The American Musical and the Performance of Personal Identity - by Raymond Knapp
The American musical has long provided an important vehicle through which writers, performers, and audiences reimagine who they are and how they might best interact with the world around them. Musicals are especially good at this because they provide not only an opportunity for us to enact dramatic versions of alternative identities, but also the material for performing such alternatives in the real world, through songs and the characters and attitudes those songs project.
This book addresses a variety of specific themes in musicals that serve this general function: fairy tale and fantasy, idealism and inspiration, gender and sexuality, and relationships, among others. It also considers three overlapping genres that are central, in quite different ways, to the projection of personal identity: operetta, movie musicals, and operatic musicals.
Among the musicals discussed are Camelot, Candide; Chicago; Company; Evita; Gypsy; Into the Woods; Kiss Me, Kate; A Little Night Music; Man of La Mancha; Meet Me in St. Louis; The Merry Widow; Moulin Rouge; My Fair Lady; Passion; The Rocky Horror Picture Show; Singin' in the Rain; Stormy Weather; Sweeney Todd; and The Wizard of Oz.
Complementing the author's earlier work, The American Musical and the Formation of National Identity, this book completes a two-volume thematic history of the genre, designed for general audiences and specialists alike.
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.
Desi Oakley has released the official music video for her new holiday single, “Christmas on the Coast,” written by Dan Diaz and Martin Storrow. Oakley is known for Waitress, Chicago and more.
Republic Records has released the official score album for Wicked: For Good, containing all the instrumental underscoring written for the film by Stephen Schwartz and John Powell. Listen to it now!
Jill Schoelen will release her first Christmas album Christmas Is Forever and launch 'Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane) - The Music Video'.
Out just in time for the holidays is Let Me Carry You This Christmas, a new holiday album by award-winning singer and actor Darius de Haas. Watch in this video as we bring you an exclusive look at 'Silent Night'.
Meyer Media will release Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, the cinematic and evocative new album from Florida-based composer Paul Richards out on Friday, December 12th.
Theatre Communications Group has announced the forthcoming publication of Teeth, the darkly hilarious and incisive musical by Michael R. Jackson (Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner for A Strange Loop) and Anna K. Jacobs (Jonathan Larson and Billie Burke Ziegfeld Award–winning composer, lyricist, and book writer).
Gregory Maguire, author of the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, will release his new book Galinda: A Charmed Childhood in the fall of 2026. Pre-orders are available now.
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, acclaimed songwriting team known for projects like Dear Evan Hanson and The Greatest Showman, are heading into new territory with their children's book Axl the Axolotl Is Not a Frog.
With Wicked: For Good finally in theaters, pre-orders for physical copies of the film have officially opened. Newly released listings are previewing the home video release for the movie, which will tentatively arrive in stores in January.
Center Stage Records has released a new digital single from Kennedy Caughell, featuring a medley of “I’m Not That Girl” and “Defying Gravity” inspired by the new film Wicked: For Good.
America’s Got Talent All-Star/Finalist Jimmie Herrod has released his first full-length album, Pretty Is What Changes, a jazzy album with songs from Stephen Sondheim. Check it out now.
With Wicked: For Good now playing in theaters, the official soundtrack to the highly anticipated film is now available to stream. As previously reported, the soundtrack will feature all of the fan-favorite songs from Act 2 of the stage show. Listen to it here!
Ben Forster, the TV star and vocalist best known for performances in Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, and Elf The Musical, has released his brand new studio album Musicals Greatest Hits. Listen to it now.
Broadway’s Desi Oakley will release her new holiday single CHRISTMAS ON THE COAST on Friday, November 21. Fans can pre-save the track now at ChristmasontheCoast.com.
On December 5, Republic Records will release the official score album for Wicked: For Good, containing all the instrumental underscoring written for the film by Stephen Schwartz and John Powell.