Between the forgotten Beg, Borrow or Steal (February 1960) and Meredith Willson's 1491 (which closed pre-Broadway in October 1969), 271 musicals opened or tried to open on Broadway. Dietz, author of Off-Broadway Musicals, here discusses all book musicals with new music, revivals, revues, imports, and other works that appeared in New York venues (plus 29 pre-Broadway closings). Each chronologically arranged ... Read moreentry includes opening and closing dates, number of performances, crew, cast (with character names), setting, musical numbers (and performers), a two-page plot summary and critical reception, awards, book availability, and recording history. If a performer's name was billed above the title, it is presented in italics. Entries are well written, with subjectivity kept to a minimum (the critics do the talking), and the commentary is well informed. Included in the 12 appendixes are a discography and a filmography. More detailed than Thomas Hischak's Broadway Plays and Musicals, and more comprehensive than Stanley Green's Broadway Musicals: Show by Show (7th ed., rev. and updated, or Ethan Mordden's Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s, this is a valuable resource for all theater collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty; general readers.
CHOICE
This hefty volume examines all 271 musicals that opened on Broadway from 1960 through 1969, from the familiar (Camelot, Fiddler on the Roof, Funny Girl, and Hello, Dolly!) to the obscure (Holly Golightly and 1491). As author Dietz notes in the introduction to this book, the 1960s saw the last hurrah of the traditional book musical. In this decade, there were 98 new musicals (with original music) produced on Broadway. (Compare this to the years 2000 to 2009, which saw 38 new musicals and 42 revivals.) This reference covers those musicals, as well as a number of musical revues, imports from London’s West End, revivals, and pre-Broadway closings.The technical details for each production include opening and closing dates; number of performances; names of the writers, composers, directors, and casts; and a brief description. This is followed by a full listing of the musical numbers and a narrative (ranging one to three pages) about the show. The narrative portions of the entries consist of facts and figures, quotes, and interesting details—and Dietz does a wonderful job of remaining objective, not allowing personal bias or preference to show. There are 12 appendixes, including an alphabetical listing of shows, a chronology by season, a chronology by classification (i.e., 'Revues' and 'Institutional Revivals'), and a list of shows by Broadway theater. There are a number of books about Broadway musicals, but this one—set to be the first in a new series examining musicals by decade—stands out as a rich and readable resource. General theater enthusiasts will enjoy perusing this book, and students or researchers in the field will find this to be a great starting point. Recommended for medium and large public-library reference collections as well as academic libraries supporting performing-arts programs.
Booklist
Numerous and notable musicals made their initial runs in the 1960s. . . .[The author] compiles plot summaries, cast members, composers, writers, directors, producers, and information about the musical, for shows produced from 1960 to 1969, encompassing the 1959-1960 through the 1969-1970 seasons. Additional information in each entry includes the number of performances, specific songs, opening and closing dates, and reception history. Dietz adds his own critical commentary, as he calls the 1960s the 'last hurrah of the traditional book musical.' In that decade, 98 new book musicals with new music appeared on Broadway. This is compared to the recent decade of 2000-2009, which saw only 38 premiere with new musical content. However, there were several more revivals. The book presents 271 musicals that opened on Broadway during the 1960s; this includes 98 with new music, 3 with pre-existing music, 22 revues, 16 personality revues, 58 revivals, and several imports. Several appendixes add data. . . .The first, an alphabetic list of musicals, designates the years only when another musical of that title was produced. Others appendixes present chronologies (one by season, another by classification), discography, filmography, the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan, three lists by the theater producing the musical (e.g., New York City Center Light Opera Company, New York City Opera Company, Lincoln Center), published scripts, and theaters (with the musicals they presented). The author uses italics to display cast members who were billed above the musical’s title.
American Reference Books Annual
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