Musical Theatre: A History
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Product Description
Review
"Communications director of New York's York Theatre Company and manager of the Web site musicals101.com...Kenrick demonstrates his considerable knowledge in this enjoyable, well-written volume...Specific examples about particular performers (e.g., Al Jolson) and shows (e.g., Franz Lehar's Merry Widow) enliven the text... A section of photos, most not the usual views, is a modest addition. In place of references, the author lists titles cited in a useful annotated bibliography. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers." R.D. Johnson, CHOICE, January 2009
Product Description
"Musical Theatre" is a comprehensive history of stage musicals ranging from Paris, Ancient Greece and Rome during the 1840s all the way up to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Broadway as it we know it today. Like every art form, musical theatre has been changing and evolving since its inception more than 2000 years ago. "Musical Theatre: A History" presents a comprehensive history of stage musicals from the earliest accounts of the ancient Greeks and Romans, for whom songs were common elements in staging, to Jacques Offenbach in Paris during the 1840s, to Gilbert and Sullivan in the UK, to the rise of music halls and vaudeville traditions in America, and eventually to 'Broadway's Golden Age' with George and Ira Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein, Leondard Bernstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The 21st century has also brought a popular new wave of musicals to the Broadway stage, from 'The Producers' to 'Spamalot'. "Musical Theatre: A History" covers it all, from the opening number to the curtain call, offering readers the most up-to-date history of the art form. As informative as it is entertaining, "Musical Theatre" offers an accessibly written history of the musical theatre, richly illustrated with anecdotes is cause for celebration a legion of devoted fans.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This one is a must for Musical Theatre buffs and students. There are plenty of useful details about the history, background and biography of writers, composers and stars, and all those little bits of gossip that just help things along.
The book has the snowball effect as well: the further you get into it, the less you want to put it down and the more you want to know.
John Kenrick has a pleasant style, fairly easy to read in spite of the fact that things occasionally get pretty complicated. The book is about how it all happened, and how it keeps changing. It is for people who like their history fairly neat; it's not the book for those who want to discuss theatrical interpretation or a discussion of stars' playing style.
For the British it is lacking in detail from our perspective, though that would be better remedied by a British expert writing their own history of Musical Theatre. Some of Kenrick's remarks do come across as parochial, or even resentful of British style from the 80s, which is rather disappointing as the rest of the book is so well-balanced. You can't have everything.
The book has the snowball effect as well: the further you get into it, the less you want to put it down and the more you want to know.
John Kenrick has a pleasant style, fairly easy to read in spite of the fact that things occasionally get pretty complicated. The book is about how it all happened, and how it keeps changing. It is for people who like their history fairly neat; it's not the book for those who want to discuss theatrical interpretation or a discussion of stars' playing style.
For the British it is lacking in detail from our perspective, though that would be better remedied by a British expert writing their own history of Musical Theatre. Some of Kenrick's remarks do come across as parochial, or even resentful of British style from the 80s, which is rather disappointing as the rest of the book is so well-balanced. You can't have everything.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5 reviews
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
An Indispensable Guide For Those Who Love Musicals!
15 July 2008
Format:Hardcover
I've been hooked on musicals since I saw my first one on Broadway back in the 1960's. It's obvious that John Kenrick is even more so. His knowledge and expertise on this art form clearly comes through in his conversational writing style. The who, when, where, what, why and how of the various musicals through the ages are truly informational gems. This is a great book that allows the reader to peek behind the curtain while studying musical theatre's evolution. It is a great source book for those of us who aren't in musical theatre and wish to test our knowledge of what we have seen or know; as well as to track down totally unfamiliar musicals and discover what's been missed. I always thought of the musical as having come into existence in the last 100 or so years. Boy was I wrong! "Musical Theatre-A History" is an excellent read and reference!
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
A Solid and Comprehensive Bargain
8 Jan 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Does any work fill all of the needs we might wish to find? I doubt it; but a few typographical errors aside, I have decided to use Mr. Kendrick's work as a text for first-time students in Musical Theatre. Hooray that we went back to the Greeks and acknowledged both that the format did nopt start in America and also that he does not hold THE BLACK CROOK as a sudden miracle post Civil War. And even the renowned Mr. Brockett willingly admits that no book can hold all the various ranges that can be covered in theatre history; thankfully works have been photoed, filmed, taped and, yes, even U-Tubed so that a non-picture book can be sucessfully supplemented. The book works well, maybe not for the graduate student in theatre, but for a comprehensive view of the Maerican Musical Theatre.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful
An Indispensible Resource - and a Great Read!
19 Sep 2008
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I couldn't agree more with K Carlson - this book is a great read. At any age.
I know lots of students - including students of the theatre - and they've shown me that JA Kawasky's declaration of the death of reading is premature. While Kenrick's book does not boast a CD, it combines scholarship with great readability, and is great fun, besides. (Compare R Knapp's two books, The American Musical Theatre and the Performance of Personal Identity; ... and the Formation of National Identity - which DO have CDs, but are pedantic and unreadable).
Highly recommended.
I know lots of students - including students of the theatre - and they've shown me that JA Kawasky's declaration of the death of reading is premature. While Kenrick's book does not boast a CD, it combines scholarship with great readability, and is great fun, besides. (Compare R Knapp's two books, The American Musical Theatre and the Performance of Personal Identity; ... and the Formation of National Identity - which DO have CDs, but are pedantic and unreadable).
Highly recommended.
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