The American Musical Theater by 
Anything Goes by
After six volumes on the musical's history, decade by decade from the 1920s through the 1970s, Ethan Mordden takes an entirely fresh look at the musical, from The Beggar's Opera to Wicked. Looking at the Star Comic, the Sweetheart Heroine, the war between musical comedy and operetta, the riseof the sexy story in the 1920s, the wedding of ballet and hoofing in the 1930s, the Oklahoma! and Carousel "musical play" in the 1940s, the Novelty Star in the 1950s, and other developments, Mordden takes us from George Gershwin to Ethel Merman to Jerome Robbins to the director-choreographer and theoffbeat contemporary show: Porgy and Bess, Gypsy, Fiddler on the Roof, Chicago, A Chorus Line, Grand Hotel, Grey Gardens, Rent. In his trademark style that is at once scholarly, witty, and conversational, Mordden emphasizes not only the writing of musicals but the performing of them, taking the reader virtually into the theatre to experience what a great show is like, whether Victor Herbert's The Red Mill or StephenSondheim's Follies. Considering the development of dance, the author follows it from zany hoofing in the nineteenth century through the tap "combinations" of the 1920s and the injection of ballet and modern dance in the 1930s and 1940s. Fred Astaire, George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Michael Kidd,Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon: theirs was a time when dance seemed as crucial as music by Richard Rodgers or lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Mordden examines also the changing role of the star, noting how such early-twentieth-century headliners as Fred Stone seldom varied their portrayals, whether as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz or Little Red Ridinghood's fatherly guardian in The Stepping Stones. But Ethel Merman turned stardominside out in Gypsy, acting her way through a character who was selfish, fierce, and destructive, and today's stars are versatile as a rule. From "ballad opera" and burlesque to the sometimes indescribable titles of today, Anything Goes tells where the musical came from and where it has been headingever since.A special feature of the book is the extremely detailed discographical essay, a guide for aficionado and student alike in exploring the recorded archives.
Broadway Musicals Show by Show by
Ain't Misbehavin' -- Allegro -- Andre Charlot's Revue of 1924 -- Annie -- Annie Get Your Gun -- Anything Goes -- Applause -- The Apple Tree -- As the Girls Go -- As Thousands Cheer -- At Home Abroad -- Babes in Arms -- Babes in Toyland -- The Band Wagon -- Barnum -- Bells Are Ringing -- Best Foot Forward -- The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas -- Big River -- Bitter Sweet -- The Black Crook -- Blackbirds of 1928 -- Bloomer Girl -- Blossom Time -- The Blue Paradise -- The Boy Friend -- The Boys from Syracuse -- Brigadoon -- By Jupiter -- Bye Bye Birdie -- Cabaret -- Cabin in the Sky -- Call Me Madam -- Call Me Mister -- Camelot -- Can-Can -- Candide -- Carmen Jones -- Carnival -- Carousel -- The Cat and the Fiddle -- Cats -- Chicago -- The Chocolate Soldier -- A Chorus Line -- The Cocoanuts -- Company -- A Connecticut Yankee -- Countess Maritza -- The Cradle Will Rock -- Dames at Sea -- Damn Yankees -- Dancin' -- Dearest Enemy -- The Desert Song -- Destry Rides Again -- Do I Hear a Waltz? -- Do Re Mi -- Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope -- Dreamgirls -- DuBarry Was a Lady -- Earl Carroll Vanities -- Evangeline -- Evita -- Face the Music -- Fanny -- The Fantasticks -- Fiddler on the Roof -- Fifty Million Frenchmen -- Find and Dandy -- Finian's Rainbow -- Fiorello! -- The Firefly -- Florodora -- Flower Drum Song -- Flying Colors -- Flying High -- Follies -- Follies of 1907 -- Follow the Girls -- Follow Thru -- The Fortune Teller -- Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway -- 42nd Street -- Funny Face -- Funny Girl -- A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum -- The Garrick Gaieties -- Gay Divorce -- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes -- George M! -- George White's Scandals -- Girl Crazy -- The Girl from Utah -- Godspell -- The Golden Apple -- Golden Boy -- Good News! -- Grease -- The Great Waltz -- Greenwich Village Follies -- Greenwillow -- Guys and Dolls -- Gypsy -- Hair -- Half a Sixpence -- The Happy Time -- Hello, Dolly -- Hellzapoppin -- High Button Shoes -- High Spirits -- Hit the Deck! -- Hold Everything! -- Hooray for What! -- House of Flowers -- How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.
