Customer Reviews

Overture and Finale: Rodgers and Hammerstein and the Creation of Their Two Greatest Hits

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if you are an avid rodgers & hammerstein fan, you'll probably know 90% of the anecdotal information in this book, but if you're a casual fan who is desirous of learning more about the most influential writers of mid-20th century american musical theater, this book could serve as a perfect introduction.

wilk's writing, as usual, is crisp, and he is always a good reporter. would that he were a bit more into analysis of the overwhelming success of these 2 fine shows, and why they touch so many people and remain more popular than the (imho) artistically superior CAROUSEL, SOUTH PACIFIC, or KING & I...

one caveat to theater buffs: if you already own wilk's earlier volume on the making of OKLAHOMA, those chapters are a virtual rehash.

this is a worthy -- if not essential -- volume for the library of a fan of musicals.

Max Wilk is a superb storyteller, and this book is one of the most entertaining accounts of two theater immortals in the act of creation you will find in print currently. Alas, books on the theater are getting rarer--which brings me to an important point: The person who calls this a "rehash" of Wilk's former "Oklahoma!" book has it wrong. We can be grateful that the author has preserved that text in a slightly more concise form in this new book, because his "Oklahoma!" book went prematurely out of print. Essentially, it's still available here, and you now get it in the same volume with his enjoyable narrative of "The Sound of Music" as well. Bravo, Mr. Wilk!