Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538126079
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
In The Mikado to Matilda: British Musicals on the New York Stage, Thomas Hischak provides an overview of British musicals that made their way to Broadway, covering their entire history up to the present day. This is the first book to look at the British musical theatre with reference to those London musicals that were also produced in New York City. The book covers 110 British musicals, ranging from 1750 to the present day, including the popular Gilbert and Sullivan comic operettas during the Victorian era, the Andrew Lloyd Webber mega-musicals of the late twentieth century, and today's biggest hits such as Matilda. Each London musical is discussed first as a success in England and then how it fared in America. The plots, songs, songwriters, performers, and producers for both the West End and the Broadway (or Off Broadway) production are identified and described. The discussion is sometimes critical, evaluating the musicals and why they were or were not a success in New York.
The Mikado to Matilda
Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538126079
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
In The Mikado to Matilda: British Musicals on the New York Stage, Thomas Hischak provides an overview of British musicals that made their way to Broadway, covering their entire history up to the present day. This is the first book to look at the British musical theatre with reference to those London musicals that were also produced in New York City. The book covers 110 British musicals, ranging from 1750 to the present day, including the popular Gilbert and Sullivan comic operettas during the Victorian era, the Andrew Lloyd Webber mega-musicals of the late twentieth century, and today's biggest hits such as Matilda. Each London musical is discussed first as a success in England and then how it fared in America. The plots, songs, songwriters, performers, and producers for both the West End and the Broadway (or Off Broadway) production are identified and described. The discussion is sometimes critical, evaluating the musicals and why they were or were not a success in New York.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538126079
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 355
Book Description
In The Mikado to Matilda: British Musicals on the New York Stage, Thomas Hischak provides an overview of British musicals that made their way to Broadway, covering their entire history up to the present day. This is the first book to look at the British musical theatre with reference to those London musicals that were also produced in New York City. The book covers 110 British musicals, ranging from 1750 to the present day, including the popular Gilbert and Sullivan comic operettas during the Victorian era, the Andrew Lloyd Webber mega-musicals of the late twentieth century, and today's biggest hits such as Matilda. Each London musical is discussed first as a success in England and then how it fared in America. The plots, songs, songwriters, performers, and producers for both the West End and the Broadway (or Off Broadway) production are identified and described. The discussion is sometimes critical, evaluating the musicals and why they were or were not a success in New York.
The Wednesday Club
Author: Kjell Westö
Publisher: MacLehose Press
ISBN: 1848667817
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 343
Book Description
1938. Hitler's expansionist policies are arousing both anger and admiration, not least in Helsinki's Wednesday Club. The members of this relaxed gentleman's club are old friends of lawyer Claes Thune. But this year it is apparent that the political unrest in Europe is having an effect on the cohesion of the group. Thune has recently divorced and is at something of a loss, running his law practice with no great enthusiasm. Luckily he has the assistance of an efficient new secretary, Matilda Wiik. But behind her polished exterior Mrs Wiik is tormented by memories of the Finnish Civil War, when she experienced horrors she has been trying to forget ever since. And one evening, with the Wednesday Club gathered in Thune's office, she hears a voice she hoped she would never hear again. She is suddenly plunged back into the past. But this time she is no longer a helpless victim . . .
Publisher: MacLehose Press
ISBN: 1848667817
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 343
Book Description
1938. Hitler's expansionist policies are arousing both anger and admiration, not least in Helsinki's Wednesday Club. The members of this relaxed gentleman's club are old friends of lawyer Claes Thune. But this year it is apparent that the political unrest in Europe is having an effect on the cohesion of the group. Thune has recently divorced and is at something of a loss, running his law practice with no great enthusiasm. Luckily he has the assistance of an efficient new secretary, Matilda Wiik. But behind her polished exterior Mrs Wiik is tormented by memories of the Finnish Civil War, when she experienced horrors she has been trying to forget ever since. And one evening, with the Wednesday Club gathered in Thune's office, she hears a voice she hoped she would never hear again. She is suddenly plunged back into the past. But this time she is no longer a helpless victim . . .
Singing Utopia
Author: Ben Macpherson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197557635
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
Singing Utopia is an original study of voice in musical theatre. Rather than focusing on how actors sing or analysing voices using established approaches found in opera studies, this book offers readers ways to understand musical theatre voices from a cultural perspective. It argues that musical theatre singing allows listeners and audiences to escape their everyday lives; and that voices can 'be' utopian. It then considers what this means and uncovers some paradoxes and difficulties in this idea. Introducing a new set of terms, it provides a way to listen to, think about, and even perform, voice in popular musical theatre.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197557635
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
Singing Utopia is an original study of voice in musical theatre. Rather than focusing on how actors sing or analysing voices using established approaches found in opera studies, this book offers readers ways to understand musical theatre voices from a cultural perspective. It argues that musical theatre singing allows listeners and audiences to escape their everyday lives; and that voices can 'be' utopian. It then considers what this means and uncovers some paradoxes and difficulties in this idea. Introducing a new set of terms, it provides a way to listen to, think about, and even perform, voice in popular musical theatre.