I Do! I Do! -- I Love My Wife -- I Married an Angel -- I'd Rather Be Right -- I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road -- Inside U.S.A. -- Irene -- Irma la Douce -- Jamaica -- Jesus Christ Suprestar -- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat -- Jubilee -- Jumbo -- The King and I -- Kismet -- Kiss Me, Kate -- Knickerbocker Holiday -- La Cage aux Folles -- Lady, Be Good! -- Lady in the Dark -- Leave It to Jane -- Leave It to Me! -- Lend an Ear -- Let's Face It! -- Life Begins at 8:40 -- Li'l Abner -- Little Johnny Jones -- Little Mary Sunshine -- Little Me -- A Little Night Music -- Little Shop of Horrors -- The Little Show -- Lost in the Stars -- Louisiana Purchase -- Love Life -- Madame Sherry -- Modiste Mile -- The Magic Show -- Make Mine Manhattan -- Mame -- Man of La Mancha -- Maytime -- Me and Juliet -- The Merry Widow -- Mexican Hayride -- Milk and Honey -- Miss Liberty -- The Most Happy Fella -- The Mulligan Guard Ball -- Music Box Revue -- Music in the Air -- The Music Man -- My Fair Lady -- My One and Only -- Naughty Marietta -- New Faces -- New Faces of 1952 -- New Girl in Town -- The New Moon -- The New Yorkers -- Nine -- No, No, Nanette -- No Strings -- Of Thee I Sing -- Oh, Boy! -- Oh, Kay! -- Oh, Lady! Lady! -- Oklahoma -- Oliver -- On a Clear Day You Can See Forever -- On the Town -- On the Twentieth Century -- On Your Toes -- Once Upon a Mattress -- 110 in the Shade -- One Touch of Venus.
Pacific Overtures -- Paint Your Wagon -- The Pajama Game -- Pal Joey -- Panama Hattie -- Peggy-Ann -- Peter Pan -- The Pink Lady -- Pins and Needles -- Pippin -- The Pirates of Penzance -- Plain and Fancy -- Poppy -- Porgy and Bess -- Promises, Promises -- Purlie -- Raisin -- The Red Mill -- Red, Hot and Blue! -- Redhead -- Rio Rita -- The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd -- Roberta -- Robin Hood -- Rosalie -- Rose-Marie -- The Rothschilds -- St. Louis Woman -- Sally -- 1776 -- She Loves Me -- Shenandoah -- Show Boat -- The Show is On -- Shuffle Along -- Silk Stockings -- Sinbad -- Song of Norway -- Sophisticated Ladies -- The Sound of Music -- South Pacific -- Stop the World, I want to Get Off -- Street Scene -- Strike Up the Band -- The Studen Prince in Heidelberg -- Sugar -- Sugar Babies -- Sunday in the Park With George -- Sunny -- Sweeney Todd -- Sweet Adeline -- Sweet Charity -- Sweethearts -- Take a Chance -- Take Me Along -- The Tap Dance Kid -- They're Playing Our Song -- This Is the Army -- The Three Musketeers -- Three's a Crowd -- The Threepenny Opera -- Tip-Toes -- Too Many Girls -- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn -- A Trip to Chinatown -- Two Gentlemen of Verona -- The Unsinkable Molly Brown -- Up in Central Park -- The Vagabond King -- Very Good Eddie -- Watch Your Step -- West Side Story -- What Makes Sammy Run? -- Where's Charley -- Whoopee -- Wish You Were Here -- The Wiz -- The Wizard of Oz -- Woman of the Year -- Wonderful Town -- You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown -- Your Own Thing -- Ziegfeld Follies -- Zorba.
