Author: Julian WoolfordPublisher: Theatrebook
ISBN: 9781848421752
Category : Musicals
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
A practical guide to, and history of, musical theatre. What makes the great shows work, and why some never did.
Writing Musical Theater
Author: A. CohenPublisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137048107
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 293
Book Description
This guide to the modern musical covers the entire process of creating a show, from finding and working out the initial idea, through to the ways in which writers can market a finished show and get it produced. For the interested theatregoer and writers, it is written in a lively and user-friendly style and illustrated with numerous examples.
Author: David SpencerThe Secret Life of the American Musical
Author: Jack ViertelPublisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 0374711259
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 336
Book Description
New York Times Bestseller: “Both revelatory and entertaining . . . Along the way, Viertel provides some fascinating Broadway history.” —The New York Times Book Review Americans invented musicals—and have a longstanding love affair with them. But what, exactly, is a musical? In this book, longtime theatrical producer and writer Jack Viertel takes them apart, puts them back together, sings their praises, and occasionally despairs over their more embarrassing shortcomings. In the process, he shows us how musicals happen, what makes them work, how they captivate audiences, and how one landmark show leads to the next—by design or by accident, by emulation or by rebellion—from Oklahoma! to Hamilton and onward. Beginning with an overture and concluding with a curtain call, with stops in between for “I Want” songs, “conditional” love songs, production numbers, star turns, and finales, Viertel shows us patterns in the architecture of classic shows and charts the inevitable evolution that has taken place in musical theater as America itself has evolved socially and politically. The Secret Life of the American Musical makes you feel like you’re there in the rehearsal room, the front row, and the offices of theater owners and producers as they pursue their own love affair with that rare and elusive beast—the Broadway hit. “A valuable addition to the theater lover’s bookshelf. . . . fans will appreciate the dips into memoir and Viertel’s takes on original cast albums.” —Publishers Weekly “Even seasoned hands will come away with a clearer understanding of why some shows work while others flop.” —Commentary “A showstopper . . . infectiously entertaining.” —John Lahr, author of Notes on a Cowardly Lion “Thoroughly interesting.” —The A.V. Club “The best general-audience analysis of musical theater I have read in many years.” —The Charlotte Observer “Delightful . . . a little bit history, a little bit memoir, a little bit criticism and, for any theater fan, a whole lot of fun.” —The Dallas Morning News
Words with Music
Author: Lehman EngelPublisher: Hal Leonard Corporation
ISBN: 1557835543
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 482
Book Description
The dean of Broadway musical directors examines the dynamics of how the book, music and lyrics work together to create such hits as My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof, Guys and Dolls, Hair, Pal Joey, West Side Story, Company, South Pacific, Threepenny Opera and Porgy and Bess. Howard Kissel, chief theater critic for the New York Daily News, extends the reach of Engel's subjects by bringing them up to date with commentary on such shows as A Chorus Line, Nine, Sunday in the Park with George, Rent, Working and Falsettos. Kissel offers a thoughtful history on how musical theater has evolved in the three decades since Engel wrote Words with Music (1972) and how Engel's classic work remains vital and illuminating today.
Beating Broadway
Author: Steve CudenPublisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781481223027
Category : Broadway (New York, N.Y.)
