Musical Theatre: A History

Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 10
Introduction: “Let’s Start at the Very Beginning . . .”......Page 12
1 Ancient Times to 1850—“Playgoers, I Bid You Welcome!”......Page 19
2 Continental Operetta (1840–1900)—“Typical of France”......Page 36
3 American Explorations (1624–1880)—“The Music of Something Beginning”......Page 51
4 Gilbert and Sullivan (1880–1900)—“Object All Sublime”......Page 76
5 The Birth of Musical Comedy (1880–1899)—“It Belong’d to My Father Before I Was Born”......Page 96
6 A New Century (1900–1913)—“Whisper of How I’m Yearning”......Page 112
7 American Ascendance (1914–1919)—“In a Class Beyond Compare”......Page 135
8 Al Jolson—“The World’s Greatest Entertainer”......Page 157
9 The Jazz Age (1920–1929)—“I Want to Be Happy”......Page 169
10 Depression Era Miracles (1930–1940)—“Trouble’s Just a Bubble”......Page 208
11 A New Beginning (1940–1950)—“They Couldn’t Pick a Better Time”......Page 239
12 Broadway Takes Stage (1950–1963)—“The Street Where You Live”......Page 266
13 Rock Rolls In (1960–1970)—“Soon It’s Gonna Rain”......Page 299
14 New Directions (1970–1979)—“Vary My Days”......Page 319
15 Spectacles and Boardrooms—“As If We Never Said Goodbye”......Page 343
16 Musical Comedy Returns (The 2000s)—“Where Did We Go Right?”......Page 371
Suggested Reading: An Annotated Bibliography......Page 384
Recommended Web Resources......Page 395
A......Page 396
B......Page 397
D......Page 398
F......Page 399
H......Page 400
I......Page 401
L......Page 402
M......Page 403
N......Page 404
P......Page 405
S......Page 406
W......Page 408
Z......Page 409
photo plates......Page 410