Broadway Stories by 
Encyclopedia of Musical Theater by
A lot has happened in the musical theatre over the last ten years. New shows have opened and closed, new talents have emerged, and hit shows have made triumphant returns to Broadway. Now, the acclaimed Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre -- a 1994 Dartmouth Medal honorable mention -- has been fully revised and updated to document such developments with 500 new articles, more than 4,000 revised articles and dozens of color photos. From the dawn of operetta in the 18th century to the present, this set offers an unrivaled amount of information on the people, the songs and shows in America and around the world.
Great musicals of the American theatre, with an introduction and notes on the plays, authors and composers by
Includes the librettos of Leave it to me, Lady in the dark, Lost in the stars, Wonderful town, Fiorello, Camelot, Man of La Mancha, Cabaret, Applause, and A little night music.
Musical! by
MUSICAL! is a complete narrative history of the musical theater in the United States from the 19th century to the present day. Engaging, witty, and opinionated, this is a history that successfully navigates the course between academic lecture and entertaining survey.
Not since Carrie by 
The Rise and Fall of the Broadway Musical by
Winner of the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award (2005) Many of today's Broadway shows, from Rent to The Lion King, have become commercial hits, but do they have the cultural importance or the dramatic and musical artistry of such enduring productions as Oklahoma!, Show Boat, or Kiss Me, Kate? Mark N. Grant traces the transformation of singing and melody, libretto and lyric writing, dance rhythms, sound design, and choreography and stage direction through three distinct eras: the formative period (1866-1927), the golden age (1927-1966), and the fall (1967 to the present). He explores how and why the unsophisticated genre of pre-1927 musical comedy evolved into the creative, innovative, and immensely popular theatre produced by the likes of Rodgers and Hammerstein and then steadily faded as a significant entertainment genre in American culture, giving rise to the "McMusicals" of today. This provocative, sometimes irreverent work offers a refreshing perspective on the history of American musical theatre and provides strong views on restoring the genre to its former greatness.
The Untold Stories of Broadway, Volume 1 by
Do you wish you were in the audience during Barbra Streisand's final performance of Funny Girl on Broadway? Do you wonder how far Jonathan Groff was willing to go to score tickets to Thoroughly Modern Millie? And are you dying to know which beloved TV star and Tony Award winner was caught with his pants down in front of a movie legend? From opening nights to closing nights. From secret passageways to ghostly encounters. From Broadway debuts to landmark productions. Score a front row seat to hear hundreds of stories about the most important stages in the world, seen through the eyes of the producers, actors, stage hands, writers, musicians, company managers, dressers, designers, directors, ushers, and door men who bring The Great White Way to life each night. You'll never look at Broadway the same way again. This is the first book in a multi-volume series that will tell the stories of all of the Broadway houses. Volume 1 includes the Winter Garden, the Richard Rodgers, the Marriott Marquis, the Al Hirschfeld, the Neil Simon, the August Wilson, the Mark Hellinger, and the Lyceum: eight Broadway theaters that light up New York City.
Acting in Musical Theatre by
Acting in Musical Theatreremains the only complete course in approaching a role in a musical. It covers fundamental skills for novice actors, practical insights for professionals, and even tips to help veteran musical performers refine their craft. Updates in this expanded and revised second edition include: A brand new companion website for students and teachers, including Powerpoint lecture slides, sample syllabi, and checklists for projects and exercises. Learning outcomes for each chapter to guide teachers and students through the book's core ideas and lessons New style overviews for pop and jukebox musicals Extensive updated professional insights from field testing with students, young professionals, and industry showcases Full-colour production images, bringing each chapter to life Acting in Musical Theatre's chapters divide into easy-to-reference units, each containing group and solo exercises, making it the definitive textbook for students and practitioners alike.
