Block, Geoffrey Holden. Enchanted Evenings: The Broadway Musical from Show Boat to Sondheim. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
This book offers the analysis of 16 musicals from Show Boat to Phantom of the Opera. The author compares the various versions of a musical: original and revival, stage and film. Focusing on the music, the author also writes how the musical has evolved from the 1920’s to today.
Bordman, Gerald Martin., and Richard C. Norton. American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
This book chronicles American musicals, show by show and season by season and offers a running commentary and assessment along with plot synopsis, names of principal characters, descriptions of scenery, costumes, songs and critical reactions. This book covers musical comedies, operettas, revues and one-man shows. This updated edition explains the dramatic change in musical theatre with shows such as In the Heights, which combines hip-hop, rap, meringue and salsa unlike any musical before it.
Dietz, Dan. The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.
This book dives into the innovative and exciting time of musical theatre; the 1970s. The author examines the most successful musicals and flops from this time, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Rocky Horror Picture Show and more. Each musical to open on Broadway in the 1970s is detailed with a list including the title, plot summary, production data primary cast and crew, awards, as well as other details. The author provides a comprehensive view of each show.
Dietz, Dan. The Complete Book of 1980s Broadway Musicals. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.
Once again, the author takes us through the biggest successes and flops of the 1980s. This book explains the “mega-musicals” of this decade. Each musical to open on Broadway in the 1970s is detailed with a list including the title, plot summary, production data primary cast and crew, awards, as well as other details. The author provides a comprehensive view of each show.
Isherwood, Charles. “Cue the Chorus: The Musical Endures.” New York Times, 2009.
This article considers the changing times of the 2000s. The musical theatre shift to the “screen” as the movie-musical hits rise. The author looks into the new need of millions to produce a musical, causing only few musicals to be produced during this decade compared to the 20+ that were produced in The Golden Age. The new idea of branding a musical is explained in detail as money and media became Broadway’s new focus.
Istel, John. “Pop Goes the Musical: Musical Theatre Finally Turns on to the Tunes Everybody in the World Has Been Listening to for Years.” American Theatre 20, no. 3 (March 2003).
This article examines the phenomenon of musicals being welcomed into popular culture. The author elaborates on jukebox musicals and their use of popular music to attempt to bridge the gap. Following the success of Mama Mia, the roadmap was created for producers and musical-theatre artists to enter mainstream American culture.
Kenrick, John. Musical Theatre: A History. London: Ginger Book Published in Association with Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2010.
This book examines the artistic, business, and social forces that helped develop musical theatre. The author explores the creation of drama in Greece and the rise of Vaudeville in America. The “Golden age of the Broadway Musical” is detailed, along with the abrupt shift to hard rock music in the 1960’s. This book also gives us an insight to musical theatre today — the similarities and the differences from what once made New York’s Broadway into the world’s primary source of musical entertainment.
Miranda, Lin-Manuel, and Jeremy McCarter. Hamilton: The Revolution. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2016.
This book takes us inside the mind of the creator and star of Hamilton, the 2015 musical that took America by storm. Alongside the entire script, Miranda lets us in on why he chose his text and music. This book gives the reader an insight on the staging of the musical. It provides his audience that extra knowledge that the musical left them searching for.
Naden, Corinne J. The Golden Age of American Musical Theatre: 1943-1965. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2011.
Focusing on a 1943-1965, the author lists both the successes and the flops of the Golden Age, when Broadway showcased timeless, memorable tunes, sophisticated comedy, and the genius of creative artists. Each show is presented with a list including the title, opening date, theatre, number of performances, primary cast and crew, and a plot synopsis, as well as other details. This book is a detailed look into one of the beloved periods in Broadway history.
Rich, Frank. “A Musical Theater Breakthrough.” The New York Times, 1984.
This article describes Stephen Sondheim’s rise through musical theater after the Rodgers and Hammerstein era with Sunday in the Park with George. The author attempts to convince the reader that Sondheim is the next leader of musical theatre. He examines the shift in musical theater due to Sondheim’s success of matching his music with the daring playwriting of his time.
Robinson, Mark. “Early 1990s Broadway Nostalgia: When Theatre Was a Different Place.” Mark Robinson Writes, March 2017.
This articles details the 1990s of musical theatre, focusing on the forgotten about musicals. The author analyzes the successful at the time but later forgotten about musicals that made up the early 1990s before the massive hit of the Disney musicals came about which opened the door to the string of family-friendly musicals.
Sabatini, Arthur J. “The New Music Theater: Seeing the Voice, Hearing the Body. By Eric Salzman and Thomas Desi. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. Pp. 416 Illus. Hb.” Theatre Research International 36, no. 01 (2010): 88-89. doi:10.1017/s0307883310000829.
This book covers the still-emerging art form of musical theatre. The author details the new and various ways to use the human voice in musical theatre and the culture, text, visual strategies, and the multiple new concepts of space. He also explains the innovative wing of popular musical theatre, extended voice, and the influence of new media in the theatre.
Solomon, Alisa. “How ‘Hamilton’ Is Revolutionizing the Broadway Musical.” The Nation, August 2015.
This article compares the groundbreaking musical Hamilton to the musicals of The Golden Age. The author examines the fusion of hip hop and the musical form show that America’s history—and its future—belong to men and women of color as profoundly as to anyone else. The creation of Hamilton and the use of race, history, rap and hip-hop are explained.
Tepper, Jennifer Ashley. “Are We Living in a New Golden Age of Musical Theatre?” Playbill, 2018.
This article confirms the notion that current musical theatre is the most successful musical theatre of all time. The author explores musical theatre’s current (and seemingly permanent) slate in pop culture since the success of Hamilton. She also explains the strong bridge between stage musicals and its presence in Hollywood– from broadcasting beloved musicals live to adapting the musicals for screen. This new “Golden Age” will be known as The Platinum Age soon enough.
Wolf, Stacy. “Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. 320 Pp. $24.95 Paper.” The Journal of Popular Culture 46, no. 3 (2013): 682-84. doi:10.1111/jpcu.12043_5.
This book delves into the role of female characters in Broadway musicals. The author leads us through the women of Broadway from the start of the cold war to present day. She signifies how the musical has been dominated by women — women onstage, women in the wings, and women offstage as spectators and fans.