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Broadway Bookshelf

Biographies, show books, musical scores, history, and must-read theatre books.
Biographies Show Books Autobiography For Actors Musical Scores Reference Books History

American Musical Theatre: Shows, Songs, and Stars (12/31/1969)

An anthology of this distinctly national art form includes 110 selected archival recordings of classic popular songs and textual annotations.
American Musical Theatre: Shows, Songs, and Stars Cover
The Singing Actor (12/31/1969)

How to Be a Success in Musical Theatre and Night Clubs
The Singing Actor Cover
A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film (12/31/1969)

Chronicling the early musical film years from 1926 to 1934, A Song in the Dark offers a fascinating look at these innovative films, the product of much of the major experimentation that went on during the development of sound technology. Illuminating the entire evolution of this new sound medium, Richard Barrios shows how Hollywood, seeking to outdo Broadway and vaudeville, recruited both the famous and the unknown, the newest stars and the has-beens, the geniuses and the hustlers. The results w...
A Song in the Dark: The Birth of the Musical Film Cover
Beckett in Performance (12/31/1969)

This book takes a critical look at the work of one of the twentieth century's most influential playwrights from the viewpoint of those whose job it is to give the work life on stage. From personal experience of over seventy productions, from interviews with numerous Beckett actors and directors, and in rare conversations with the playwright himself, Kalb addresses such fundamental questions as: Is the task of performing Beckett categorically different from that of performing other forms of theat...
Beckett in Performance Cover
Ring Bells! Sing Songs! Broadway Musicals of the 1930's (12/31/1969)

Broadway Musicals of the 1930's
Ring Bells! Sing Songs! Broadway Musicals of the 1930's Cover
From the Bowery to Broadway: Lew Fields and the Roots of American Popular Theatre (12/31/1969)

Before Ziegfeld launched his Follies, before the Shubert brothers built their empire, Lew Fields' productions were the toast of Broadway. For the "smart set" in the luxury box seats and the shopkeepers and clerks in the gallery, an evening at Weber & Fields' Music Hall was the hottest ticket in town, a chance to see the biggest stars of the era - Lillian Russell, Fay Templeton, David Warfield, DeWolf Hopper, and the "Dutch" knockabout comedy team of Weber & Fields. From the Bowery to Broadway of...
From the Bowery to Broadway: Lew Fields and the Roots of American Popular Theatre Cover
African American Theatre: An Historical and Critical Analysis (12/31/1969)

A landmark work in the study of Black theater and drama, African American Theatre offers the first comprehensive history of a major cultural phenomenon until now too often neglected. In this fast-paced investigation, Hay seeks out the origins of Black theater in social protest, as envisioned by W.E.B. Dubois, and as a formal branch of arts theater. Divided between these opposing forces--the activist and the artistic--Black theater, Hay argues, faced conflicts of identity whose traces still haunt...
African American Theatre: An Historical and Critical Analysis Cover
Company (12/31/1969)

Here at last is Furth's libretto to the convention-shattering 1970 musical (revived on Broadway in 1995) that launched composer Sondheim's most fertile period--and his cult. Originally a series of one-act plays about marriage, the musical adds a linking character, Robert, who is the only one without a spouse. In visiting each of a half dozen couples who are his friends, Robert seeks to learn "what do you get" from being married. The answer is far from Hallmark, but visceral. The text includes F...
Company Cover
How to succeed in business without really trying (Vocal Selections) (12/31/1969)

7 songs from the Broadway standard, including: Brotherhood of Man * Grand Old Ivy * Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm * How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying * I Believe in You * Love from a Heart of Gold * Paris Original.
How to succeed in business without really trying (Vocal Selections) Cover
Man of LA Mancha (Vocal Score) (12/31/1969)

Includes 21 songs: Abduction Aldonza La Mancha Barber's Song The Combat Dubbing Dulcinea Golden Helmet of Mambrino I Really Like Him I, Don Quixote I'm Only Thinking of Him The Impossible Dream (The Quest) It's All the Same Knight of Mirrors Knight of Woeful Count Little Bird Little Bird A Little Gossip Moorish Dance Overture To Each His Dulcinea We're Only Thinking of Him What Does He Want of Me.
Man of LA Mancha (Vocal Score) Cover
Broadway Theatre (12/31/1969)