The Thornton Wilder Encyclopedia
Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538152401
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 235
Book Description
Thornton Wilder is one of America’s greatest writers, and the only author to win Pulitzer Prizes in both fiction and drama. Equally well known for his plays and novels, his unique and diverse body of work also includes essays, journals, lectures, and film and television scripts. In The Thornton Wilder Encyclopedia, Thomas S. Hischak exhaustively covers Wilder’s life and extensive career. Entries not only contain every one of his novels, plays, and scripts, but also his letters, journals, and all other existing works by Wilder, published or unpublished. In addition, this valuable reference features entries on the individuals who worked with Wilder and friends and family members who were a great influence on him. With a biography of Wilder to introduce the work and a chronology and selected bibliography to augment the entries, The Thornton Wilder Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive reference available on one of America’s greatest playwrights and finest novelists.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538152401
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 235
Book Description
Thornton Wilder is one of America’s greatest writers, and the only author to win Pulitzer Prizes in both fiction and drama. Equally well known for his plays and novels, his unique and diverse body of work also includes essays, journals, lectures, and film and television scripts. In The Thornton Wilder Encyclopedia, Thomas S. Hischak exhaustively covers Wilder’s life and extensive career. Entries not only contain every one of his novels, plays, and scripts, but also his letters, journals, and all other existing works by Wilder, published or unpublished. In addition, this valuable reference features entries on the individuals who worked with Wilder and friends and family members who were a great influence on him. With a biography of Wilder to introduce the work and a chronology and selected bibliography to augment the entries, The Thornton Wilder Encyclopedia is the most comprehensive reference available on one of America’s greatest playwrights and finest novelists.
Song of the Season
Author: Thomas Hischak
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350423734
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 484
Book Description
What links the popular songs "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Send in the Clowns", "Memory" and "I Am What I Am"? They all originated in Broadway musicals. Song of the Season is for those who believe that the score is at the heart of a musical and is the essential building block on which the rest of a show is built. Through a systematic historical survey from 1891 to 2023 it argues that the best musicals survive because of their songs, from early 20th century classics such as Show Boat and Oklahoma! through to the contemporary sound of Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton. looking at outstanding songs from each Broadway season, the development and history of the musical is illustrated with a fresh perspective. As song styles and popular music tastes changed throughout the decades this structure charts the progress of American showtunes alongside popular music forms as songs evolved from the waltz and ragtime to jazz, rock, rap and hip-hop. Factual analysis and historical context combine to offer a rich picture of the American songbook from Irving Berlin to Elton John. Song of the Season paints a fresh picture for musical theatre students and fans alike, illustrating significant changes in the form through the music. Analyzed in an accessible and engaging way that doesn't rely on music theory knowledge, and including a link to playlist where all the 'songs of the seasons' can be listened to, it is a must-have for those looking to expand their knowledge of the form and trace the social history of the American showtune.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1350423734
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 484
Book Description
What links the popular songs "You'll Never Walk Alone", "Send in the Clowns", "Memory" and "I Am What I Am"? They all originated in Broadway musicals. Song of the Season is for those who believe that the score is at the heart of a musical and is the essential building block on which the rest of a show is built. Through a systematic historical survey from 1891 to 2023 it argues that the best musicals survive because of their songs, from early 20th century classics such as Show Boat and Oklahoma! through to the contemporary sound of Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton. looking at outstanding songs from each Broadway season, the development and history of the musical is illustrated with a fresh perspective. As song styles and popular music tastes changed throughout the decades this structure charts the progress of American showtunes alongside popular music forms as songs evolved from the waltz and ragtime to jazz, rock, rap and hip-hop. Factual analysis and historical context combine to offer a rich picture of the American songbook from Irving Berlin to Elton John. Song of the Season paints a fresh picture for musical theatre students and fans alike, illustrating significant changes in the form through the music. Analyzed in an accessible and engaging way that doesn't rely on music theory knowledge, and including a link to playlist where all the 'songs of the seasons' can be listened to, it is a must-have for those looking to expand their knowledge of the form and trace the social history of the American showtune.