Get the Callback by
The easy-to-use handbook Get the Callback: The Art of Auditioning for Musical Theatre offers practical advice on all the facets of auditioning, walking the reader step by step through the audition process, explaining what to expect, how to behave, and how to prepare for a winning audition. It also coaches the actor through the ins and outs of pursuing a career in musical theatre. Through his professional and teaching experience, Jonathan Flom presents the material in an easily accessible way. Get the Callback proceeds chronologically through the audition process, beginning with finding auditions and reading and interpreting casting calls. Flom discusses many facets of preparation, including selecting songs and monologues to suit your voice and the audition, organizing and arranging your music, working with the accompanist, and presenting yourself to the directors. He gives a detailed description of the actual audition performance and even offers advice on how non-dancers can survive a dance audition. The book includes valuable information on callbacks and how to field job offers, providing advice on contracts and negotiations. Further information on getting professional headshots, designing a quality resume, and writing winning cover letters is also included, each with examples. Unique to this volume is a chapter on auditioning for college training programs. The book concludes with three appendixes: a list of recommended dos and don'ts, and two lists of appropriate audition repertoire by genre and by actor type, as well as a glossary of terms.
How to Make It in Musicals by
This career manual offers aspiring singer-dancers the know-how they need to make it as performers. Starting with basics such as choosing a teacher and identifying the training needed, the guide moves on to offer advice on auditions and venues and tips from performers.
Audition by
Michael Shurtleff has been casting director for Broadway shows like Chicago and Becket and for films like The Graduate and Jesus Christ Superstar. His legendary course on auditioning has launched hundreds of successful careers. Now in this book he tells the all-important HOW for all aspiring actors, from the beginning student of acting to the proven talent trying out for that chance-in-a-million role!
Avenue Q - The Musical by
(Applause Libretto Library). Anyone who grew up watching Sesame Street on public television will quickly be able to identify the inspiration for Avenue Q . Most of the characters in the show are puppets, and the set depicts several tenements on a rundown street in New York City. Several characters are parodies of Sesame Street regulars: for example, the roommates Rod and Nicky are based on Bert and Ernie, while Trekkie Monster is based on Cookie Monster. However, these characters are in their twenties and thirties and face adult problems; despite the fuzzy faces, this is not a children's show. After a run lasting more than six years and 2,534 performances, the Broadway production of Avenue Q ranks in the top 25 longest running shows in Broadway history and continues to have productions run worldwide.
Baker Street, a musical adventure of Sherlock Holmes. by 
Cabaret by
The four 1998 Tony Awards given to the Roundabout Theatre's production of Cabaret add to the eight Tonys the musical won in 1966 and the eight Oscars the film version garnered in 1972. Surely one of the most acclaimed and beloved plays of all time, this modern classic is honored for the first time in a lavishly illustrated book. Here is the complete musical book by Joe Masteroff and all the words of the songs written by John Kander and Fred Ebb. It is illustrated with more than 100 photographs and drawings (including 74 in full color) of the original cast of the Roundabout 's smash Broadway production by Joan Marcus, never-before- published backstage photographs by Rivka Katvan, and archival photos of past productions. The accompanying text explores the evolution of the play in all its incarnations, from the 1930 stories of Christopher Isherwood to two films and three stage adaptations. Here are all the fantastic artists who have brought this play to life: Julie Harris (the original Sally Bowles), Joel Grey, Liza Minnelli, Natasha Richardson, Alan Cumming, Ron Rifkin, and directors Hal Prince, Bob Fosse, Sam Mendes, and Rob Marshall. Also featured are original drawings by costume designer William Ivey Long and set designer Robert Brill. For theatre lovers and film fans, for those who've seen the play and those who haven't, this book is an exclusive insider's glimpse into a stage and film phenomenon, one of the most astonishing artistic achievements of our time.
City of Angels by
(Applause Libretto Library). The libretto to the Tony winning musical featuring a book by Larry Gelbart, music by Cy Coleman, and lyrics by David Zippel. The book also includes an introduction by Larry Gelbart, illustrations by Al Hirschfeld, production photographs, and original costume designs.
