Open a New Window
The Broadway Musical in the 1960s
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In the 1960s, the Broadway musical was revolutionized from an entertainment characterized by sentimental standards, such as Camelot and Hello, Dolly!, to one of brilliant and bittersweet masterpieces, such as Cabaret and Fiddler on the Roof. In Open a New Window, Ethan Mordden continues his history of the Broadway musical with the decade that bridged the gap between the romantic, fanciful entertainments of the fifties, such as Call Me, Madam, to the seventies when sophisticated fare, such as A Little Night Music and Follies, was commonplace. Here in brilliant detail is the decade and the people that forever transformed the Broadway muscial.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The prolific Mordden (The Fireside Companion to the Theatre) has juggled two different series in recent years, one fiction and one nonfiction. Now he offers the fourth title in the latter, a decade-by-decade history of American musicals, following on the heels of Coming Up Roses, about the 1950s. Despite Mordden's authoritative, scholarly approach, the book sings with stylish syncopation and chatty humor. The evolution and transition of 1960s Broadway was signaled by the failure of Irving Berlin's Mr. President, Noel Coward's fading glory (Sail Away) and the beginning of The Fantasticks' four-decade run. New concepts emerged, and fresh talents like Bob Fosse and Stephen Sondheim took center stage. With Cabaretin 1966, "the new age begins." Darker themes were introduced in Man of La Mancha, What Makes Sammy Run?and Golden Boy. Detailing the decade's innovations, Mordden tosses in fascinating bits of theatrical lore and history. Hits (Funny Girl) and flops (Sophie) are deftly described with wit, panache and a clever, novelistic eye. Mordden never misses a cue, covering everything from off-Broadway (The Threepenny Opera) to the English musical. Regrettably, the lack of boldface subheads decreases the book's value as a research tool, since many titles are lost in the multitude. Still, scholars will be as anxious to read it as theater enthusiasts.