Examining the rich history of Broadway theater certainly is not a new topic, but Harris, who teaches theater at Texas Christian University, successfully synthesizes decades of writings on the subject to prove a worthy point: the art of theater and the business of theater always have been and always will be in conflict. That said, many live dramas, which surely altered the way America saw itself and made a lot of money, blossomed from this fundamental contradiction. On the flip side of the same c...
Broadway Theatre Cover
Gypsy (12/31/1969)

Gypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business mother." It follows the dreams and efforts of Rose to raise two daughters to perform onstage and casts an affectionate eye on the hardships of show business life. The character of Louise is based on Lee, ...
Gypsy Cover
Sunset Boulevard (Vocal Selections) (12/31/1969)

Prepare for your closeup by practicing with this folio of 12 vocal selections from the Broadway musical. Includes: As If We Never Said Goodbye * Girl Meets Boy * The Greatest Star of All * The Perfect Year * Sunset Boulevard * This Time Next Year * With One Look * and more.
Sunset Boulevard (Vocal Selections)  Cover
Carousel: Vocal Score (12/31/1969)

This exciting revised edition was created to convey in complete and correct form the musical score and lyrics of this beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical as performed in the original Broadway production. Includes: Ballet * Blow High, Blow Low * Geraniums in the Winder/Stonecutters Cut It on Stone * The Highest Judge of All * Hornpipe * If I Loved You * June Is Bustin' Out All Over * Mister Snow * Prologue (The Carousel Waltz) * A Real Nice Clambake * Soliloquy * What's the Use of Wond'rin' *...
Carousel: Vocal Score Cover
American Song: The Complete Musical Theater Companion, 1900-1984. Two volumes (12/31/1969)

These companion volumes to Bloom's important American Song: The Complete Musical Theatre Companion (LJ 7/96) and Hollywood Song: The Complete Film and Musical Companion (LJ 3/15/95) focus on popular songs from the early 1890s to 2000, defining "Tin Pan Alley" broadly to incorporate tunes ranging from George M. Cohan's patriotic gems to "easy listening" (e.g., Henry Mancini, Burt Bacharach). Rock, country, folk, and other genres are not treated here. Although these works are presented as Volumes ...
American Song: The Complete Musical Theater Companion, 1900-1984. Two volumes Cover
Backstage on Broadway (12/31/1969)

Musicals and Their Makers
Backstage on Broadway Cover
A Connecticut Yankee: The Musical (12/31/1969)

A Musical based on the novel by Mark Twain. Includes: * Can't You Do a Friend a Favor * I Blush * I Feel at Home with You * Thou Swell * You Always Love the Same Girl and others.
A Connecticut Yankee: The Musical Cover
The Guinness Who's Who of Stage Musicals (12/31/1969)

Compiled in A-Z format, this book chronicles the lives and careers of the artists who appeared in, wrote and directed the shows that have contributed towards the development of the stage musical throughout the 20th century. From Broadway to the West End and throughout the world, it covers shows such as "A Chorus Line", "Oklahoma", "West Side Story" and "Evita", by lyricists and composers such as Stephen Sondheim, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Rogers and Hammerstein. The performers includ...
The Guinness Who's Who of Stage Musicals Cover
Performing in Musicals (12/31/1969)

Here is a basic acting textbook written especially for singers, actors, and dancers who want to work in musical theater but have little or no experience in the area. 'Performing in Musicals' provides novice performers with the information they need to audition, prepare a role, rehearse, and play the part. Taking a practical, systematic approach, Elaine Novak discusses virtually every aspect of musical theater: its history and development, basic elements (book, lyrics, score, and dances), pr...
Performing in Musicals Cover
Ten Great Musicals of the American Theatre (12/31/1969)

Includes - Of Thee I Sing - Porgy and Bess - One Touch of Venus - Brigadoon - Kiss Me, Kate - West Side Story - Gypsy - Fiddler on the Roof - 1776 - Company
Ten Great Musicals of the American Theatre Cover
Ganzl's Book of the Broadway Musical: 75 Favorite Shows, from H.M.S. Pinafore to Sunset Boulevard (12/31/1969)

Ganzl's Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre [RBB S 1 94], the 1995 Dartmouth Medal Honor Book, and Ganzl's Book of the Musical Theatre [RBB Je 15 89] both cover musical theater around the world. This new title is a spinoff highlighting 75 Broadway musicals, a few of which are too recent to have been included in his encyclopedia. Each entry gives full production information, casts, plot synopses, song titles, and notes about film versions. Each is liberally illustrated with photographs from the ...
Ganzl's Book of the Broadway Musical: 75 Favorite Shows, from H.M.S. Pinafore to Suns Cover
The Golden Age of Movie Musicals and Me (12/31/1969)

