Musical Comedy in America: From The Black Crook to South Pacific, From The King & I to Sweeney Todd

By Glenn Litton, Cecil A. Smith, Cecil A. Smith

Book Overview

First Published in 1987. This is the second edition with an additional foreword. The purpose of this book-the first to recount the history of the popular musical stage on Broadway and its intersecting streets-is to tell what the various entertainments were like, how they looked and sounded, who was in them, and why they made people laugh or cry. The values employed in the book are changeable and inconsistent. Sometimes an affable smile is bestowed upon a musical comedy, burlesque, or revue that was really very bad. Sometimes a harsh verdict is brought in against an entertainment that received widespread approval and praise.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1138151785
• ISBN13: 9781138151789
• Release Date: September 2016
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A great starting point for the Broadway lover's library

The United States has four great contributions to the arts: jazz, the movies, rock and roll, and the Broadway musical. No other country could have created the musical comedy. Its musical vocabulary comes from the fusion of European song forms, African-American harmony and rhythm, and Jewish irony and wit. This book is comprehensive enough to be a reference work, but it lends itself just as well to dropping in for a quick visit every now and then. Remember, though, that books like this all suffer from their authors' prejudices. Maybe not prejudices, but passions. There are some shows they have seen in person and then love (or hate) for the rest of their lives. The trick is in comparing those shows fairly to ones they have only read about. Honesty is the only answer is matters of passion.