Overview

A definitive, accessible, and comprehensive history of the Broadway musical. Here for the first time is the whole history of the musical, on Broadway and off. Stempel combines original research-including a wealthy of primary sources and archival holdings—with deft and insightful analysis, and explores the rich strands of musical theater by genre and type, looking at not only how musicals work but also how they serve as barometers of social concerns and bearers of cultural values. Beginning with the scandalous Astor Place Opera House riot of 1849, Stempel traces the growth of musicals from minstrel shows and burlesques, through the golden age of Show Boat and Oklahoma!, to such groundbreaking works as Company and Rent. Stempel examines musicals in their cultural and historical context and includes detailed portraits of all the influential figures-the creators, directors, and performers—who made it all possible.

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9780393929065

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Reviews

The highly regarded professor of music Larry Stempel here presents the summation of decades of careful research and analysis into American musical theatre. No lyric, costume, composer or deputy-assistant-stage-manager is left out of his monumental work which, with its exhaustive bibliography and handsome colour plates, is a must-have investment for serious students of the genre. Melissa Katsoulis, Christmas Books 2010, The Telegraph Clearly written and intelligently presented, this is an excellent history of the tradition in which Sondheim has played such a key role. Sarah Crompton, Books of the Year 2010: Pop and Stage, The Daily Telegraph Something to keep and treasure for all lovers of musical theatre is Larry Stempel's Showtime...This is an enthralling story for anyone interested in dance or the theatre, with detailed research into every production and a wealth of rare photographs. Books for Christmas 2010, DancePlus

Theater buffs will be delighted to find that this scholarly, definitive work is also a hugely entertaining read. -- Publisher's Weekly Large in spirit as well as scope, and as precise, humble, and wise as that Sondheim lyric with which it begins. -- Lloyd Rose - The Washington Post This book is a home run: it is by far the best book ever written about Broadway, a magisterial critical history which will be required reading for virtually anyone interested in musical theater. -- Kim Kowalke, The Eastman School of Music A substantial work of American music history. Scrupulous but not fussy, learned but not pedantic, Stempel is a fine storyteller who delights in clarity and knows a good joke when he sees one. The precision of his thinking and writing gives the book an aura of authority keenly attuned to the tradition he critiques and celebrates. -- Richard Crawford, University of Michigan, emeritus, and author of America's Musical Life: A History Stempel has hit the trifecta: for academics, it's a definitive work of scholarship; for students, it's the perfect textbook; for ordinary lovers of musical theater, it's a treat to savor at the end of a long day. -- Rose Rosengard Subotnik, Brown University

The highly regarded professor of music Larry Stempel here presents the summation of decades of careful research and analysis into American musical theatre. No lyric, costume, composer or deputy-assistant-stage-manager is left out of his monumental work which, with its exhaustive bibliography and handsome colour plates, is a must-have investment for serious students of the genre. Melissa Katsoulis, Christmas Books 2010, The Telegraph Clearly written and intelligently presented, this is an excellent history of the tradition in which Sondheim has played such a key role. Sarah Crompton, Books of the Year 2010: Pop and Stage, The Daily Telegraph Something to keep and treasure for all lovers of musical theatre is Larry Stempel's Showtime...This is an enthralling story for anyone interested in dance or the theatre, with detailed research into every production and a wealth of rare photographs. Books for Christmas 2010, DancePlus Stempel's canvas is enormous, but his touch is deft and precise... Times Higher Education

Large in spirit as well as scope, and as precise, humble, and wise as that Sondheim lyric with which it begins. -- Lloyd Rose - The Washington Post Theater buffs will be delighted to find that this scholarly, definitive work is also a hugely entertaining read. -- Publisher's Weekly This book is a home run: it is by far the best book ever written about Broadway, a magisterial critical history which will be required reading for virtually anyone interested in musical theater. -- Kim Kowalke, The Eastman School of Music Stempel has hit the trifecta: for academics, it's a definitive work of scholarship; for students, it's the perfect textbook; for ordinary lovers of musical theater, it's a treat to savor at the end of a long day. -- Rose Rosengard Subotnik, Brown University A substantial work of American music history. Scrupulous but not fussy, learned but not pedantic, Stempel is a fine storyteller who delights in clarity and knows a good joke when he sees one. The precision of his thinking and writing gives the book an aura of authority keenly attuned to the tradition he critiques and celebrates. -- Richard Crawford, University of Michigan, emeritus, and author of America's Musical Life: A History

Author Information

Larry Stempel, an associate professor of music at Fordham University and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, was a member of Lehman Engel's BMI Musical Theater Workshop. He lives in Mount Vernon, New York.

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