Dear Evan Hansen by
Winner of the 2017 Tony Award for Best Musical "Dear Evan Hansen lodges in your head long after you''ve seen it or heard it or read it. It feels like a pure expression from young writers at a crossroad of coming to terms with who they are and what they want to say about the world. Its honesty and truths haunt and ultimately open us up to ask the same question, no matter what our age or crossroad: What are the lies we tell ourselves?" -James Lapine (from the Foreword) "A gorgeous new musical. Rarely--scratch that--never have I heard so many stifled sobs and sniffles in the theater. For those allergic to synthetic sentiment, rest assured that the show, with a haunting score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, matched by a book of equal sensitivity by Steven Levenson, doesn''t sledgehammer home its affecting story. On the contrary, the musical finds endless nuances in the relationships among its characters, and makes room for some leavening humor too. The musical is ideal for families looking for something more complex than the usual sugary diversions. But then it should also appeal to just about anyone who has ever felt, at some point in life, that he or she was trapped "on the outside looking in," as one lyric has it. Which is just about everybody with a beating heart." -Charles Isherwood,New York Times "Ravishingly bittersweet... A marvelous score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and an equally accomplished book by Steven Levenson...Dear Evan Hansen rolls onto some highly sensitive terrain--the writers are taking a serious look here at the ways in which we a s a culture exploit others'' misfortunes, a phenomenon abetted by the high-speed interventions of social media. The delight here is that Pasek, Paul, and Levenson do understand how to make this seemingly unmusical idea sing, and sing grandly." -Peter Marks, Washington Post "So fine in its craft and rich in its themes that, like the best works of any genre, it rewards being seen again--and again." -Jesse Green,New York Magazine "Terrific, gripping, and heartfelt. With a gorgeously melodic score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and a smart and soulful book by the playwright Steven Levenson,Dear Evan Hansen feels like a theatrical beachhead planted by (and, partly, for) millennials." -Adam Green, Vogue "Dear Evan Hansen is smartly crafted, emotionally open-hearted, and ideally cast. It has been embraced by millennials--yet its appeal is universal. Whatever your age, you''ll watch Dear Evan Hansen with the shock of recognition, and be touched by the honesty with which it portrays the smothering sensation of being an adolescent misfit, an awkward loser trapped in an indifferent world of self-assured winners." -Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed could be his. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he''s always wanted: a chance to belong. Deeply personal and profoundly universal,Dear Evan Hansen is a groundbreaking American musical about truth, fiction, and the price we''re willing to pay for the possibility to connect. *This publication includes the book and lyrics to the musical, as well as a foreword by James Lapine. Please note that it does not include the musical score.* Steven Levensonis the book writer forDear Evan Hansen. His plays include If I Forget, The Unavoidable Disappearance of Tom Durnin, Core Values, The Language of Trees, and Seven Minutes in Heaven. A graduate of Brown University, he served for three seasons as a writer and producer on Showtime''s Master of Sex. Benj Pasek & Justin Paulare the song-writing team behindDear Evan Hansen. Previous musicals include A Christmas Story: The Musical, Dogfight, James and the Giant Peach, and Edges. Their film projects include La La Land (for which they won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "City of Stars," with composer Justin Hurwitz), Trolls, Snow White, and The Greatest Showman. Their television credits include The Flash, Smash, and Johnny and the Sprites. Both are graduates of the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Program and members of the Dramatists Guild of America, Inc.
The Full Monty by
(Applause Libretto Library). "Full of brilliance! It's a blockbuster and a mold-breaker. A one-of-a-kind Broadway musical. I loved it!" Clive Barnes, The New York Post "A delightful salute to the human spirit!" David Hinckley, The Daily News " Monty works on every level and is the kind of audience-pleaser that Broadway desperately needs." Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
Hairspray by
(Applause Books). Hairspray is the 2003 Tony Award winner for Best Musical! Based on filmmaker John Waters' affectionately subversive homage to his Baltimore youth, Hairspray takes place in 1962. Chubby Tracy Turnblad (Marissa Jaret Winokur, 2003 Tony winner for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical) is transformed into a teen celebrity on a local TV dance program. With her irresistible stage mother (Harvey Fierstein, 2003 Tony winner for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical) at her side, she attempts to win the heart of the local heartthrob and integrate "The Corny Collins Show" at the same time.
