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9781538116180

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". . . a compendium of American musical theater history, offering a between-the-lines glimpse into the behind-the-scenes story -- or, at least, the perception of that story from an informed theater journalist. In this delightful compendium, Propst pays tribute to one hundred individuals on and off the stage whose contributions have made (and are still making) musical theatre one of the most popular forms of the performing arts, if not the most popular. . . . The individuals selected ""have had a significant impact on the form because of their innovations or the perceptions they helped to create about what musicals are."" These are the folks who were ""in the room where it happens,"" from from George Abbott, Irving Berlin, and George M. Cohan to Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hal Prince, Stephen Sondheim, and more. . . . A perfect production for all formal and informal students and fans of musical theater. A respected member of the theater community, a former Obie Awards judge, and the author of They Made Us Happy: Betty Comden and Adolph Green's Musicals (CH, Nov'19, 57-0916), Propst has the credentials to compile this unique resource. By important, he means US and British individuals who ""had a significant impact on the form because of their innovations or the perceptions they helped to create about what musicals are"" (p. xi). Unavoidably, the choices are subjective, but Propst's choices uniformly reflect the person's importance to the form. Propst selected people from most facets of musical theater (1870-present)--performers, composers, lyricists, book writers, impresarios, directors, designers, producers, and more (e.g., Columbia Records executive Goddard Lieberson is included). Influential, powerful critics are not included. Each two-page entry covers the individual's career without going into complete detail, although major contributions are cited. Black-and-white photos and a bibliography of secondary resources add to the volume's value. Though resources such as Ken Bloom's Broadway: Its History, People, and Places: An Encyclopedia and Mark Robinson's The World of Musicals: An Encyclopedia of Stage, Screen, and Song provide biographical information, no other up-to-date work narrows the collection to a relatively small but vital group. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers."

In this delightful compendium, Propst pays tribute to one hundred individuals on and off the stage whose contributions have made (and are still making) musical theatre one of the most popular forms of the performing arts, if not the most popular. . . . The individuals selected have had a significant impact on the form because of their innovations or the perceptions they helped to create about what musicals are. These are the folks who were in the room where it happens, from from George Abbott, Irving Berlin, and George M. Cohan to Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hal Prince, Stephen Sondheim, and more. . . . A perfect production for all formal and informal students and fans of musical theater.--Booklist . . . a compendium of American musical theater history, offering a between-the-lines glimpse into the behind-the-scenes story -- or, at least, the perception of that story from an informed theater journalist.--New York Theater

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Andy Propst is an arts journalist who has served as a judge for the Obie Awards and as a member of the nominating committee for the Drama Desk Awards. He also teaches criticism for the Institute for Theatre Journalism and is curator and chief content officer for BwayTunes.com. Propst is the author of You Fascinate Me So: The Life & Times of Cy Coleman (2015) and They Made Us Happy: Betty Comden and Adolph Green’s Musicals (2018).

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