Saul Chaplin worked on more than sixty films as a songwriter, vocal arranger, pianist, musical director, or producer. He received Academy Award nominations for Kiss Me Kate, High Society, An American in Paris, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and West Side Story and won Academy Awards for the last three. He was also the associate producer on The Sound of Music, the most popular movie musical ever filmed. In this fascinating autobiography he takes us inside the music departments of Hollywood's ...
The Golden Age of Movie Musicals and Me Cover
Broadway's memorable melodies (12/31/1969)

A directory of the popular songs from the musical theatre
Broadway's memorable melodies Cover
British Musical Theatre: 2 Volumes Volume 1: 1865-1914 Volume 2: 1915-1984 (12/31/1969)

From the pre-Gilbert and Sullivan 1860s to the 1980s, this important reference surveys more than a century of British light musical theatre, including its writers and composers. Gänzl provides a wealth of information on the book, lyrics, and music of over 800 London musicals, including contemporary reviews, cast lists, performances, plus pertinent notes gleaned from a study of surviving scores and libretti. Volume 1 traces the development of the genre between 1865 and 1914, describing its roots...
British Musical Theatre: 2 Volumes Volume 1: 1865-1914 Volume 2: 1915-1984 Cover
Better Foot Forward (12/31/1969)

The History of American Musical Theatre
Better Foot Forward Cover
Opening Night on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theatre, Oklahoma! (12/31/1969)

A critical quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theatre, from Oklahoma! (1943) to Fiddler on the Roof (1964). Suskin combines the glitter and excitement of nearly 300 Broadway premieres with the expert commentary of a true show business insider. Includes a Broadway scorecard. Photos.
Opening Night on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Thea Cover
Broadway's Prize-Winning Musicals: An Annotated Guide for Libraries and Audio Collectors (12/31/1969)

Broadway’s Prize-Winning Musicals is an indispensable guide for collectors of audio recordings of Broadway’s award-winning musicals. It presents, for the first time in one volume, shows that were recipients of Tony Awards, New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, or Grammy Awards. Also featured are the recordings of shows selected on the more subjective basis of listening enjoyment or budgetary considerations. This comprehensive approach helps librarians and fans compile a well...
Broadway's Prize-Winning Musicals: An Annotated Guide for Libraries and Audio Collect Cover
Love & Science (12/31/1969)

Richard Foreman founded the Ontological-Hysteric theatre in 1968. The theatre is currently in the historic St. Marks Church, where he rehearses and produced one of his new plays each year, each play performing for 16 weeks every winter.
Love & Science Cover
Musicals: The Guide to Amateur Production (12/31/1969)

The Guide to Amateur Production
Musicals: The Guide to Amateur Production Cover
Uncle Tom's Cabin (12/31/1969)

Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman. Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century, and the second best-selling book of that century, following the Bible. It is credited with helping fuel the abolitionist cause in the 1850s. In the first year after it was published, 300,000 copies of the book were sold ...
Uncle Tom's Cabin Cover
Musical Openings: Using Music in the Language Classroom (12/31/1969)

This book explores the ways in which instrumental music can be introduced in the language classroom and the effects of using music to inspire student enthusiasm and creativity. It is aimed at teachers who love music, whatever their knowledge of experience of it, and demonstrates with step-by-step activities how the power of music can be exploited in a learning environment. The book draws on diverse musical sources and cultures and is accompanied by a cassette of musical excerpts linked to variou...
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Musical Notes: A Practical Guide to Staffing and Staging Standards of the American Musical Theater (12/31/1969)

“The entries in this `Guide' are arranged alphabetically, providing information on authorship and original production, a substantial synopsis of the story-line, notes on the production of the show (which include Tony Awards, ideas on technical and costume requirements, possible pitfalls, and budget suggestions), a list of songs of special interest, and details of instrumentation. A supplementary section on `Concept, Rock, Nostalgia and Others' differs from the main body of entries in providin...
Musical Notes: A Practical Guide to Staffing and Staging Standards of the American Mu Cover
More Broadway Musicals: Since 1980 (12/31/1969)

In the decade since Abrams published the bestsellingBroadway Musicals, some of Broadway's biggest all-time hits have appeared--Cats, 42nd Street, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables--and set new standards, begun new trends, and entranced new audiences. More Broadway Musicals presents the stories behind the major productions in this fascinating volume sure to delight those who have seen the shows, as well we those who know them only through recordings. 200 illustrations, 75 in full color.
More Broadway Musicals: Since 1980 Cover
Broadway Musicals (12/31/1969)