Hamilton by
Winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical Lin-Manuel Miranda's groundbreaking musical Hamilton is as revolutionary as its subject, the poor kid from the Caribbean who fought the British, defended the Constitution, and helped to found the United States. Fusing hip-hop, pop, R&B, and the best traditions of theater, this once-in-a-generation show broadens the sound of Broadway, reveals the storytelling power of rap, and claims our country's origins for a diverse new generation. HAMILTON: THE REVOLUTION gives readers an unprecedented view of both revolutions, from the only two writers able to provide it. Miranda, along with Jeremy McCarter, a cultural critic and theater artist who was involved in the project from its earliest stages--"since before this was even a show," according to Miranda--traces its development from an improbable performance at the White House to its landmark opening night on Broadway six years later. In addition, Miranda has written more than 200 funny, revealing footnotes for his award-winning libretto, the full text of which is published here. Their account features photos by the renowned Frank Ockenfels and veteran Broadway photographer, Joan Marcus; exclusive looks at notebooks and emails; interviews with Questlove, Stephen Sondheim, leading political commentators, and more than 50 people involved with the production; and multiple appearances by President Obama himself. The book does more than tell the surprising story of how a Broadway musical became a national phenomenon: It demonstrates that America has always been renewed by the brash upstarts and brilliant outsiders, the men and women who don't throw away their shot.
Into the Woods by
"That joyous rarity, a work of sophisticated artistic ambition and deep political purpose that affords nonstop pleasure."--William A. Henry III, Time
The King and I by
Summary: St. James Theatre, Rodgers and Hammerstein present Gertrude Lawrence in a new musical play, "The King and I, " music by Richard Rodgers, book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, 2nd. based on the novel "Anna and the King of Siam, " by Margaret Landon, with Yul Brynner, Dorothy Sarnoff, Doretta Morrow, directed by John Van Druten, settings and lighting by Jo Mielziner, costumes designed by Irene Sharaff, choreography by Jerome Robbins, orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett, musical direction by Frederick Dvonch.
The Light in the Piazza by
Winner of six Tony Awards "A wondrous fable that is as simple and complicated as its ineffable subject--love. The Light in the Piazza has ravishing power. It's as if Guettel were determined to capture the golden light of Tuscany in a bottle. His lyrics are remarkable, and the book, written by Craig Lucas, is written with characteristic empathy and humor. Brilliant." -Frank Rich "The Light in the Piazza beautifully captures the eternal allure of Italy. . . . The story wraps itself around your heart."--Chicago Sun-Times "Sumptuous and romantic. Guettel's music and lyrics represent a genuine expense of spirit. The Light in the Piazza offers a complex contemplation of the well-defended emptiness of every man and woman. It doesn't want theatergoers to feel good; it wants to make them feel deeply. And it does." -New Yorker Composer Adam Guettel, best known for his Floyd Collins, has teamed with Prelude to a Kiss playwright Craig Lucas to create a passionate and soaring new musical. Based on Elizabeth Spencer's 1960 novella, The Light in the Piazza is the story of a young American woman whose chance encounter with a charming young Italian man in a Florentine piazza sets off a whirlwind romance, with an unsettling revelation. Craig Lucas is a playwright, screenwriter and director. His plays include Prelude to a Kiss, Reckless, Blue Window, God's Heart, The Singing Forest and Small Tragedy. His screenplays include Longtime Companion, The Secret Lives of Dentists and The Dying Gaul, which he also directed. Mr. Lucas' awards include the L.A. Drama Critics Award, an OBIE Award for Best Play and Best Director, and the Excellence in Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Adam Guettel is a composer/lyricist living in Seattle, where he is Artist in Residence at the Intiman Theatre. His other work includes Floyd Collins and Saturn Returns (recorded by Nonesuch Records as Myths and Hymns). Mr. Guettel's awards include the Stephen Sondheim Award, the ASCAP New Horizons Award, and the American Composers Orchestra Award.
