History of the American Musical Theatre - No Business Like It

From the diverse proto-musicals of the mid-1800s, through the revues of the 1920s, the 'true musicals' of the 1940s, the politicization of the 1960s, the 'mega-musicals' of the 1980s, and the explosive jukebox musicals of the 2010s and '20s, every era in American musical theatre reflected a unique set of socio-cultural factors.

List of contents

Foreword
Setting the Stage
1 A Very Good Place to Start: The Beginning, up to the Eighteenth Century
2 Setting the Stage: Early Musical Theatre in America, 1735–1865
Prologue
3 First Stirrings, 1866–1902
4 The Turn of the Century: A New Era of Great American Songwriters Begins, 1900–1907
The First Act
5 The Princess and the Great Revues, 1907–1920
6 The Jazz Age: A Period of Great Songwriters, 1920–1929
Intermission
7 A Double Whammy: The Great Depression and Talking Movies Threaten the Broadway Musical, 1929–1939
The Second Act
8 A Bright Golden Haze: The American Musical Comes of Age, 1939–1945
9 The Golden Age: An Era of Great Musical Dramatists, 1945–1964
Second Intermission
10 The Search for Relevancy, 1964–1970
The Third Act
11 New Directions, 1970–1982
12 Joint Ventures and Mega-Musicals: British Rule, 1982–1993
13 The Corporate Musical, 1993–2001
Epilogue
14 Recovery and the New Millennium, 2001–2013
15 Well Underway, But Headed Towards Where? 2013–Today

About the author

Nathan Hurwitz spent 25+ years as a Musical Theatre conductor on Broadway and around the world. Having received his BFA from NYU, his Master's from Northwestern University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, he has been on faculty of Syracuse University, NYU, the University of Pittsburgh, and NSULA, and is currently a tenured professor at Rider University, USA. He is the author of Songwriters of the American Musical Theatre: A Style Guide for Singers (2017).

Summary

From the diverse proto-musicals of the mid-1800s, through the revues of the 1920s, the ‘true musicals’ of the 1940s, the politicization of the 1960s, the ‘mega-musicals’ of the 1980s, and the explosive jukebox musicals of the 2010s and ‘20s, every era in American musical theatre reflected a unique set of socio-cultural factors.

Product details

• Authors: Nathan Hurwitz, Nathan (Rider University Hurwitz, Hurwitz Nathan
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 24.12.2024
• EAN: 9781032754918
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3275491-8
• No. of pages: 272
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Art > Theatre, ballet; USA, Individual composers & musicians, specific bands & groups, Musicals, MUSIC / Individual Composer & Musician, HISTORY / United States / General, MUSIC / Genres & Styles / Classical, PERFORMING ARTS / Theater / General, MUSIC / Genres & Styles / Musicals, ART / American / General, ART / Performance, Theatre Studies, United States of America, USA, History of the Americas, Performance Art, Musicians, singers, bands and groups, Composers and songwriters, Art music, orchestral and formal music, Music of film and stage, Western "classical" music