A colorful tribute to the great Broadway shows of our time. 395 illustrations, 112 in full color.
Broadway Musicals Cover
With an air debonair: Musical theatre in American 1785-1815 (12/31/1969)

Even before reading this record, one is struck by the beautiful layout and clarity of reproductions found within. This most comprehensive piece of research fills a scholarly gap on the early history of musical theater in the United States. Not just a chronicler of musical theater, Porter (music history, Ohio State Univ.) provides fascinating information on all aspects of 18th-and 19th-century musical production: personnel, technical effects, musical composition, and orchestra. In addition to the...
With an air debonair: Musical theatre in American 1785-1815 Cover
Broadway!: 125 Years of Musical Theatre (12/31/1969)

Offers an illustrated survey of American musicals from "The Black Crook" in 1886 to 1991's "Miss Saigon," detailing the stars, sets, and designs.
Broadway!: 125 Years of Musical Theatre Cover
The Musical Theatre Cookbook: Recipes from Best-Loved Musicals (12/31/1969)

This delicious 196-page book brings you The Devil's Hot Dog from "Damn Yankees", "Enchiladas from "Bye Bye Birdie", A Seaside Clambake from "Carousel", Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pies from Sweeney Todd (with a suggested substitute for the main ingredient!) and Strawberry Tarts from "My Fair Lady". You'll also find roast beef from "Fiorello", Fiddleferns from "Into the Woods", Splashing Dressing Salad from "Guys and Dolls", Sweet Pertater Pie from "Oklahoma!", Sandy's Candies from "Brigadoon", and mu...
The Musical Theatre Cookbook: Recipes from Best-Loved Musicals Cover
Opera--Dead or Alive: Production, Performance and Enjoyment of Musical Theatre (12/31/1969)

Playwright, director, and critic Ronald E. Mitchell offers general readers a richer understanding of traditions, terms, styles, and staging techniques of musical theater, including an introduction to seventeen examples of operas and musicals, from baroque and romantic operas to Gilbert & Sullivan, from proletarian dramas to Broadway shows like Oklahoma.
Opera--Dead or Alive: Production, Performance and Enjoyment of Musical Theatre Cover
Ganzl's Book of the Musical Theatre (12/31/1969)

The worldwide proliferation of musical theater makes its documentation in a single volume impossible, but Ganzl's Book of Musical Theatre is a most impressive selection from this wealth of material. Companion to the respected Gustav Kobbe's Complete Opera Book (Putnam, 1954; Amer. Biog. Serv., 1987; reprint of 1963 ed.), whose form it follows, it offers information on some 300 musicals from the current world repertoire and many important works that are no longer performed. Each entry includes a...
Ganzl's Book of the Musical Theatre  Cover
Broadway Babies: The People Who Made the American Musical (12/31/1969)

Vividly recreating the unique pleasure of experiencing a song-and-dance show, Broadway Babies spotlights the men and women who made a difference in the development of American musical comedy. Mordden's account features such show people as Florenz Ziegfeld, Harold Prince, Bert Lahr, Gwen Verdon, Angela Lansbury, Victor Herbert, Liza Minnelli, and Stephen Sondheim, and such musicals as Sally, Oh Kay!, Anything Goes, Show Boat, Oklahoma!, Follies, Chicago, and countless others. While theatrical h...
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Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre (12/31/1969)

For those familiar with Ganzl's Book of the Musical Theatre (LJ 4/15/89) or The British Musical Theatre (Oxford Univ. Pr., 1987), this is a much-anticipated work. Ganzl has admittedly (and wisely) avoided attempting a comprehensive study; there are, for instance, entries for operettas but not operas. Originally intended as a single volume, this two-volume set includes nearly 3000 articles on the most productive people and the most produced works throughout most of the world for the last 150 yea...
Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre Cover
Broadway Stories: A Backstage Journey Through Musical Theatre (12/31/1969)

This treasure trove presents focused narratives by men and women (one as young as 12 years old) who have made the Broadway musical theater their home. Sixteen chapters chronicle the hits and misses inherent to the musical stage, recounted by an actor or member of the creative team. With his "fly-on-the-wall" perspective, author Bell clearly captures the thespians' love for their work and respect for the musical theater tradition. Not a retrospective, this volume discusses musicals from the recen...
Broadway Stories: A Backstage Journey Through Musical Theatre Cover
Stage It with Music: An Encyclopedic Guide to the American Musical Theatre (12/31/1969)