Oklahoma! by
(Applause Libretto Library). Rodgers & Hammerstein's first collaboration remains, in many ways, their most innovative, having set the standards and established the rules of musical theatre still being followed today. Set in a Western Indian territory just after the turn of the century, the high-spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys provides the colorful background against which Curly, a handsome cowboy, and Laurey, a winsome farm girl, play out their love story. Although the road to true love never runs smooth, with these two headstrong romantics holding the reins, love's journey is as bumpy as a surrey ride down a country road. That they will succeed in making a new life together we have no doubt, and that this new life will begin in a brand-new state provides the ultimate climax to the triumphant Oklahoma!
Rent by
In these pages, Rent offers what most theater books can't: a chance to step behind the curtain and feel the electricity of a stage phenomenon as it unfolds. Rent has single-handedly reinvigorated Broadway and taken America by storm. Sweeping all major theater awards, including the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for drama, as well as four 1996 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score for a Musical, Rent captures the heart and spirit of a generation, refleting it onstage through the emotion of its stirring words and music, and the energy of its young cast. Now, for the first time, Rent comes to life on the page -- through vivid color photographs, the full libretto, and an utterly compelling behind-the-scenes oral history of the show's creation. Here is the exclusive and absolutely complete companion to Rent, told in the voices of the extraordinary talent behind its success: the actors, the director, the producers, and the librettist and composer himself, Jonathan Larson, whose sudden death, on the eve of the first performance, has made Rent's life-affirming message all the more poignant.
Robert and Elizabeth : a new musical / from an original idea by Fred G. Morritt, based on The Barretts of Wimpole Street by Rudolph Besier by 
The Secret Garden by
A moving adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1911 novel, the story of a ten-year-old orphan's search for love and self-discovery in her uncle's locked garden. With her Tony-award winning book and lyrics, Norman recreates the classic form of the traditional American musical.
She Loves Me by 
Spring Awakening by
"This brave new musical, haunting and electrifying by turns, restores the mystery, the thrill to that shattering transformation that stirs in all our souls."--Charles Isherwood, The New York Times "The staggering purity of this show will touch all open hearts...In its refined, imaginative simplicity, it daringly reverses all the conventional rules by returning the American musical to an original state of innocence."--John Heilpern, The New York Observer "An unexpected jolt of sudden genius, edgy in its brutally honest, unromanticized depiction of human sexuality."--New York Post Spring Awakening is an extraordinary new rock musical with book and lyrics by Steven Sater and music by Grammy Award-nominated recording artist Duncan Sheik. Inspired by Frank Wedekind's controversial 1891 play about teenage sexuality and society's efforts to control it, the piece seamlessly merges past and present, underscoring the timelessness of adolescent angst and the universality of human passion. Steven Sater's plays include the long-running Carbondale Dreams, Perfect for You, Doll (Rosenthal Prize/Cincinnati Playhouse), Umbrage (Steppenwolf New Play Prize), and a reconceived version of Shakespeare's Tempest, which played in London. Duncan Sheik is a singer/songwriter who also collaborated with Sater on the musical The Nightingale. He has composed original music for The Gold Rooms of Nero and for The Public Theater's Twelfth Night in Central Park.