Theatre as Human Action
Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538163454
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 313
Book Description
Theatre as Human Action is the ideal textbook to introduce students to the various aspects of theatre, especially for those who may have little or no theatergoing experience. Seven diverse plays are described to the reader from the start, and then returned to throughout the book so that students can better understand the concepts being discussed. Both the theoretical and practical aspects of theatre are explored, from the classical definition of theatre to today’s most avant-garde theatre activities. Types of plays, the elements of drama, and theatre criticism are presented, as well as detailed descriptions of the different jobs in theatre, such as actor, playwright, director, designer, producer, choreographer, and more. The book concludes with a look at where and how theatre is evolving in America and the latest changes and innovations today. This fourth edition has been greatly expanded and updated, including: The introduction of four new plays—Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Fences; Angels in America; and Hadestown—in addition to Macbeth, You Can’t Take It With You, and Hamilton A discussion of the rise of social media in raising awareness and replacing traditional review outlets An entirely new, enhanced section on diversity and inclusion in theatre An updated selection of playwrights featured, including Terrence McNally, Lynn Nottage, Tony Kushner, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, to better reflect the diversity of those writing for the theatre today. Featuring full-color photographs, updated discussion questions, new topics for further research, and potential creative projects, the fourth edition of Theatre as Human Action is an invaluable resource to introduce students to the world of theatre.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538163454
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 313
Book Description
Theatre as Human Action is the ideal textbook to introduce students to the various aspects of theatre, especially for those who may have little or no theatergoing experience. Seven diverse plays are described to the reader from the start, and then returned to throughout the book so that students can better understand the concepts being discussed. Both the theoretical and practical aspects of theatre are explored, from the classical definition of theatre to today’s most avant-garde theatre activities. Types of plays, the elements of drama, and theatre criticism are presented, as well as detailed descriptions of the different jobs in theatre, such as actor, playwright, director, designer, producer, choreographer, and more. The book concludes with a look at where and how theatre is evolving in America and the latest changes and innovations today. This fourth edition has been greatly expanded and updated, including: The introduction of four new plays—Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Fences; Angels in America; and Hadestown—in addition to Macbeth, You Can’t Take It With You, and Hamilton A discussion of the rise of social media in raising awareness and replacing traditional review outlets An entirely new, enhanced section on diversity and inclusion in theatre An updated selection of playwrights featured, including Terrence McNally, Lynn Nottage, Tony Kushner, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, to better reflect the diversity of those writing for the theatre today. Featuring full-color photographs, updated discussion questions, new topics for further research, and potential creative projects, the fourth edition of Theatre as Human Action is an invaluable resource to introduce students to the world of theatre.
Broadway Decoded
Author: Thomas S. Hischak
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1493074334
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 315
Book Description
A lively guide to fifty popular musicals from the comedy classics of the 1930s and 1940s to the frequently produced darlings of modern theater. Broadway musicals are set in a variety of different places and periods of history, so they are filled with references, expressions, names, objects, and slang that might not be familiar to modern audiences. Thomas Hischak guides us through these oddities of classic musicals in Broadway Decoded.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1493074334
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 315
Book Description
A lively guide to fifty popular musicals from the comedy classics of the 1930s and 1940s to the frequently produced darlings of modern theater. Broadway musicals are set in a variety of different places and periods of history, so they are filled with references, expressions, names, objects, and slang that might not be familiar to modern audiences. Thomas Hischak guides us through these oddities of classic musicals in Broadway Decoded.
Fifty Key Stage Musicals
Author: Robert W. Schneider
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000555186
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 287
Book Description
This volume in the Routledge Key Guides series provides a round-up of the fifty musicals whose creations were seminal in altering the landscape of musical theater discourse in the English-speaking world. Each entry summarises a show, including a full synopsis, discussion of the creators' process, show's critical reception, and its impact on the landscape of musical theater. This is the ideal primer for students of musical theater – its performance, history, and place in the modern theatrical world – as well as fans and lovers of musicals.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000555186
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 287
Book Description
This volume in the Routledge Key Guides series provides a round-up of the fifty musicals whose creations were seminal in altering the landscape of musical theater discourse in the English-speaking world. Each entry summarises a show, including a full synopsis, discussion of the creators' process, show's critical reception, and its impact on the landscape of musical theater. This is the ideal primer for students of musical theater – its performance, history, and place in the modern theatrical world – as well as fans and lovers of musicals.
