The Musical: A Look at the American Musical Theater

by Richard Kislan

Book Overview

This revised and expanded edition of Kislan's acclaimed study of America's musical theater includes a new section on "Recent Musical Theater: Issues and Problems." "The ancient union of drama and song, known as musical theater, comes in many forms - vaudeville, burlesque, comic opera, minstrels, etc. The author reviews these and other highlights of American musicals ... with a fascinating background on the elements that contribute to the success of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 155783217X
• ISBN13: 9781557832177
• Release Date: May 2000
• Publisher: Applause Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.24 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.2" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

A fantastic trip through American Musical Theater

When I was ordering this book I read a review which claimed that the book was really good, except for giving too many details about how creating lyrics, what good music in theater is and things like that. Now that I've finished reading it, there's just a word which comes up to my mind: AMAZING! The book is complete not only for telling us the History of the Musical Theater but also for making us aware of what elements constitute a good spectacle. Therefore, what some readers have considered a problem I absolutely consider very very very relevant extra information, mainly for those who study the Musical Theater for academic purposes, which is my case. I recommend the book!

O.K. Primer

A plain vanilla introductory text suitable for students who find themselves taking a musical theater course to fill an elective. Because young people are less familiar with the history and art of musical drama than film, the highly accessible prose and tabloid formatting of this text would make it useful in a college as well as high school course. Readers who already count themselves as students of the theater, on the other hand, can not afford to miss Gerald Mast's comprehensive and savvy history, "Can't Help Singin'."

Good stuff for a high school theater course...but...

This is good introductory reading for high school students who are seriously interested in theater. A wonderful yet solid history of the American theater occupies the front half of the book, but historical threads are found throughout. There is an insightful chapter on Sondheim and his creative processes. The section entitled "Elements of Musical Theater" is at times tedious reading, but informative. Kislan's "Problems and Issues"(what's wrong with the present Broadway scene)is an eye-opener. Some drawbacks: Much has happened to the theater since this 1995 edition. I would love an updated third edition. Many of the musical examples mentioned are in every theater-lover's listening library, but a new edition should include an accompanying recording(or at the very least a CD and/or video guide). This would be particularly helpful with regard to very early 20th century musical theater. Also, there are many wonderful musicals, composers & lyricists, and librettists who are not even referenced(Loesser,{Guys & Dolls is mentioned}Comden/Green, Schwartz{Pippin's there, too} to name a few). Surely their contributions are significant. My students have enough savvy to catch these omissions. They'll want to know why. Still in all, this is a good textbook for our youth.

An excellent book for students of the broadway musical.

I have used this book as the text for a high school course on the broadway musical and found it to be excellent. It is not overly technical but has a nice user friendly feel for the novice. The historical thread it establishes from Kern to Hammerstein to Sondheim is crucial to understanding where we are and how we got here. Obviously there are other important influences, but it is a fine text to focus a very broad topic on the seminal developers of the form. Michael P. Smith, Hamden Hall Country Day School