Dietz continues his examination of Broadway musicals after publishing separate volumes covering the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. The 1980s installment examines 250 traditional musicals that opened during the decade, along with personality reviews, revivals, operas, and more. Entries include the hosting theater, opening and closing dates, and Tony awards or nominations. Authors and composers, production personnel, and cast are also detailed. A list of musical numbers with the principal performer follows. Some delightful commentary and unknown facts are also divulged, and Deitz provides a thorough synopsis of each show's plot as well as information about the production staff and performers. Critical reception and review references are also provided. Deitz manages to include information on cast recordings and movie or video/DVD releases-some rather rare and hard to come by-as well as information on published scripts and librettos. Numerous appendixes finish out the volume, along with a detailed index and bibliography. This volume is yet another robust addition to this collection of works covering Broadway musicals decade by decade. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels.
CHOICE
The book contains 250 entries of various musicals by type, most notably book musicals, revues, and commercial revivals. Moreover, as noted in great detail by the author in the introduction, each entry is brimming with useful data, ranging from the typical (e.g., name of theater where performed; opening and closing dates; cast member names and characters portrayed) to the unconventional (e.g., advertising tags ['La Cage Aux Folles-The Broadway Musical']; names of scenic and lighting designers; and musical numbers by performer rather than character). Included in each entry is commentary, consisting of brief plots; trivia; information about published scripts and recordings; and various media adaptations; and, where applicable, award winners and nominees. Rounding out the book are 11 appendixes, comprised of chronologies, discographies, and the like, as well as compelling details about typically obscure features of 1980s Broadway, like black and Jewish revues and musicals. At 500 pages, the book is an exhaustive, comprehensive dossier of vivid details and descriptions, with variation in length among the entries according to applicable information. While the book does provide a simple list of alphabetized musicals, along with their relevant page numbers, the entries are further organized according to one-year seasonal increments within the 1980s, beginning with the '1979-1980 Season' and ending in 1989..... [T]he book is formidable in its scope, and is well-written and refreshingly objective.
American Reference Books Annual