Our musicals, ourselves
Subtitle: a social history of the American musica theater
By: John Bush Jones.
Publisher: Brandeis University Press, published by University Press of New England
Published: 2003
Place of publication: Hanover
Language: eng
Number of pages: 411
Subjects: Musicals -- United States -- History and criticism; Musical theater -- United States -- Social aspects
Description: "Our Musicals, Ourselves is the first full-scale social history of the American musical theatre from the imported Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas of the late nineteenth century to such recent musicals as The Producers and Urinetown. While many aficionados of the Broadway musical associate the genre only with diversionary shows like The Music Man or My Fair Lady, John Bush Jones singles out musicals for their social relevance. He is interested in how they engage, directly or metaphorically, contemporary politics and culture."--Jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [375]-390) and index.
Table of contents: title: Patriotism, xenophobia, and World War I; title: The musicals of the roaring twenties; title: Coping with Depression; title: World War II and the Rodgers and Hammerstein years; title: From isolationism to idealism in the Cold War years; title: Black and Jewish musicals since the 1960s; title: Issue-driven musicals of the turbulent years; title: Fragmented society, fragmented musicals; title: A recycled culture, nostalgia, and spectacle; title: New voices, new perspectives.