For Broadway audiences of the 1980s, the decade was perhaps most notable for the so-called “British invasion.” While concept musicals such as Nine and Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George continued to be produced, several London hits came to New York. In addition to shows like Chess, Me and My Girl, and Les Miserables, the decade’s most successful composer Andrew Lloyd Webber was also well represented by Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Song & Dance, and Starlight Express. There were also many revivals (such as Show Boat and Gypsy), surprise hits (The Pirates of Penzance), huge hits (42nd Street), and notorious flops (Into the Light, Carrie, and Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge).
In The Complete Book of 1980s Broadway Musicals, Dan Dietz examines in detail every musical that opened on Broadway during the 1980s. In addition to including every hit and flop that debuted during the decade, this book highlights revivals and personal-appearance revues with such performers as Sid Caesar, Barry Manilow, Jackie Mason, and Shirley MacLaine.
Each entry includes the following information
Opening and closing dates
Plot summaries
Cast members
Number of performances
Names of all important personnel including writers, composers, directors, choreographers, producers, and musical directors
Musical numbers and the names of performers who introduced the songs
Production data, including information about tryouts
Source material
Critical commentary
Tony awards and nominations
Details about London and other foreign productions
Besides separate entries for each production, the book offers numerous appendixes, including a discography, filmography, and published scripts, as well as lists of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, black-themed shows, and Jewish-themed productions.
A treasure trove of information, The Complete Book of 1980s Broadway Musicals provides readers with a comprehensive view of each show. This significant resource will be of use to scholars, historians, and casual fans of one of the greatest decades in musical theatre history.
Released: 2016
An EP recording of THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, the musical by John and Elena Tafone, is now available on all streaming platforms, featuring Nik Walker, Mary Kate Morrissey, and a 25-piece orchestra.
GRAMMY-nominated composer Devonté Hynes, also known professionally as Blood Orange, has scored the soundtrack for Olivia Wilde's new film, The Invite, from A24.
Summer is here and there is no better time of year to soak up the sun and dive into a new book.
Nathan Abrams, a professor of film at Bangor University, has written a comprehensive biography of playwright David Mamet, examining how his Jewishness and Judaism shaped works like Glengarry Glen Ross and American Buffalo.
Costume designer, artist, and scholar Kaiqi Zhang will present the book launch of The Art of Kaiqi Zhang in Los Angeles, showcasing a comprehensive overview of her artistic practice in recent years.
The title song, “Penelope,” from Penelope: Live at Joe’s Pub, starring Grace McLean, is available to stream now.
Reunions, a new musical with book and lyrics by Jeffrey Scharf and music by Jimmy Calire, which had a run last year at New York City Center Stage II, has released an original cast recording of the musical.
Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) released an 'American Express' Club Remix, produced and composed by Tony-Nominated Orchestrator Lux Pyramid.
Composer/lyricist Maury Yeston – who recently celebrated his landmark 80th birthday – will join author Joshua Rosenblum and theater journalist Peter Filichia at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space.
Creative Goods is launching a brand new piece of merchandise to celebrate the Schmigadoon’s Best Musical Tony Award! Take the Schmigadoon picnic home with you with a realistic corn puddin candle.
Methuen Drama/Bloomsbury Publishing will publish Power and Greed: Monopolies, Mergers, and Cartels on the American Stage by Spencer Weber Waller.
Las Vegas-based ventriloquist and author April Brucker released '250 Years of American Ventriloquism,' tracing the art form's influence on comedy, broadcasting, and pop culture from the colonial era to the digital age.
Paper Pianos, the Pulitzer Prize finalist work co-created by Mary Kouyoumdjian and Nigel Maister, will receive its world premiere recording on Friday, August 7, 2026.
Good Guy With a Gun!, a satirical musical concept album featuring Chris Sullivan, Kimiko Glenn, Anthony Rapp, Jason Alexander, and Yvette Nicole Brown, has released its' first single, 'Liberal Love,' now available.
THE PANSY CRAZE, a six-episode queer history variety show hosted by Mason Alexander Park, is now streaming exclusively on Audible, featuring guests Laverne Cox, Lea DeLaria, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Evan Rachel Wood.
Stage Partners announced two new play commissions pairing playwrights Mandy Conner and Ian McWethy with the Educational Theatre Association and California Thespians to develop original one-act plays for school theatre programs.
Sir Stephen Hough's new solo piano album features his own arrangements with a selection of favorite piano works, including selections from Mary Poppins, Frozen, and more.
Michael, the hit biopic about Michael Jackson, is set to arrive on Premium Digital and Premium Video on Demand beginning June 9, where it will be available to rent or purchase.
Snow White & Me: A New Musical - Original Cast Recording, is now available on streaming and digital platforms.
Les Misérables: The 40th Anniversary All-Star Cast is available on streaming and digital platforms and as a double CD.
The Lost Boys (Original Broadway Cast Recording) will be released.
Historian Jack Jewers' debut novel Seething Lane follows Samuel Pepys through a murder mystery set in Restoration London, weaving in the history of Theatre Royal Drury Lane and the influence of King Charles II's mistresses on the city.
A new box set is collecting all of Donna Summer's solo albums that were released on Casablanca Records from 1975 to 1979.
The new EP The Queen of Magic, the new musical written by Neyla Pekarek – the singer/songwriter formerly of The Lumineers – is out now.
Picnic at Hanging Rock: The Musical – Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording is now available in digital and streaming formats.
Busted Broadway has launched an independent musical theatre record label positioned to release original dark-humor concept cast albums geared towards absurd, edgy, and intentionally outrageous musical theatre titles.
Sherri Shepherd, who is wrapping a four-year run as host of the daytime talk show Sherri, is entering the world of publishing with her debut novel, Life is a K Drama.
While we await Tonys night (June 7, 2026), we're saluting the Tony, Grammy, and Drama Desk Awards celebrated shows of Concord Theatricals Recordings- From Some Like It Hot to Come From Away; Smash to Death Becomes Her.
Picnic at Hanging Rock: The Musical – Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording is being released in digital and streaming formats.
