Description
Book SynopsisMusical theatre is often perceived as either a Broadway based art form, or as having separate histories in London and New York.
Musical Theatre Histories: Expanding the Narrative, however, depicts the musical as neither American nor British, but both and more, having grown out of frequent and substantial interactions between both centres (and beyond). Through multiple thematic histories', Millie Taylor and Adam Rush take readers on a series of journeys that include the art form's European and American origins, African American influences, negotiations arounddiversity, national identity, and the globalisation of the form, as well as revival culture, censorship and the place of social media inthe 21st century.Each chapter includes case studies and key concept boxes to identify, explain and contextualise important discussions, offering an accessible study of a dynamic and ever evolving medium.Written and developed for undergraduate students, this introductory textbook provid
Trade ReviewThe history of musical theatre has been told countless times, and often in the same way; so it is refreshing to read a study of the musical that offers a myriad tellings of the tale. Like holding a diamond up to Broadway and West End shows, each chapter in Taylor and Rush's fascinating book offers a different perspective. For students and scholars of the musical, the book provides a rich seam of thought-provoking discussions written in an accessible and engaging way. Bouncing between Britain and America in its central focus, it explores the musical as a ‘transnational’ form – one that has developed on either side of the Atlantic, yet one that has always been caught in a tussle between two different worlds. In the expert hands of Millie Taylor and Adam Rush, readers will experience an exciting set of transatlantic adventures in musical theatre. * Dominic Symonds (Professor of Musical Theatre, University of Lincoln, UK) *
Table of Contents‘Why We Tell the Story’: Introduction Historiography and Context(s) Deciphering Multiple Histories How to Read this Book
Chapter 1 - ‘Do You Hear the People Sing?’: From Operetta to Poperetta European Origins Musical Comedy and Broadway Operetta (1900-1940) American Origins Into the Twentieth Century The Musical Play and Beyond (1940-1960) Fragmentation and the Concept Musical The Megamusical, or Poperetta Conclusion
Chapter 2 - ‘New Music’: From Ragtime to Rap Ragtime and Early African American Music Early African American Musical Theatre Shuffle Along, And All That Jazz The Rise of Minstrelsy and ‘Coon Songs’ Dreamgirls and Motown Rap, Hip-Hop and Hamilton Conclusion
Chapter 3 - ‘Waving Through A Window’: From Intertext to Instagram Literary Adaptations Stage and Screen Interactions The Wonderful World of Oz Singin’ in the Rain and the Hollywood Film Musical Disney and the Animated Musical Cast Recordings You Already Know You’re Gonna Love It… Television Musicals Social Media and the Worldwide Web (of Showtunes) Conclusion
Chapter 4 - ‘Easy to be Hard’: From Censorship to Sex Legal Censorship in Britain, 1485-1843 A Changing Landscape, 1843-1968 Censorship in America, 1620-1967 Politics meets Finance Hair (and all that followed) Self-Censorship and Political Correctness Conclusion
Chapter 5 - ‘Stand Up’: From Gender Duality to Diversity Late Victorian Britain Music Hall and Variety Early Twentieth Century Transatlantic Transfers The ‘Golden Age’ – Post-World War II Diversity and Difference – After the 1960s Into the Twenty First Century Conclusion
Chapter 6 - ‘Another National Anthem’: From Ourselves to the Other Before the Great War World War II and Post-War Reconstruction 1990s British Resurgence (as Mythologised in American Musicals) Challenging American Mythology Hybrid Influences in Musical Theatre Conclusion
Chapter 7 - ‘A Whole New World’: From The Mikado to the Megamusical Colonialism Culture within Colonialism The Cultural Dimension of Globalisation Global Producers and International Productions Conclusion
Chapter 8 - ‘Journey to the Past’: From Revival to Revisal Reviving Gypsy 1970s American Revivals New Models and Styles (Concert and Small-Scale Productions, Actor-Musicianship, Opera House Productions) Revision and Reinvention Conclusion Abstracts + Keywords Bibliography
