"No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance": A History of the American Musical TheaterWritten by one of American theater's most avid and knowledgeable proponents, "No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance" traces the American musical from its rich and varied beginnings in European opera, American minstrel shows, and vaudeville through its many permutations to its current state--from, as Sheldon Patinkin puts it, La Boheme to Rent. Minstrelsy, burlesque, revue, dance, and choreographers, the "texts" of musical theater so often overlooked by its historians, finally receive due consideration in this thorough and thoroughly entertaining book about how American musical theater came to be and developed into what it is today. Patinkin writes about the infancy of the musical--the revues, operettas, and early musical comedies, as well as the groundbreaking shows like Oklahoma!, and Show Boat that brought the form to its "golden age" during World War II. With insightful references to how history, literature, theater, fashion, popular music, and movies influenced musical theater generally and certain shows in particular, he traces a direct lineage from older forms to contemporary musicals. The result is a broad, clear, and detailed picture of American musicals within both an aesthetic and a historical context. Patinkin conveys the pleasure of the ever-changing forms of musical theater even as he gives readers the analytical tools and terms to understand and better appreciate this uniquely American art. The book features a selection of black and white photographs from historical musical productions, and each chapter includes suggestions for materials to watch and listen to at home or in the classroom. |
Contents
Ancestors and Antecedents 17911900 | 23 |
Early American Musical Comedies Operettas and Revues 19011924 | 69 |
The Golden Age of the Broadway Song 19251939 | 143 |
The Transitional Years 19401945 | 231 |
The Golden Age of the Broadway Musical 19461964 | 265 |
Fade OutFade In 19651969 | 377 |
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Common terms and phrases
adapted American musical Astaire audience ballet begins born Broadway Broadway musical Broadway revival Broadway show burlesque Cabaret CAST INCLUDES characters CHOREOGRAPHER chorus Cole Porter Comden comic composer Copyright costumes dance David DESIGNERS directed DIRECTOR DIRECTOR/CHOREOGRAPHER duet film flop Follies following numbers Fred funny George Abbott Gershwin Girl Harold Prince Herbert hit songs Hollywood Irving Berlin jazz Jerome Jerry John Kern Lady Lloyd Webber Lorenz Hart Love Michael movie musicals movie version music and lyrics MUSIC/LYRICS musical comedy musical theater off-Broadway Oklahoma opened opera operetta ORCHESTRATOR Original Cast original-cast recording Oscar Hammerstein performed play plot pop hit popular produced revue Richard Rodgers Robert Robert Russell Bennett Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hart role romantic satiric score includes sets Show Boat Shuberts singing stage starring Stephen Sondheim Styne subplot successful sung There's an original-cast title song Tony tour tune vaudeville William written wrote York Ziegfeld