List Price: $50.00 Details

Save: $23.82 (48%)

& FREE Returns

FREE delivery Friday, April 22. Order within 23 hrs 42 mins

Or fastest delivery Thursday, April 21

Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

[{"displayPrice":"$26.18","priceAmount":26.18,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"26","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"18","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"jXHW4rHKAEGvVEu3fHravr2S%2FA0JSjSY1jBFSvK9WQjcf3yVTVPnMw78Id5CJ3aN6twlpiWmn074z%2BOntrsu1KkBkWZYDp0BjtEMjid1oEMP2kRL56qpYnA4iXgXjyTWdm%2BfhANdH1g9Zhw8c%2FyeqRttQYWH6KV3aT0pP%2BOoCzKhbvnZs9LhiLLdqXG88u%2BW","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"},{"displayPrice":"$14.84","priceAmount":14.84,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"14","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"84","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"fnKQlWdogm6gwaTnzt6iSIeZdZm7%2FGrWg5ZaKWdRCgybe6csptVkwvJV4TQ3w8AN7BD7th0uxDLWcAVT%2BlvZ8vP1zI5%2FuLkGi0tepbQPRgYPskymcxNUXleMzFmB981S%2BpTALsP5funf1HDPhRbxeFeOvn0M3ceMml4PBYCSf2PCkBFW5YivucraKG7c5QdC","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]

$$26.18 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from

Amazon

Sold by

MIRAYEXPRESSBUY

Details

Ships from

Amazon

Sold by

MIRAYEXPRESSBUY

Return policy: Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Friday, April 22 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon. Order within 23 hrs 42 mins

Or fastest delivery Thursday, April 21

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Bay State Book Company

Fulfilled by Amazon

Share

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$26.19
& FREE Shipping. Details

Sold by: Fannie-Jean

Added

Not added

$27.57
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: IMSON

Added

Not added

$28.96
& FREE Shipping. Details

Sold by: Amazon.com

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Follow the Author

Larry Stempel

Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater Hardcover – September 6, 2010

by Larry Stempel (Author)

86 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$26.18

$23.57

$4.15

Paperback

"Please retry"

$56.24

$42.39

$20.68

Enhance your purchase

The definitive history of the Broadway musical: the shows, the stars, the movers, and the shakers.

Showtime brings the history of Broadway musicals to life in a narrative as engaging as the subject itself. Beginning with the scandalous Astor Place Opera House riot of 1849, Larry Stempel traces the growth of musicals from minstrel shows and burlesques, through the golden age of Show Boat and Oklahoma!, to such groundbreaking works as Company and Rent.

Stempel describes the Broadway stage with vivid accounts of the performers drawn to it, and detailed portraits of the creators who wrote the music, lyrics, and stories for its shows, both beloved and less well known. But Stempel travels outside the theater doors as well, to illuminate the wider world of musical theater as a living genre shaped by the forces of American history and culture. He reveals not only how musicals entertain their audiences but also how they serve as barometers of social concerns and bearers of cultural values.

Showtime is the culmination of decades of painstaking research on a genre whose forms have changed over the course of two centuries. In covering the expansive subject before him, Stempel combines original research―including a kaleidoscope of primary sources and archival holdings―with deft and insightful analysis. The result is nothing short of the most comprehensive, authoritative history of the Broadway musical yet published. 16 pages of four-color; 105 black-and-white illustrations

Print length

848 pages
Language

English
Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company
Publication date

September 6, 2010
Dimensions

6.4 x 1.8 x 9.6 inches
ISBN-10

0393067157
ISBN-13

978-0393067156
See all details

Frequently bought together

DK
51
Hardcover
60 offers from $6.09
Laurence Maslon
82
Paperback
40 offers from $26.10
Katie Sison
200
Paperback
in Documentary Movies
27 offers from $7.12
DK
768
Hardcover
77 offers from $3.84
Stanley Green
137
Paperback
62 offers from $8.81
John Kenrick
136
Paperback
44 offers from $12.47

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Starred Review. Not just a catalog or reference book, but a highly astute, integrative cultural history."
― Kirkus Reviews

"Throughout, as Stempel traces the evolution with exhaustive archival research, he offers a penetrating and illuminating analysis of various musical forms and influences. Many of the 105 carefully selected black-and-white illustrations are surprising and revelatory. Theater buffs will be delighted to find that this scholarly, definitive work is also a hugely entertaining read."
― Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover

“Stempel has hit the trifecta: for academics, it’s a definitive work of scholarship; for students, it’s the perfect textbook; for ordinary lovers of musical theater, it’s a treat to savor at the end of a long day.”―Rose Rosengard Subotnik, Brown University

“Showtime is a sumptuous banquet of a book. This richly researched history allows us to be present at the birth of the musical theater and to be enthralled witnesses as it develops and metamorphoses into the wealth of forms we now enjoy. A century and a half of entertainment is a vast amount of ground to cover, but Stempel is the ideal tour guide. This is a book to treasure.”―Sheldon Harnick

