: The Broadway Musical in the 1950s
Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s
The Happiest Corpse I've Ever Seen: The Last Twenty-Five Years of the Broadway Musical

ASIN: 0195054253

Book Description

Vividly recreating the unique pleasure of experiencing a song-and-dance show, Broadway Babies spotlights the men and women who made a difference in the development of American musical comedy. Mordden's account features such show people as Florenz Ziegfeld, Harold Prince, Bert Lahr, Gwen Verdon, Angela Lansbury, Victor Herbert, Liza Minnelli, and Stephen Sondheim, and such musicals as Sally, Oh Kay!, Anything Goes, Show Boat, Oklahoma!, Follies, Chicago, and countless others. While theatrical historians traditionally have emphasized the role of the authors of musicals, Mordden also examines the personal styles of the directors, choreographers, and producers, in order to demonstrate not only what the musical became but what it was. The volume includes an extensive discography--the first of its kind--which offers a virtually self-contained history of recorded show music.

Average customer rating:

American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle
Opinion overrides facts in this less-than-essential tome
Paragraph description on EVERY show
A major disappointment
A.M.T review

American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle
Gerald Martin Bordman
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 019513074X

Book Description

Gerald Bordman's American Musical Theatre has become a landmark book since its original publication in 1978. In this third edition, he offers authoritative summaries on the general artistic trends and developments for each season on musical comedy, operetta, revues, and the one-man and one-woman shows from the first musical to the 1999/2000 season. With detailed show, song, and people indexes, Bordman provides a running commentary and assessment as well as providing the basic facts about each production.

Customer Reviews:

American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle.......2005-10-12

AMERICAN MUSICAL THEATRE: A CHRONICLE is the definitive work concerning the American musical theatre. It is organized by date of first production, and, as such, presents a picture of each year's musical productions since the beginning of the art form. It is easier to use than Odell's ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK STAGE, and picks up where Odell leaves off. Together they cover the subject exhaustively.

Opinion overrides facts in this less-than-essential tome.......2005-07-21

In a reference book covering virtually every musical to open on Broadway through the 1989 season, Bordman provides opening dates and theatres for each show.

Unfortunately, Bordman comes across as stuffy old professor who doesn't much like his subject matter. He feels the Broadway musical reached its peak with ROSE MARIE (1924), has little use for the advances in book writing made by Oscar Hammerstein, and has a major dislike of Stephen Sondheim. He downplays the major advances in musical theatre made in the 1970s by Hal Prince, Bob Fosse, Michael Bennett, and others. He also takes an annoying condescending approach to most serious musicals preferring the fun and frivolity of the operettas and musical comedies of the 1920s. Of course the author is entitled to his opinion, but the book would be more useful if he delved more deeply into the reasons why this type of entertainment has changed, instead of just bemoaning the changes.

While it is somewhat useful to have the key data in one volume, the stuffiness or the writing, the lack of insight and the fact that the book is now 15 years out-of-date render it less than essential.

Paragraph description on EVERY show.......2004-06-22

I just finished reading all 821 pages of this book (no pictures), and am very proud of myself for having done so.

This reference book chronicles Musical Theatre in America, show-by-show, starting in 1757 (!) and reaching all the way to 2000. Paragraphs are given for each show and can be found in chronological order of their opening nights. Revivals are also discussed on their opening nights.

Despite the repetitive setup of the book's information, Bordman is able for the most part to write entertaining yet dense descriptions of the show's plot, hit songs, message, and overall run. Although he spends more time on Musical Theatre's great hits (the biggest hits get a full page or two), some of Bordman's best writing moments come during his descriptions of some of Broadway's awful flops.

Other reviewers of this book criticize that Bordman has less to say about musicals since 1960. I find this also to be true in some respects. In Bordman's defense, this is in part due to the decline in Broadway's quality in the 1970s and 80s. Bordman clearly comes from the camp of critics who feel that The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and Cats, while popular, are not as artistically relevant as Oklahoma! and Show Boat. Bordman is also no fanatic of Sondheim, as well, although he recognizes his lyric-writing genius. For these reasons, the book gets four stars.

Having read the entire book, however, I must say that I know a lot more about American Musical Theatre than I did before, and probably know more by reading this book than by reading any other. For libraries this book is a MUST have. It's not cheap, but neither is any other 900-page hardcover book. If you are looking for the ultimate reference on American Musical Theatre, this is it.

A major disappointment.......2003-04-17

If you love musical theatre works from 1866 thru 1960 - this is the book for you. Exhaustively researched. However, if you never ended the affair, and love Sondheim, Coleman, Fosse, Kander & Ebb, Champion, Lapine, Tune, Bennett, McNally, Herman, Hamlisch, Patinkin, Peters and LuPone - well, this probably ISN'T the book for you. The first 100 years are wonderfully detailed. Six paragraphs on "Show Boat" alone. Great. However, the author seems to have lost interest in his subject matter. The greatest shows of the past forty years are lucky to get a single paragraph. The last sections of the book feel passionless and rushed, the reportage at best perfunctory. It's too bad that someone like Ethan Mordan couldn't revisit and revise these decades. $ - wow! Listen, buy a used copy of the first edition (it goes up to 1978), than look for some of Mordan's books or Ken Mendelbaum's "Not Since Carrie."

