This new second edition of Enchanted Evenings offers theater lovers
an illuminating behind-the-scenes tour of some of America's best
loved, most admired, and most enduring musicals.
Readers will find such all-time favorites as Show Boat, Carousel,
Kiss Me, Kate, Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady, West Side Story,
Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, and Phantom of the
Opera. Geoffrey Block provides a documentary history of each of the
musicals, showing how each work took shape and revealing, at the
same time, how the American musical evolved from the 1920s to
today, both on stage and on screen. The book's particular focus is
on the music, offering a wealth of detail about how librettist,
lyricist, composer, and director work together to shape the piece.
Block also includes trenchant social commentary and lively
backstage anecdotes. Jerome Kern, Cole Porter, the Gershwins,
Rodgers and Hart, Kurt Weill, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and
Loewe, Frank Loesser, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Andrew
Lloyd Webber, and other luminaries emerge as hardworking craftsmen
under enormous pressure to sell tickets without compromising their
dramatic vision. The second edition includes a greatly expanded
chapter on Sondheim, a new chapter on Lloyd Webber, and two new
chapters on the film adaptations of the main musicals featured in
the text (including such hard to find films as the original 1936
version of Anything Goes and the 1959 film adaptation of Porgy and
Bess).
Packed with information, including a complete discography and plot
synopses and song-by-song scenic outlines for each of the fourteen
shows, Enchanted Evenings is an essential reference as well as a
riveting history.
"A solid and fascinating work that should become a model of how to
investigate and report on the evolution of a musical. Block's
research is persuasive and his writing vivid. . . Indispensable for
anyone who cares to know more about Broadway musicals than Playbill
can provide."
--Steven Bach, The Los Angeles Times Book Review
General
Imprint: |
Oxford UniversityPress
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
November 2009 |
First published: |
October 2009 |
Authors: |
Geoffrey Block
(Professor)
|
Dimensions: |
233 x 155 x 24mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
480 |
Edition: |
2nd Revised edition |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-19-538400-0 |
Categories: |
Books >
Arts & Architecture >
Performing arts >
Theatre, drama >
Musical theatre
|
LSN: |
0-19-538400-8 |
Barcode: |
9780195384000 |
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