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The popularity of musicals has reached an all-time high leading to the development of numerous original shows. In this comprehensive new guide, Beating Broadway: How to Create Stories for Musicals That Get Standing Ovations, written by veteran storyteller and successful creator of musicals Steve Cuden, readers learn how the plots and stories behind musicals are developed and honed. With a breezy, lighthearted approach, creators at all levels are provided key advice for building winning musical stories. Cuden, who has been there, done that, offers writers the know-how and encouragement to construct brilliant, attention-grabbing musical storylines. Beating Broadway provides readers with practical, down-to-earth advice for crafting successful musical theater stories that will reach audiences everywhere. This complete, two-part manual also guides aspiring writers in what it takes to develop shows that can attract Broadway producers. By showing writers the ins and outs of storytelling required for today's commercial musical theater, Beating Broadway places success firmly within grasp. Readers also gain insight into how stories function in forty of the world's most beloved stage and movie musicals as Cuden breaks down each one into key narrative beats and plot points. "Beating Broadway is a take-you-by-the-hand guided tutorial written by a seasoned professional who really knows his stuff. This book feeds your mind with how stories for musicals are made. If you are interested in creating or producing a musical, Steve's insights will be helpful and inspiring to you.JEFF MARX, Tony winning Composer/Lyricist of Avenue Q "Beating Broadway digs deep to the core of how stories for successful musicals are created. This is a must-have book for anyone who wants to write exceptional musicals or is just a fan."SCOTT WITTMAN, Tony Winning Lyricist of Hairspray and Co-Lyricist and Executive Producer for the Hit TV Series, Smash "Beat-by-beat, Steve Cuden breaks down story, structure, and song spotting so you can beat the Broadway musical before it beats you!"CHERI STEINKELLNER, Emmy-winning Writer/Producer of Cheers and Teacher's Pet, Tony-nominated Writer of Sister Act
The Rough Guide to Film Musicals
Author: David ParkinsonPublisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0756647126
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 340
Book Description
The perfect companion to cinema's most spectacular genre, The Rough Guide to Film Musicals reveals how an escapist entertainment became Hollywood's most ingenious art form. From such enduring classics as Singin' In The Rain and West Side Story to recent successes like Evita and Chicago, this book reviews 50 essential musicals, including several forgotten gems. There are profiles of musical icons such as Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and George Gershwin and details of musicals from around the world. Complete with a list of the best soundtracks, websites and books for further reading, this Rough Guide takes a behind the scenes look at this magical movie genre.
The Commercial Theater Institute Guide to Producing Plays and Musicals
Author: Frederic B. VogelPublisher: Hal Leonard Corporation
ISBN: 1476849188
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
(Applause Books). The Commercial Theater Institute sponsors an annual intensive program in New York for individuals interested in producing or investing in the theatre that attracts people from all over the world. The top working theatre professionals offer hard, factual information to those interested in producing for Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, anywhere in North America, as well as in the United Kingdom. The Commercial Theater Institute Guide to Producing Plays and Musicals now collects for the first time the cream of the crop of that advice, from the noted theatre professionals who participate in the program, in their own words. Interviews, contributions, and a resource directory are included from 30 theatre professionals who have won a total of 45 Tony Awards. Agents, directors, production designers, general managers, fundraisers, marketing directors, producers, and theatrical attorneys all offer invaluable advice in a book that will be the definitive resource in its field.
Twenty-First Century Musicals
Author: George RodosthenousPublisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317234057
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 427
Book Description
Twenty-First Century Musicals stakes a place for the musical in today’s cinematic landscape, taking a look at leading contemporary shows from their stage origins to their big-screen adaptations. Each chapter offers a new perspective on a single musical, challenging populist narratives and exploring underlying narratives and sub-texts in depth. Themes of national identity; race, class and gender; the ‘voice’ and ‘singing live’ on film; authenticity; camp sensibilities; and the celebration of failure are addressed in a series of questions including: How does the film adaptation provide a different viewing experience from the stage version? What themes are highlighted in the film adaptation? What does the new casting bring to the work? Do camera angles dictate a different reading from the stage version? What is lost/gained in the process of adaptation to film? Re-interpreting the contemporary film musical as a compelling art form, Twenty-First Century Musicals is a must-read for any student or scholar keen to broaden their understanding of musical performance.
How Broadway Works
Author: Sharon Grace PowersPublisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1493059955
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 285
Book Description
How Broadway Works celebrates the unsung, out-of-sight people on Broadway who bring a production to the stage and shows young people interested in theater that there are myriad of vocations other than acting. What an audience sees is what is presented on stage: the actors, lights, orchestra, musicians, and sometimes stagehands. What they don’t see is backstage, where many theater professionals collaborate to bring the production to an audience. The most visible career in a production is acting, but not everyone can act or even wishes to be in the spotlight, but still yearns to be part of the theater world. There are several jobs in the theater community where their talents may fit. Theater professional Sharon Grace Powers highlights the positions behind the curtain that work together to put on a show. She focuses on an area of theater production on Broadway, including what the job is, what the job requirements are, what an artist’s process is, and how that specific job is integrated into the fabric of a show’s production.
