Anything goes : a history of American musical theatre / Ethan Mordden.

Author/creator Mordden, Ethan, 1947-
Format Book
PublicationNew York : Oxford University Press, 2013.
Descriptionxii, 346 pages, 16 pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm
Subjects
Musicals--United States. --History and criticism.

Contents The First Age. Source material ; The age of burlesque ; At the turn of the century -- The Second Age. The witch of the wood and the bamboo tree ; Victor Herbert ; The new music ; The variety show. -- The Third Age. The structure of twenties musical comedy ; The structure of twenties operetta ; Dancing in the dark ; Blue Monday blues ; The Rodgers and Hammerstein handbook ; Something to dance about ; After West Side story ; The Sondheim handbook. -- The Fourth Age. Devolution ; That is the state of the art.
Summary Ethan Mordden has been hailed as "a sharp-eared listener and a discerning critic," by Opera News, which compares his books to "dinner with a knowledgeable, garrulous companion." The "preeminent historian of the American musical" (New York Times), he "brings boundless energy and enthusiasm buttressed by an arsenal of smart anecdotes" (Wall Street Journal). Now Mordden offers an entirely fresh and infectiously delightful history of American musical theatre. This book stages a grand revue of the musical from the 1700s through to the present day, narrated in Mordden's famously witty, scholarly, and conversational style. He places us in a bare rehearsal room as the cast of Oklahoma! changes history by psychoanalyzing the plot in the greatest of the musical's many Dream Ballets. And he gives us tickets for orchestra seats on opening night-raising the curtain on the pleasures of Victor Herbert's The Red Mill and the thrill of Porgy and Bess. Mordden examines the music, of course, but also more neglected elements. Dance was once considered as crucial as song; he follows it from the nineteenth century's zany hoofing to tap "combinations" of the 1920s, from the injection of ballet and modern dance in the 1930s and '40s to the innovations of Bob Fosse. He also explores the changing structure of musical comedy and operetta, and the evolution of the role of the star. Fred Stone, the avuncular Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, seldom varied his acting from part to part; but the versatile Ethel Merman turned the headlining role inside out in Gypsy, playing a character who was selfish, fierce, and destructive. From "ballad opera" to burlesque, from Fiddler on the Roof to Rent, the history and lore of the musical unfolds here in a performance worthy of a standing ovation.
Abstract Offers a history of American musical theater from the 1920s through to the 1970s, and includes such famous works as "Oklahoma!," "The Red Mill," and "Porgy and Bess."
General noteDiscography: pages 291-322.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references and index.
LCCN 2013000208
ISBN9780199892839 (alk. paper)
ISBN0199892830 (alk. paper)

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Music Music Stacks ML1711 .M732 2013 ✔ Available Place Hold