A history and re-evaluation of the American musical in London
between 1945 and 1972, a unique panoramic essay on British theatre
of the Golden Age. West End Broadway is the first book to deal
specifically with the 'Golden Age' of American musicals in London.
Here is a history and a re-evaluation not only of the British
productions of Broadway's most popular product butof the works
themselves, beginning with a brief account of the origins of the
genre and of the shows seen during World War II. The difficult
conditions of war-torn Britain prepared the ground for changes that
would come with peace. While Britain clung to tried formulas, a
refreshing breeze was blowing in from the Atlantic, altering the
nature of British theatre by sending New York's commercially
successful musicals to the West End. The wider relevance ofthis
history is underscored, as is the fact that these works effectively
imported American social history into the culture of a Britain
coping with the aftermath of conflict. In London, critical reaction
to Broadway musicals was often strikingly different from that
awarded in New York, and Broadway success could result in West End
failure, while off-Broadway shows struggled to gain hold in
Britain. West End Broadway discusses every American musical seen in
London between 1945 and 1972. As the final works of Cole Porter and
Irving Berlin made way for a new wave of writers and composers, the
arrival of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Oklahoma! was celebrated as a
breakthrough,heralding a period that included important works by
Jule Styne, Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green,
Robert Wright and George Forrest, Harold Rome, Frank Loesser, Alan
Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe, and the first stirrings of the next
generation in Stephen Sondheim. Offering a unique panoramic essay
on British theatre of the Golden Age, West End Broadway is an
authoritative, challenging and diverting contribution to an
understanding of aforgotten aspect of the Broadway musical. ADRIAN
WRIGHT is the author of Foreign Country: The Life of L.P. Hartley
(1996), John Lehmann: A Pagan Adventure (1998), The Innumerable
Dance: The Life and Work of William Alwyn (2008) and the novel
Maroon (2010). His previous book, A Tanner's Worth of Tune (Boydell
& Brewer, 2010), told the story of the post-war British
musical. He lives in Norfolk, where he runs MustClose Saturday
Records, a company dedicated to British musical theatre.
General
Imprint: |
The Boydell Press
|
Country of origin: |
United Kingdom |
Release date: |
November 2012 |
First published: |
2012 |
Authors: |
Adrian Wright
|
Dimensions: |
234 x 156 x 29mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover
|
Pages: |
376 |
Edition: |
New |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-84383-791-6 |
Categories: |
Books >
Arts & Architecture >
Music >
General
Books >
Music >
General
|
LSN: |
1-84383-791-9 |
Barcode: |
9781843837916 |
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