A.M.T review.......2001-01-18

American Musical Theater by Gerald Bordman, is a text that I am currently using for a college class. To keep this review Short I will not go into great length about the specifics of the book. Just let me say that it is long, (800+ pages) and it feels that way. It is sorta like reading a dictionary, or index. What I mean is, there is soo much information, both usefull and useless, that deciphering it becomes an impossible task. If you were to read a dictionary cover to cover, how many words would you actually learn? The musicals are grouped according to year and season, not overall importance. Also, when a show is revived, it breaks this year by year context, creating more confusion. Perhaps ranking in order of importance would promote unity. Otherwise I would recommend a lighter book of similar subject matter. Still as a complete resource, this book is invaluable, in the same way a dictionary is to spelling questions, this book is to questions on American musicals.

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Broadway: The American Musical
Buy this Book!
FANTASTIC!
Great Companion
Great Book

Broadway: The American Musical
Michael Kantor and Laurence Maslon
Manufacturer: Bulfinch
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0821229052

Amazon.com

If you enjoyed the PBS series Broadway: The American Musical but wanted a bit more detail and substance, try curling up with the companion book to the series. Expanded from Michael Kantor's script by Laurence Maslon, it follows the same six-part structure but its 470 pages give it more space to stretch out with the history of key musicals and the historical context behind them, or add significant trends such as revivals. What makes the book easy to pick up from the coffee table are the many subheads, the photographs (e.g., Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady) and poster art, and the sidebars and supplemental features. Occupying a page or two, the sidebars delve into such topics as original cast albums or shows that were glossed over or ignored in the series, such as Gypsy and 1776. A particularly effective use of the text is reprinting the lyrics of certain songs, examining the structure of "Soliloquy," providing historical annotations for "You're the Top," and illustrating "Broadway Baby" with pictures of Ethel Schulte on stage in Follies and 50 years earlier. Archive sections offer vintage essays from key figures (Sondheim on Kern, Hart on Rodgers), and Who's Who blurbs spotlight performers or creators (Fanny Brice, Barbara Cook, Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald). While Broadway: The American Musical can't compete with more encyclopedic work on the subject, it's an enjoyable and worthwhile reference overall, and does provide a year-by-year list of significant shows, a selected bibliography, and maps of the theater district ca. 1928 and 2001. --David Horiuchi

Book Description

If you enjoyed the PBS series Broadway: The American Musical but wanted a bit more detail and substance, try curling up with the companion book to the series.Expanded from Michael Kantor's script by Laurence Maslon, it follows the same six-part structure but its 470 pages give it more space to stretch out with the history of key musicals and the historical context behind them, or add significant trends such as revivals.What makes the book easy to pick up from the coffee table are the many subheads, the photographs (e.g., Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady) and poster art, and the sidebars and supplemental features.Occupying a page or two, the sidebars delve into such topics as original cast albums or shows that were glossed over or ignored in the series, such as Gypsy and 1776.A particularly effective use of the text is reprinting the lyrics of certain songs, examining the structure of "Soliloquy," providing historical annotations for "You're the Top," and illustrating "Broadway Baby" with pictures of Ethel Schulte on stage in Follies and 50 years earlier.Archive sections offer vintage essays from key figures (Sondheim on Kern, Hart on Rodgers), and Who's Who blurbs spotlight performers or creators (Fanny Brice, Barbara Cook, Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald).While Broadway: The American Musical can't compete with more encyclopedic work on the subject, it's an enjoyable and worthwhile reference overall, and does provide a year-by-year list of significant shows, a selected bibliography, and maps of the theater district ca. 1928 and 2001. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

Broadway: The American Musical.......2007-05-13

One of the best books every written about the Broadway Theatre. Lots of little known facts, lots of pictures. A fountain of knowledge and a must have for every Broadway buff.

Buy this Book!.......2007-05-04

This is an amazing book that covers from Gilbert and Sullivan to (almost) present day.
It is very much worth it's weight in gold if you love Broadway and Music Theatre.

FANTASTIC!.......2007-02-20

This book is great for anyone - from the Broadway musical savant to the average curious person to the theatre student.

Great Companion.......2007-02-06

If you've seen the PBS television series, Broadway: The American Musical, this book acts as a fantastic companion and will look great on your bookshelf or coffee table!

It's virtually exactly the same as the DVD in terms of following the chronology of the development of Broadway but the great thing about it is it seems to come with additional pictures not seen in the series and great quotes. Forget about flicking on your DVD! If you need a quick reference you could turn to any page and find something interesting about Broadway to read about.

If you enjoyed the series and are passionate about Broadway, I would thoroughly recommend this book as it has everything in there that you'd need to know. Enjoy it!

Great Book.......2006-03-04

If you're into theatre, this book is a must-have! You won't find any other book that gives you such a detailed and accurate history of Musical Theatre. The pictures are great and the reading is outstanding!

The Best Plays of 1999-2000: The Otis Guernsey/Burns Mantle Theatre Yearbook (Best Plays)

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The Best Plays of 1999-2000: The Otis Guernsey/Burns Mantle Theatre Yearbook (Best Plays)
Otis L. Jr. Guernsey
Manufacturer: Limelight Editions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0879109556

Book Description

Includes Copenhagen, Dinner with Friends, Contact, Jitney, James Joyce's The Dead, The Designated Mourner, OO-BLA-DEE. HARDCOVER.

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