Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter - by Richard Barrios
Singin' in the Rain, The Sound of Music, Camelot--love them or love to hate them, movie musicals have been a major part of all our lives. They're so glitzy and catchy that it seems impossible that they could have ever gone any other way. But the ease in which they unfold on the screen is deceptive. Dorothy's dream of finding a land "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was nearly cut, and even a film as great as The Band Wagon was, at the time, a major flop.
In Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter, award winning historian Richard Barrios explores movie musicals from those first hits, The Jazz Singer and Broadway Melody, to present-day Oscar winners Chicago and Les Misérables. History, film analysis, and a touch of backstage gossip combine to make Dangerous Rhythm a compelling look at musicals and the powerful, complex bond they forge with their audiences. Going behind the scenes, Barrios uncovers the rocky relationship between Broadway and Hollywood, the unpublicized off-camera struggles of directors, stars, and producers, and all the various ways by which some films became our most indelible cultural touchstones -- and others ended up as train wrecks.
Not content to leave any format untouched, Barrios examines animated musicals and popular music with insight and enthusiasm. Cartoons have been intimately connected with musicals since Steamboat Willie. Disney's short Silly Symphonies grew into the instant classic Snow White, which paved the way for that modern masterpiece, South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut. Without movie musicals, Barrios argues, MTV would have never existed. On the flip side, without MTV we might have been spared Evita.
Informed, energetic, and humorous, Dangerous Rhythm is both an impressive piece of scholarship and a joy to read.
INFINITE STEPS, authored by Gavin Larsen and Gene Schiavone, offers an intimate look into the lives of 33 ballet dancers. Scheduled for release on March 17, 2026, by University Press of Florida, the book combines compelling stories with striking portraits.
Author and Broadway star Andrew Keenan-Bolger is making YA debut with Limelight, a poignant coming-of-age novel about identity, first love, and the power of the arts to help young people feel seen.
On the eighth anniversary of the 2018 Hawaii missile scare, the musical THIS IS NOT A DRILL, inspired by the event, is now available for licensing to theaters. The production, which premiered at The York Theatre Company, explores the intense 38 minutes of the false alert through a blend of humor and drama.
BroadwayWorld is now accepting nominations for the BroadwayWorld Stage Recording Awards, celebrating outstanding achievements in theatrical and performance-based recordings released during the 2025 calendar year.
Jack White has officially published Jack White Collected Lyrics and Selected Writing Volume 1, available now at Third Man physical storefronts, online, and booksellers in the United States.
Puscifer has expanded its universe with the launch of the band’s first comic book series, “Tales From The Pusciverse.” Issue #1 centers on Bellendia Black, a character first seen in the band’s “Pendulum” video.
Song Sung Blue, starring Tony Award winner Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, will be available to buy or rent on digital platforms in January of 2026, and on Blu-ray and DVD in February 2026.
The cast and creative team of Broadway’s current revival of Ragtime had their first listen of the show’s official Broadway cast album at a listening party.
Blue Moon, Richard Linklater's portrait of Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart, will be available on Blu-ray on January 27 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
The audiobook of Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner, a memoir written by Marc Shaiman, is slated for release on the same day as print publication.
Writer, composer, and producer T.J. Armand has announced the release of Happy Hour Blues – Volume 2 (Demo Sessions), the latest chapter in his three-volume recording project.
Considering Our Town playwright Thornton Wilder's life and work through a queer lens is the theme of a new collection of essays by D.R. Lewis, the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association and Foundation ATCA's 2024-2025 Helbing Fellow.
Grammy-winning producer, guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli will celebrate the centennial of iconic singer Tony Bennett with a pair of heartfelt tributes.
The weather outside might be frightful for a while, but what better time to stay in and snuggle up with a great Broadway read? This season, Broadway's best have put pen to paper to turn out theatre page-turners of every kind. From theatre biographies to theatre fiction; theatre books for kids to theatre history; check out our collection of 20 new Broadway books for every theatre lover's winter reading list.
The Broadway recording of Good Night and Good Luck, starring George Clooney, will come to DVD and Blu-ray on December 30 from Magnolia Pictures. Pre-orders are available now.
A new sing-along karaoke edition of the Wicked: For Good soundtrack has been released, allowing fans to belt out their favorite tunes, including 'No Good Deed,' 'As Long As You're Mine,' 'For Good,' and more. Check out the new soundtrack here.
Julie Benko - the singer and actor who rose to national prominence in Broadway's Funny Girl - will release Euphonic Gumbo, a vibrant new album steeped in the musical and cultural histories of New Orleans.
Get your voices ready! This Friday, a new sing-along edition of the Wicked: For Good soundtrack will be released, allowing fans to belt out their favorite tunes, including 'No Good Deed,' 'As Long As You're Mine,' and 'For Good,' which is available now.
PENTATONE will release Vesper, an album from trailblazing guitarist Sean Shibe, featuring three major contemporary voices who have each reshaped the expressive possibilities of the instrument: Thomas Adès, Harrison Birtwistle,and James Dillon.
With Christmas right around the corner, Michigan-born tenor Glenn Seven Allen is spreading holiday cheer with his debut of 'Michigan Christmas', a song written and originally recorded by Broadway star and Saginaw native Brian d'Arcy James.
Center Stage Records has announced the release of The Lightning Thief: Original London Cast Recording on CD. The album is also available in streaming and digital formats.
Center Stage Records has released “Fly High” – the new single from Chloe Tucker Caine of the Netflix show “Owning Manhattan” – in digital and streaming formats.
Center Stage Records has released Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical – Original Cast Recording in streaming and digital formats. It is set to be released in CD formt.
Center Stage Records will release the original cast recording of Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical, the TheaterWorksUSA production based on Dav Pilkey’s book series. BroadwayWorld has your exclusive first listen of the album with a new single, 'My Sister, Naomi,' Watch the video!
On Friday, February 6, 2026, the two-time GRAMMY Award-nominated Neave Trio will release its eighth commercial album, In Her Hands. The ensemble will present a program of piano trios celebrating three women composers in the early modern era: Clara Schumann, Dora Pejačević, and Cécile Chaminade.
The cast album of THE ONE: The Life of Legendary Boxer Muhammad Ali, written and directed by David Serero, is now officially released across all major music platforms.
Darius de Haas joins The Roundtable for a gorgeous, soulful conversation about his brand-new holiday album “Let Me Carry You This Christmas.” We talk about the heart behind the project, the family love that inspired it, and how this music became a tribute to connection, healing, and joy.
Writer, composer, and producer T.J. Armand has released Happy Hour Blues: Lyrics, Notes & Reflections, the companion book to his three-volume recording project.