Description
Book SynopsisA megamusical is an epic, dramatic show featuring recurring melodies in a sung-through score; impressive sets; and grand ideas. This is a study of some of the popular megamusicals. It discusses the history of the megamusical, examining both its internal, performative qualities and its external, market reception to reveal why it is so popular.
Trade Review"Stern's scholarship is at its strongest as she renders a rigorous definition to the term 'megamusical' itself . . . The Megamusical offers broad discussions of production history, commecial success, social environment and, especially, the compexity of the scores of these plays."Aug. 2008
* Studies in Musical Theatre *
Table of ContentsContents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. "Why'd You Choose Such a Backward Time and Such a Strange Land?": Jesus Christ Superstar
2. "Humming the Scenery": The Megamusical Ascending
3. "Well, the Theatre Is Certainly Not What It Was": Cats
4. "To Love Another Person Is to See the Face of God": Les Misérables
5. "The Angel of Music Sings Songs in My Head": The Phantom of the Opera
6. "A Model of Decorum and Tranquility": Other Megamusicals in the 1980s
7. "New Music": The Megamusical in the 1990s
8. "Everything Is Show Biz": The Megamusical and Broadway in the Twenty-first Century
Appendices
A. Jesus Christ Superstar Plot Summary and List of Recurring Musical Material
B. Evita Plot Summary
C. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Plot Summary
D. Cats Plot Summary and Table of Recurring Musical Material
E. Sources of Lyrics in Cats
F. Les Misérables Plot Summary and List of Numbers
G. List of Recurring Musical Material in Les Misérables
H. The Phantom of the Opera Plot Summary and List of Numbers
I. List of Recurring Musical Material in The Phantom of the Opera
Notes
Bibliography
Index
