Four of the Best Books on Musical Theater Guest Post by The American Musical Theatre Academy

I am happy to feature a guest post from The American Musical Theatre Academy. Enjoy!

The world of musical theatre is a fantastic one and one with many great people. Fortunately, there are many great books in the area, some written by these fantastic people and others about them. We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorites at The American Musical Theatre Academy for you to enjoy – take a look. 

Great American Book Musical: A Manifesto, A Monograph, A Manual

One of the best books I have read about musical theatre is Denny Martin Flinn’s The Great American Book Musical: A Manifesto, A Monograph, A Manual. This book offers a very smart and contemporary look at music theatre. Thankfully, this book is not one of those unbearable books that believe that music theatre died back in 1964. The book’s author died soon after its writing but stated that he was trying to leave a record of the technique and create a blueprint for an ancient art. The book is an excellent read for all that work in or that simply love the American musical.

Lawrence Thelen’s The Show Makers

Great Directors of the American Musical Theatre is a great collection of interviews/profiles with 12 legends of musical theatre, Jerry Zaks, Hal Prince, Mike Ockrent, Graciella Danielle, Des McAnuff, Arthur Laurents, Tom O’Horgan, George C. Wolfe, Jim Lapine, Martin Charnin, and Jerome Robbins and Richard Maltby Jr. (Okay, I wouldn’t refer to Martin Charnin, Richard Maltby Jr. and Mike Ockrent as legends but they are great directors). I am a person that has read most books about musical theatre but I did learn much from this one, things such as how these very different directors handle the process of rehearsal (to me Lapine’s process is the most interesting one), rewrites, pre-production etc. If you are into how musicals are made, it is such an interesting read.

Joseph Swain’s book with the title The Broadway Musical:

 A Critical and Musical Survey was the first book to analyze musical theatre scores in-depth, to explore how the music contributes to storytelling, and to look at musical themes as well as other devices. (The other books that conduct this type of in-depth analysis are my own books and Stephen Banfield’s Broadway Musicals). 

Swain does an amazing job of explaining in very clear terms (if you understand music theory it will help but isn’t necessary) how music functions in the works of musical theatre over the history of the art form, in shows that include Oklahoma!, Porgy and Bess, Show Boat, Guys and Dolls, Camelot, Les Miserables, Sweenet Todd, A Chorus Line, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Fiddler on the Roof, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, The Most Happy Fella, Kate, and Kiss Me.

Quite an impressive list, isn’t it? This book is the one that inspired me to start doing my own analyses that eventually led me to writing books. This book is a really cool one both for hardcore fans of musical theatre as well as those that love to see musical theatres and would like to learn more about exactly what makes them tick. 

Ernest Harburg and Bernard Rosenberg’s The Broadway Musical: Collaboration in Commerce and Art 

This is an incredibly clear look into the business of making commercial musical theatre. The book’s cover states that 3 of every 4 Broadway-bound musicals never get there, and most of those that actually do, fail.’ This book takes an interesting look at the failures and successes in the industry in an effort to understand the phenomenon of mass collaboration that is Broadway. The book’s authors investigate the complex machinery of show business from its birth around the turn of the century through its survival during the cost explosions of the 80’s. It is quite interesting and an eye opener. Steven Adler’s On Broadway: Are and Commerce on the Great White Way is another book on the topic that is more recent and just as interesting.