Overview

In The Mikado to Matilda: British Musicals on the New York Stage, Thomas Hischak provides an overview of British musicals that made their way to Broadway, covering their entire history up to the present day. This is the first book to look at the British musical theatre with reference to those London musicals that were also produced in New York City. The book covers 110 British musicals, ranging from 1750 to the present day, including the popular Gilbert and Sullivan comic operettas during the Victorian era, the Andrew Lloyd Webber mega-musicals of the late twentieth century, and today's biggest hits such as Matilda. Each London musical is discussed first as a success in England and then how it fared in America. The plots, songs, songwriters, performers, and producers for both the West End and the Broadway (or Off Broadway) production are identified and described. The discussion is sometimes critical, evaluating the musicals and why they were or were not a success in New York.

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9781538126066

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Reviews

Hischak's comprehensive survey of British musicals that have migrated to America is an important addition to musical theater literature, shining new light on this hitherto neglected aspect, and opening up a discussion of how these migrant productions had their effect on Broadway history.--Adrian Wright, author of A Tanner's Worth of Tune, West End Broadway, and Must Close Saturday Thomas Hischak sheds light on the common notion that the modern-day musical theatre--prior to the so-called British invasion of the Lloyd Webber/Mackintosh megamusicals--was almost entirely homegrown on and around Times Square. He does so by examining more than 100 British musicals which found audiences on Broadway; and, indeed, were in some cases more successful on our side of the pond. In doing so, he reintroduces us to quite a few important trans-oceanic blockbusters including Florodora, Oliver!, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, and Billy Elliot.--Steven Suskin, author of Show Tunes and The Sound of Broadway Music

"Hischak's comprehensive survey of British musicals that have migrated to America is an important addition to musical theater literature, shining new light on this hitherto neglected aspect, and opening up a discussion of how these migrant productions had their effect on Broadway history. Thomas Hischak sheds light on the common notion that the modern-day musical theatre--prior to the so-called British invasion of the Lloyd Webber/Mackintosh megamusicals--was almost entirely homegrown on and around Times Square. He does so by examining more than 100 British musicals which found audiences on Broadway; and, indeed, were in some cases more successful on ""our side of the pond."" In doing so, he reintroduces us to quite a few important trans-oceanic blockbusters including Florodora, Oliver!, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, and Billy Elliot. Hischak once again helps to dispel myth and misconception by tracking 110 musicals that graced both London and New York stages. What first seems to be a simple listing of British musicals that jumped to Broadway, this work is actually an astute look at the success of musicals that played on both continents. . . . The author's analysis of each show's life-span is the best part of this work. The listing of recordings, film, and video at the conclusion could be a valuable tool for anyone teaching the history of musical theater."

Author Information

Thomas S. Hischak is an internationally recognized writer and teacher in the performing arts and the author of twenty-six non-fiction books about theatre, film, and popular music, including Theatre as Human Action: An Introduction to Theatre Arts, Second Edition (Rowman & Littlefield, 2016), The Disney Song Encyclopedia (with Mark A. Robinson, 2012), The Oxford Companion to the American Musical (2008), The Encyclopedia of Film Composers (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015), The 100 Greatest American Plays (Roman & Littlefield, 2017), 1939: Hollywood’s Greatest Year (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017), 100 Greatest American and British Animated Films (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018), and The Woody Allen Encyclopedia (Rowman & Littlefield, 2018).

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