“Showtime is a substantial work of American music history. Scrupulous but not fussy, learned but not pedantic, Stempel is a fine storyteller who delights in clarity and knows a good joke when he sees one. The precision of his thinking and writing gives the book an aura of authority keenly attuned to the tradition he critiques and celebrates.” ―Richard Crawford, author of America’s Musical Life: A History

“I cannot put Showtime down―and it’s a heavy book! Showtime is my new favorite companion.” ―John Mauceri, chancellor, University of North Carolina School of the Arts

“This is the book we have been waiting for―thoroughly readable and smart, informative and engaging.” ―Ted Chapin, president, Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization

“This is by far the best book ever written about Broadway, a magisterial critical history, which will be required reading for anyone interested in musical theater.” ―Kim H. Kowalke, Eastman School of Music

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; 1st (first) edition (September 6, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 848 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393067157
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393067156
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.61 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.8 x 9.6 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #573,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #238 in Performing Arts History & Criticism
- #289 in Broadway & Musicals (Books)
- #319 in Musicals (Books)

Customer Reviews:
86 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Larry Stempel

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

5 star		78%
4 star		15%
3 star		2%
2 star		1%
1 star		3%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

mscms

A perfect book on a perfect subject!

Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2014

Verified Purchase

Best (actually ONLY) textbook on the musical theatre would make this invaluable, but add that it is delightful and readable makes this part of my permanent bedside reading collection. Mr. Stempel's knowledge and love of the subject is clear throughout the book. The organization and chapter headings make it ideal for teaching and learning the historical development of the genre. I love this book and give it as a gift frequently to fellow lover's of musical theatre. Congratulations and gratitude for writing this wonderful book, Mr
Stempel.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Darlene

Not the condition I bought

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2018

Verified Purchase

I bought this in the new hardcover format for school. The box was fine but the cover of the book was ripped in two places. One along the side is at least an inch long and another is on the spine of the book. I need this for school and can read it so I won’t return it but I’m annoyed by not receiving it in the condition I expected to. Especially as someone who takes good care of their books.

Helpful

W. Smith

Another angle of music theater history

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2011

Verified Purchase

At this point, there are a few books covering the history of music theater. Some present it as dry statistics, some take a chronological approach, and some take a very editorialized chronological approach (American Musical Theater: A Chronicle comes immediately to mind). I think the only way to get a grasp on the progress of the musical is to read as many of these as possible and synthesize their thoughts. So, add to that pile this excellent book. It uses a conceptual angle. So there is a chapter on Off-Broadway, a chapter on concept musicals, a chapter on post-modern "antimusicals", etc. This is an effective, entertaining, and interesting way to go about it. The reason there are only four stars instead of five is that the book tends to leave out shows that were more obscure or had short runs. But, going back to the beginning of this review, Strike Up the Band: A New History of Musical Theatre and Off-Broadway Musicals Since 1919: From Greenwich Village Follies to the Toxic Avenger will cover the ground left over and give you a pretty decent comprehensive review.

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

James Cooper

No standing ovation for this.

Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2015

Verified Purchase

I expected more showbiz, bright lights and fun than this survey provides. Stempel's book is academic, fact-filled and heavy going. Little of the joy of the Broadway musical transcends the pedestrian prose. Nevertheless, it's a worthy catalogue of shows, many of which I'd seen and enjoyed.

Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2019

Verified Purchase

Came quickly and just like the description

One person found this helpful

Helpful

DAVE

Great history of the stage and interesting information

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2016

Verified Purchase

Still reading it. Great history of the stage and interesting information.

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

Good reference book on the American musical theater.

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2021

Verified Purchase

This book is just as described. Thank you!

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Ggab

Strong historical purview

Reviewed in Canada on December 3, 2013

Verified Purchase

Stempel leaves few stones unturned in this rather dense but very relevant study. In his effort to cover the vast history he sadly is less able to get into the more vivid details of some of the people especially with much more than tacit focus. But it served well to introduce the whole of American Musical Theatre in an university entry level class. It would be a truly better book were it tied to a video/audio collection of the material he speaks so well about.

Cliente Amazon

Livro Referência no Assunto

Reviewed in Brazil on November 28, 2020

Verified Purchase

Ainda não li, mas pelo que vi e conheço do livro ele é realmente uma das maiores referências no tema de teatro musical nos EUA.

Translate review to English

Marcelo Almont

Cronologia Geral!

Reviewed in Brazil on August 15, 2021

Verified Purchase

Acho que faltou mencionar mais aspectos técnicos!

Translate review to English

Noemie

Peu de photos

Reviewed in France on November 8, 2019

Verified Purchase

L'ado a qui j'ai offert ce livre a adoré. Il est fan de théatre. Par contre, il y a bcp de texte et peu de photos

Translate review to English

See all reviews