Lazarus by
"Lazarus...continually emphasizes the surreal over the explicit at nearly every turn... It's all strange and wonderful and heartbreaking and funny in alternating measure.” --Rolling Stone One of the last works completed by beloved pop icon David Bowie before his death in early 2016, the otherworldly musical Lazarus is a poignant homage to his legacy. Brimming with both classic songs as well as several new compositions, Lazarus weaves a thrilling rock opera from Bowie’s greatest hits. The musical is based on the bestselling novel The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Telvis (also adapted into the 1976 film starring a young Bowie), and serves as an intoxicating sequel to Tevis’ narrative, in which the central figure, Thomas Newton, finds himself in the throes of addiction and an inescapable dreamlike reality. David Bowie released over thirty albums throughout his fifty years in the music industry, including The Man Who Sold the World, Space Oddity, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Young Americans, Low and Heroes among others. His final album Blackstar was released to critical claim in January this year. Also an accomplished actor, Bowie appeared on Broadway in The Elephant Man, and can be seen in many films including The Last Temptation of Christ and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. In 1996, Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 1999, he became a Commandeur dans L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Enda Walsh is an award-winning Irish playwright. His plays include Ballyturk, Misterman, Penelope, The New Electric Ballroom, The Walworth Farce, The Small Things, Bedbound and Disco Pigs. He won a Tony Award in 2012 for writing the book for the musical Once. His work has been performed all over the world.
Mame, based on the novel by Patrick Dennis and the play "Auntie Mame" by Lawrence and Lee. by
"Mame was first produced in New York City by Fryer, Carr and Harris at the Winter Garden Theatre on May 24, 1966, with the following cast"--Head of cast list on page vii; cast list includes Beatrice Arthur in role of Vera Charles and Angela Lansbury in role of Mame Dennis. Includes black-and-white production photographs throughout.
Caroline, or Change by
The book and lyrics of the extraordinary musical theatre hit from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angels in America. Evening Standard Award for Best Musical Critics Circle Award for Best Musical Olivier Award for Best New Musical Louisiana, 1963: A nation reeling from the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement and the Kennedy assassination. Caroline, a black maid, and Noah, the son of the Jewish family she works for, struggle to find an identity for their friendship. Through their intimate story, this beautiful new musical portrays the changing rhythms of a nation. Tony Kushner and composer Jeanine Tesori have created a story that addresses contemporary questions of culture, community, race and class through the lens and musical pulse of the 1960s.
A man of no importance : a new musical by
Musical version of the 1994 motion picture of the same title, screenplay by Barry Devlin.
The Great Comet by
A behind-the-scenes look at the making of an award-winning musical! Here is the official, fascinating, behind-the scenes journey of the new musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, from its inception, to Off-Off Broadway, to Off-Broadway, to its premiere at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway. The musical is based on a dramatic 70-page slice of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace. Profusely illustrated, the book also includes an annotated script and a special CD with three songs from the Off-Broadway production and two all-new recordings for the Broadway production featuring Josh Groban with a 25-piece orchestra.
Cage aux Folles by
Based on the play by Jean Poiret Casting: 7m, 3f, w/chorus of 10m, 2f Scenery: Various Sets WINNER Best Revival of a Musical - 2010 Tony(R) Awards WINNER Outstanding Revival of a Musical - 2010 Outer Critics Circle Award WINNER Outstanding Revival of a Musical - 2010 Drama Desk Award WINNER Best Musical - 1984 Tony(R) Awards Much revived, most recently in a 2010 production transferred to Broadway from London's Menier Chocolate Factory, La Cage Aux Folles remains one of the all time biggest hits, adding new dimension to the boulevard comedy. After twenty years of un-wedded bliss Georges and Albin, two men partnered for better-or-worse get a bit of both when Georges' son (fathered during a one-night fling) announces his impending marriage to the daughter of a bigoted, right-wing politician. Further complicating the situation is the 'family business': Albin and Georges run a transvestite nightclub in St. Tropez, where Albin is the star performer 'Zaza'. Georges reluctantly agrees to masquerade as normal when he meets the family of the bride-to-be. But Albin has other plans, with hilarious results.This is Jerry Herman's best musical yet-happier, more assertive, more buoyant than Hello Dolly or Mame.-New York Post The schmaltziest, most old fashioned major musical since Annie. Highly enjoyable.-The New York Times
Follies by
32 players ; various groups of showgirls, dancers and singers. Singers and dancers appear as guests, waiters, waitresses, photographers, chorus girls, chorus boys, etc.
A little night music : a new musical comedy by 