Queer Trades, Sex and Society
Author: Jeffrey Meek
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000888924
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 193
Book Description
This book is the first scholarly work to explore male homosexual prostitution in interwar Scotland. The male prostitute occupies a contested position within interwar society – depending on the perspective he was representative of a descent into turpitude, of tenacious organised criminality or of exploitation. The book explores connections between male prostitution and criminal gangs prevalent during the interwar period, by detailing the emergence and activities of Glasgow’s notorious ‘Whitehats’, a gang composed of a number of queer male prostitutes and led by William Paton. This book discovers that although Paton’s activities were representative of a career criminal, the young men who joined the ‘Whitehats’ were often driven by poverty and social isolation. This book explores the experiences of Edinburgh police detective William Merrilees and his war on homosexuality in Edinburgh during the 1930s through examining the tactics used to regulate homosexual trade and the implications this held for the men involved. The book not only explores the attitudes, opinions and actions of police officers, politicians and the legal process but also uncovers fragments from the lives of the men involved, through personal reflections and letters. The book explores the anxieties that the trade in homosexual sex provoked, not just for understandings of sexuality but also of gender and nationhood, and offers a comparative perspective of the forms of homosexual trade in Scotland, England and major foreign cities. This book will have broad appeal to academics and students in the field of social, sexual and gender history as well as the social and criminal histories of Scotland and Britain.
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000888924
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 193
Book Description
This book is the first scholarly work to explore male homosexual prostitution in interwar Scotland. The male prostitute occupies a contested position within interwar society – depending on the perspective he was representative of a descent into turpitude, of tenacious organised criminality or of exploitation. The book explores connections between male prostitution and criminal gangs prevalent during the interwar period, by detailing the emergence and activities of Glasgow’s notorious ‘Whitehats’, a gang composed of a number of queer male prostitutes and led by William Paton. This book discovers that although Paton’s activities were representative of a career criminal, the young men who joined the ‘Whitehats’ were often driven by poverty and social isolation. This book explores the experiences of Edinburgh police detective William Merrilees and his war on homosexuality in Edinburgh during the 1930s through examining the tactics used to regulate homosexual trade and the implications this held for the men involved. The book not only explores the attitudes, opinions and actions of police officers, politicians and the legal process but also uncovers fragments from the lives of the men involved, through personal reflections and letters. The book explores the anxieties that the trade in homosexual sex provoked, not just for understandings of sexuality but also of gender and nationhood, and offers a comparative perspective of the forms of homosexual trade in Scotland, England and major foreign cities. This book will have broad appeal to academics and students in the field of social, sexual and gender history as well as the social and criminal histories of Scotland and Britain.
The Abbott Touch
Author: Thomas Hischak
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 135034060X
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
This in-depth and original study examines 100 productions and analyses why George Abbott's name became synonymous with the 'golden age' of Broadway. What did Abbott contribute? How did he work? How did he innovate the industry? How did he survive so long? All of these inquiries, and more, lead to the most fundamental question of all: what exactly was the famous “Abbott touch”? For sixty years, George Abbott was a vital force in the American theatre. As an actor, playwright, director, librettist, play doctor, and producer, he laid his "touch" on approximately 100 New York productions, from The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees through to Once Upon a Mattress and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Spanning this incredible figure's work chronologically, each chapter of The Abbott Touch examines a period of creativity in his life, culminating in how he became the famous multi-hyphenate artist he is now celebrated as. Beginning with his early career in 1913 through to his work on the 1994 revival of Damn Yankees, this book analyses his key contributions to his primary works, all of which have relied on his genius. The first study of its kind, The Abbott Touch provides key insights into the working life of one of the 20th Century's most prolific theatre practitioners, as well as a vital history for theatre scholars and fans alike.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 135034060X
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 273
Book Description
This in-depth and original study examines 100 productions and analyses why George Abbott's name became synonymous with the 'golden age' of Broadway. What did Abbott contribute? How did he work? How did he innovate the industry? How did he survive so long? All of these inquiries, and more, lead to the most fundamental question of all: what exactly was the famous “Abbott touch”? For sixty years, George Abbott was a vital force in the American theatre. As an actor, playwright, director, librettist, play doctor, and producer, he laid his "touch" on approximately 100 New York productions, from The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees through to Once Upon a Mattress and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Spanning this incredible figure's work chronologically, each chapter of The Abbott Touch examines a period of creativity in his life, culminating in how he became the famous multi-hyphenate artist he is now celebrated as. Beginning with his early career in 1913 through to his work on the 1994 revival of Damn Yankees, this book analyses his key contributions to his primary works, all of which have relied on his genius. The first study of its kind, The Abbott Touch provides key insights into the working life of one of the 20th Century's most prolific theatre practitioners, as well as a vital history for theatre scholars and fans alike.