A Chronology of American Musical Theater (3 Volumes)
Theatrical producer and theater historian Norton offers a  "comprehensive picture of the popular American Musical Theatre  as presented on first-class stages in New York City, from 1850  to the present [2000-01 season], seen through the details of its  theatre programs." The work is intended as a companion to Gerald  Bordman's American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle, which provides  descriptive narrative about the productions. Norton's work  supplies only the production details-e.g., cast, crew, songs by  act and scene, and lyricists-but with 3000 entries covers a far  greater number of shows. An extensive preface clearly explains  how each facet of a show is handled in the entries, and both  shows and songs are cross-referenced to original and later  productions. Three indexes cover show titles (including  variants), approximately 100,000 people, and almost 50,000  songs. Broad criteria were used for selecting the entries, which  led to the inclusion of every form of musical show, whether  performed in English or in a foreign language, in a major  Manhattan venue, taking into account "a number of insignificant"  shows omitted by Bordman. Norton does acknowledge the  limitations of selecting only major productions presented in  Manhattan and hence excluding Off-Broadway, Brooklyn, etc.,  which means that The Fantastics, the longest-running musical in  American history, does not appear here. Also omitted are the  revivals of Broadway musicals presented by the Encores Series at  New York City Center. However, Norton's meticulously researched  information can't be found anywhere else in a publication of  this size and scope. Highly recommended for all theater  collections.Laura A. Ewald, Murray State Univ., KYCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.