The seventh and most recent in a series of 'Complete Books of Broadway Musicals,' which started with the 1940s, this volume is comprehensive in coverage, including summaries and information such as each show's personnel, dates, number of performances, known changes, other productions, etc. In these respects, and with the book's organization, series author Deitz (emeritus, composition, world literature, & modern ... Read moredrama, Western Carolina Univ.) succeeds.... Incorporating quotes from the major reviews of the time is both warranted and valuable.... Verdict...[T]heater buffs with eagerly read this volume cover to cover.... [O]wing to the well-organized information and amount of detail, this offering merits addition to theater collections.
Library Journal
The latest in Dietz's excellent series covers the 213 musicals that opened on (or were set to open on) Broadway between 2000 and 2009, from the familiar (Avenue Q, Spamalot) to the obscure (Casper, which didn't make it out of the preview tour). 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 from one to three pages) about the show. There are eight appendixes, including a chronology by season; a chronology by classification; and a list of shows by theater. Recommended for medium-sized and large public library reference collections as well as academic libraries supporting performing-arts programs.
Booklist
The 2000s brought in a spate of tongue-in-cheek musicals such as Urinetown and The Drowsy Chaperone that make fun of Broadway conventions and perhaps signal the passing of an era compared to the family-friendly shows of the 1990s. Dietz continues his detailed encyclopedic series of Broadway histories-he has already covered 1940 through 1999-with this volume, which largely chronicles the lack of quality in new scores and book musicals as a genre. The 213 featured revues and musicals (compared to 271 listed in the volume treating the 1960s) include 37 with new music, 15 with preexisting scores, 25 imports, 31 revivals, and 30 pre-Broadway closings. As in the earlier volumes, Dietz gives plot summaries, casts and crews, run dates, critical commentary, musical numbers and performers, source material, awards and nominations, and other pertinent data. Nine useful appendixes conclude the volume. Dietz does not hold back his own opinions, and readers might find themselves disagreeing with his analyses, but his and other critics' comments make for a highly enjoyable, sometimes hilarious complement to the narratives. All musical theater collections and Broadway fans ought to add this new edition to their collections, along with the previous volumes in the series. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.
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