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A complete introduction to musical theater from its roots in the eighteenth century through today, written by a master historian.
The Musical, Second Edition, introduces students and general readers to the entire scope of the history of musical theater, from eighteenth-century ballad operas to nineteenth-century operettas, to the Golden Age of Broadway to today. In this comprehensive history, master theater historian Kurt Gänzl draws on his vast knowledge of the productions, the actors, the music and dance, and the reception of the central repertory of the musical theater. Focus boxes on key shows are included in every chapter, along with a chronology of the major musical productions described in the text. Production photographs from around the world enhance the descriptions of the costumes and staging. This book is an ideal introduction for college-level courses on the History of Musical Theater and will also appeal to the general theatergoer who wants to learn more about how today's musical developed from its earliest roots.
Preface
Introduction to the Second Edition
1. The Early Days: 1700–1849
The Musical Stage before 1850
Popular Entertainments of the Early Eighteenth Century
Operatic Entertainments of the Early Eighteenth Century
The Rise of the Original Musical Play
The Rise of the Romantic
Some Notable Musicals: 1700–1849
2. Opéra-Bouffe: 1850–1869
Some Notable Musicals: 1850–1869
3. That First Fine Flowering: 1870–1889
Post the Prussians
Operette
The New Era of the English Musical Stage
America Awakens
The New Burlesque
Some Notable Musicals: 1870–1889
4. Novelties of the Nineties
The Gaiety of the Nations
America Awakened
"Musical Comedy" Par Excellence
Some Notable Musicals: 1890–1899
5. Into the Twentieth Century: 1900–1914
The Musical with a Backbone
Enter the Widow
Some Notable Musicals: 1900–1914
FIRST CATCH YOUR FRENCH PLAY
6. Those Magnificent Madcap Years: 1915–1929
IT'S TIME TO DANCE
Les Années Jazz!
The Jazz Age in English
THE INTERNATIONAL HIT PARADE OF AMERICAN MUSICAL COMEDIES OF 1910–1930
The Romantic Musical
AN INTERNATIONAL HIT PARADE OF ENGLISH ROMANTIC MUSICALS OF THE 1920S
Operette for All
Some Notable Musicals: 1915–1929
7. Whither Go You, Musical Theater?
The Merry Minnows over the "Other Side"
Some Notable Musicals: 1930–1940
8. After the War Was Over: The 1940s
Some Notable Musicals: 1941–1950
OPERETTA HIT PARADE
9. When Broadway Really Ruled the Stage: The 1950s
The Merry Minnows Still over the Other Side
Some Notable Musicals: 1951–1959
10. The Soaring Sixties
Some Notable Musicals: 1960–1969
AMERICAN MUSICALS IN THE WEST END: 1945–1970
11. New Departures: From Rock Opera to Party Musical
Some Notable Musicals: 1970–1980
12. Monumental Musicals
Some Notable Musicals: 1980–1994
13. On the Twenty-First Century (by Jamie Findlay)
Some Notable Musicals: 1995–Today
Index