Broadway Musicals Show by Show: Sixth Edition (Paperback)

by Green (Author), Stanley (Author) "American plays embellished with songs were being offered in New York as early as Colonial days, but The Black Crook was the first long-running musical..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Oscar Hammerstein, George Abbott (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Musical-comedy specialist Green has produced another winner in this survey of hit Broadway musicals from 1866's The Black Crook to 1985's Big River. Although not as complete as Gerald Bordman's American Musical Theatre ( LJ 10/1/78), the volume includes basic facts about more than 300 important shows, a brief synopsis of each, credits, and gossipy facts (such as tryout replacements) so dear to the hearts of Broadway fans. Accompanying photographs are excellent, as are the several indexes. Either for serious research or just browsing, Green's book should appeal to anyone interested in musical theater. Highly recommended for most libraries. Eric W. Johnson, Univ. of Bridgeport Lib., Ct.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Kay Green, wife of the late Stanley Green, offers a long overdue update of this important title, previously authored by her and her husband.  The volume features entries for newer musicals, such as The Lion King (1997) and Spamalot (2005), as well as important revivals of classic musicals, such as Annie Get Your Gun (1999). Entries focus on the New York run of each musical, listing specific information for that production including cast members, producers, opening dates, number of performances, composers, lyricists, book authors, synopsis, major songs, and other historical details. The book also includes useful indexes of directors, lyricists, major cast members, and show titles.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Applause; 6 edition (October 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557837368
• ISBN-13: 978-1557837363
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #63,409 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true must-have book for all musical theatre fans!, July 25, 2000

By	Matthew Murray (New York City, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Broadway Musicals - Show by Show (Paperback)

This book has proven and indispensable part of my theatre library, and if you get it, it will become one for you as well. Want to know what date the original production of Show Boat opened on Broadway? This book will tell you. Who the original stars of Mexican Hayride were? That's in here, too. You will be able to find the answer to just about any question you could ever ask of Broadway's hit musicals. A perfect companion piece to Ken Mandelbaum's Not Since Carrie (which chronicles the flop musicals this book mostly excludes), and a wonderful way of tracking the history of the Broadway musical, Broadway Musicals: Show by Show is as comprehensive, helpful, and essential as reference books on Broadway come.

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC! The most useful guide for easy theatre reference, August 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Broadway Musicals - Show by Show (Paperback)

Enough can't be said about this book! It is a masterpiece for theatre buffs like myself. I live by that book, since I'm involved in theatre on a daily basis. When considering which musical to use in our high school's season next year I immediately turned to this book for it's easy synopsis of so many hit shows, it's staistics about the shows, and it's genuine knowledge. The best reference book about theatre on the market today! Period.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Official Broadway Musical Reference Book, August 22, 1998

By	George Bauerschmidt (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Broadway Musicals - Show by Show (Paperback)

This is a good *reference* book to see what happened and how things played out on Broadway. The behind the scene stories and what lead up to the show is fascinating, although every listed show doesn't have that much detail behind it.

The book is usually updated with new editions, but currently is out-dated (doesn't include Lion King, The Producers, Jekyll & Hyde, Titanic, etc.) Reading about the earlier Broadway shows (first show "The Black Crook" [1866]) is interesting and contains information you probably won't find anywhere else, including some failed shows (less than 5 performances), last minute casting decisions or movies that were made based on the show. I wish the listed revival shows would have more information than a basic "ditto" that refers to the original performance. However, if it is really meant to be a reference book, then it succeeds in that business without really trying.

The statistics given for how many performances a show had is nice, but can't be used to determine the success of that show today. The revival shows are learning that. With better access to New York (modern travel) -- numbers are increasing, but on the other hand, with more choices and a finicky audience that may be too PC for it's own good, some old shows don't work well now. If you're looking for tools to help you decide on choosing a musical, take a look at "Let's Put on a Musical" by Peter Filichia (1993) which is seven years newer besides.