A one-stop, up-to-date source for information on the history of the American musical theatre, Stage It with Music packs an astonishing quantity and variety of facts as well as insights and anecdotes into a convenient dictionary format. Coverage extends from the genre's nineteenth century beginnings to the present day, from The Black Crook (1866) to Jelly's Last Jam (1992). Included are entries on over 300 individual shows, musical series, performers, composers, lyricists, librettists, directors,...
Stage It with Music: An Encyclopedic Guide to the American Musical Theatre Cover
Black Musical Theatre: From Coontown to Dreamgirls (12/31/1969)

Black Musical Theatre begins its historical survey with Clorindy, the Origin of the Cakewalk and A Trip to Coontown, in 1898, and concludes with the Broadway smash Dreanigirls, in 1981. The section on the ragtime pianist and composer Eubie Blake and his popular 1920s show, Shuffle Along, attests to early black influence in American musical theater. Prior to the 1920s, black musical theater was enriched by Walker and Williams, Cole and Johnson, Miller and Lyles, and Ernest Hogan. White producers ...
Black Musical Theatre: From Coontown to Dreamgirls Cover
The Broadway Musical: Collaboration in Commerce and Art (12/31/1969)

Three out of four Broadway-bound musicals fail to get there, and many of those that do, ultimately fail. The Broadway Musical takes an engrossing look at the industry's successes and failures in an effort to understand the phenomenon of mass collaboration that is Broadway. The authors investigate the complicated machinery of show business from its birth around the turn of the century through its survival of the cost explosions of the 1980s. Through interviews with many of Broadway's top produce...
The Broadway Musical: Collaboration in Commerce and Art  Cover
Sondheim's Broadway Musicals (12/31/1969)

With thirteen Broadway musicals to his credit, Stephen Sondheim's career in the musical theater has outdistanced those of most of his contemporaries. Each of his shows has presented new challenges to audiences, and each has cast fresh perspectives on the nature and potential of the American musical, as well as probing deeply, often painfully, into the nature of our culture. Sondheim's Broadway Musicals is the first book to take an in-depth look at Sondheim's work. Stephen Banfield examines eac...
Sondheim's Broadway Musicals Cover
How to Direct a Musical (12/31/1969)

How to Direct a Musical is a lively and practical guide to the seemingly overwhelming task of directing a musical. David Young brings to this handbook his extensive experience as a director of over 100 productions and more than 250 workshops in the US, China, Senegal and Brazil. Young takes a pragmatic, do-it-yourself approach, guiding the reader from planning to casting, rehearsal to opening night. Topics covered include script analysis, collaboration with designers, musical directors, choreogr...
How to Direct a Musical  Cover
The World Of Musical Comedy (12/31/1969)

Acclaimed through three editions for its uniquely informative and entertaining style, this fourth edition of Stanley Green’s World of Musical Comedy updates and enlarges the theatrical scope to include such recent shows as A Chorus Line, Barnum, They’re Playing Our Song, and Annie. In a format that provides biographies of all the leading figures in the musical’s development, Stanley Green manages to convey the spirit of the Broadway stage, its musical make-believe, and yet remain objective...
The World Of Musical Comedy Cover
The American Musical Theatre Song Encyclopedia (12/31/1969)

The first encyclopedia of theatre songs from Broadway shows ranging from The Black Crook (1866) to the 1994 Tony-Award-winning PAssion, this handy guide features over 1800 songs from over 500 musicals. It gives such information as the songs' authors, original performers, and dates and history of recordings. Each song is described and briefly analyzed, explaining how the song fit in the original production and what is notable about its music, lyrics, and presentation. Thoroughly indexed by song ...
The American Musical Theatre Song Encyclopedia Cover
Sing Out, Louise!: 150 Stars of the Musical Theatre Remember 50 Years on Broadway (12/31/1969)

This ultimate Broadway insider's book is based on extensive interviews with hundreds of performers, including Lauren Bacall, Carol Channing, Barbara Cook, Nanette Fabray, Rex Harrison, Dorothy Loudon, Jerry Orbach, Tony Randall, Elaine Stritch, and Gwen Verdon, sharing personal recollections of dozens of shows. It's a backstage glimpse at the jealousy and heartbreak, the passion and commitment that have made Broadway the center of the American musical theatre for more than half a century.
Sing Out, Louise!: 150 Stars of the Musical Theatre Remember 50 Years on Broadway Cover

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