LEADER 04651nam 2200349 a 4500001 ocm36112259 003 OCoLC 005 20141212124653.0 008 961213s1997 nyua bk 001 0 eng 010 96053477 020 0195107918 (acid-free paper) 035 (Sirsi) o36112259 035 (OCoLC)36112259 040 DLC |cDLC |dERE |dUtOrBLW 049 EREM 050 00 ML1711.8.N3 |bB56 1997 100 1 Block, Geoffrey Holden, |d1948- |=^A665876 245 10 Enchanted evenings : |bthe Broadway musical from Show Boat to Sondheim / |cGeoffrey Block. 260 New York : |bOxford University Press, |c1997. 300 xx, 410 pages : |billustrations ; |c25 cm 336 text |2rdacontent 337 unmediated |2rdamedia 338 volume |2rdacarrier 504 Discography: pages 303-310. 504 Includes bibliographical references (pages 393-399) and index. 505 00 |gOverture. |gIntroduction: setting the stage -- |gAct I: |tBefore Rodgers and Hammerstein. |tShow Boat: in the beginning -- |tAnything Goes: Songs ten, book three -- |tPorgy and Bess: Broadway opera -- |tOn Your Toes and Pal Joey: Dance gets into the act and "Sweet water from a foul well" -- |tThe Cradle Will Rock: a labor musical for art's sake -- |tLady in the Dark and One Touch of Venus: the Broadway stranger and his American dreams -- |gAct II: |tThe Broadway musical after Oklahoma! -- |tCarousel: the invasion of the integrated musical -- |tKiss me, Kate: the taming of Cole Porter -- |tGuys and Dolls and The Most Happy Fella: the greater Loesser -- |tMy Fair Lady: from Pygmalion to Cinderella -- |tWest Side Story: the very model of a major musical -- |tHappily ever after West Side Story with Sondheim -- |gSynopses -- 505 0 Appendix A. Sources, published librettos, and vocal scores ; B. Long runs 1920s-1980s ; C. The forty longest-running book musicals on Broadway ; D. Show Boat. Broadway 1927 ; Principal changes in selected stage productions and films (1928-1994) ; Manuscript sources for Ravenal's entrance and meeting with Magnolia ; E. Anything Goes. Broadway 1934 ; Off-Broadway revival 1962 ; Lincoln Center revival 1987 ; F. Porgy and Bess. Songs, arias, and themes ; G. On Your Toes. Broadway 1936 and Broadway revival 1983 ; Pal Joey. Broadway 1940 and Broadway revival 1952 ; I. The Cradle Will Rock. Broadway 1937 ; J. Lady in the Dark. Broadway 1941 ; K. One Touch of Venus. Broadway 1943 ; L. Carousel. Broadway 1945 ; M. Kiss Me, Kate. Broadway 1948. Spewack libretto draft (May 28, 1948) ; N. Guys and Dolls. Broadway 1950 ; O. The Most Happy Fella. Broadway 1956 ; P. My Fair Lady. Broadway 1956 ; Q. West Side Story. Broadway 1957. Libretto drafts 1 (January 1956) and 2 (Spring 1956) ; R. Follies. Broadway 1971 and London revival 1987. 520 The classic musicals of Broadway can provide us with truly enchanted evenings. But while many of us can hum the music and even recount the plot from memory, we are often much less knowledgeable about how these great shows were put together. This book offers theatre lovers an illuminating behind-the-scenes tour of some of the best loved, most admired, and most enduring musicals of Broadways Golden Era. He provides a documentary history of fourteen musicals in all showing how each work took shape and revealing, at the same time, production by production, how the American musical evolved from the 1920s to the early 1960s, and beyond. The book's particular focus is on the music, offering a wealth of detail about how librettist, lyricist, composer, and director work together to shape the piece. Drawing on manuscript material such as musical sketches, autograph manuscripts, pre-production librettos and lyric drafts, Block blends this close attention to the nuances of musical composition and stagecraft with social commentary and backstage anecdotes. Opening night reviews and accounts of critical and popular response to subsequent revivals show how particular musicals have adapted to changing times and changing audiences, shedding light on why many of these innovative shows are still performed in high schools, colleges, and community theaters across the country, while others, languish in comparative obscurity. Includes a complete discography and plot synopses and song-by-song scenic outlines for each of the fourteen shows. 650 0 Musicals |zNew York (State) |zNew York |xHistory and criticism. |=^A1005878 596 3 998 623176