Show Tunes The Songs, Shows, and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers

by Suskin, Steven; Feinstein, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780195125993
• ISBN10: 0195125991
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-12-16
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This majestic reference book fully chronicles the shows, songs, and careers of the major composers of the American musical theater, from Jerome Kern's earliest interpolations to the latest hits on Broadway. Gershwin, Rodgers, Porter, Berlin, Bernstein, Loesser, Sondheim, Kander, Finn,Flaherty, and more--this book covers their work, their innovations, their successes, and their failures. Show Tunes is simply the most comprehensive volume of its kind ever produced, and this newly revised and updated edition discusses over 900 shows and almost 8,000 show tunes. The book has beencalled "a concise skeleton key to the Broadway musical" (Variety) and "a ground-breaking reference work with a difference" (Show Music)--or, as the Washington Post observed, "It makes you sing and dance all over your memory." The eagerly anticipated Third Edition, updated through January 1999, features the entire theatrical output of thirty-six of Broadway's leading composers, in addition to a wide selection of work by other composers. The listings include essential production data and statistics, the most extensiveinformation available on published and recorded songs, and lively commentary on the shows, songs, and diverse careers. Based on meticulous research, the book also uncovers dozens of lost musicals--including shows that either closed out of town or were never headed for Broadway--and catalogs hundreds of previously unknown songs, including a number of musical gems that have been misplaced, cut, or forgotten. The bookalso includes a detailed chronology of the musicals and a show-by-show guide to the careers of Broadway's most important lyricists, librettists, producers, directors, and choreographers. Informative, insightful, and provocative, Show Tunes is an essential guide for anyone interested in the American musical.

Author Biography

Steven Suskin, a longtime theatrical producer and manager, is also author of the highly acclaimed Opening Night on Broadway (1990) and More Opening Nights on Broadway (1994).

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix	(2)
Michael Feinstein
Preface to the Third Edition	xi	(2)
Prefaces to the Earlier Editions	xiii	(2)
Acknowledgments	xv	(2)
How to Use This Book	xvii
PART I COMPOSERS OF THE EARLY YEARS	1	(202)
Introduction	1	(2)
Jerome Kern	3	(34)
Irving Berlin	37	(20)
George Gershwin	57	(20)
Vincent Youmans	77	(8)
Richard Rodgers	85	(32)
Cole Porter	117	(18)
Arthur Schwartz	135	(14)
Harold Arlen	149	(10)
Vernon Duke	159	(10)
Burton Lane	169	(4)
Kurt Weill	173	(12)
Marc Blitzstein	185	(8)
Harold Rome	193	(10)
PART II NEW COMPOSERS OF THE 1940S AND 1950S	203	(88)
Introduction	203	(2)
Hugh Martin	205	(6)
Leonard Bernstein	211	(10)
Frederick Loewe	221	(6)
Jule Styne	227	(16)
Frank Loesser	243	(8)
Richard Adler	251	(4)
Jerry Bock	255	(8)
Bob Merrill	263	(6)
Meredith Willson	269	(4)
Stephen Sondheim	273	(18)
PART III NEW COMPOSERS OF THE 1960S AND BEYOND	291	(94)
Introduction	291	(2)
Charles Strouse	293	(12)
Harvey Schmidt	305	(8)
Cy Coleman	313	(10)
Jerry Herman	323	(8)
John Kander	331	(12)
Mitch Leigh	343	(6)
Larry Grossman	349	(6)
Stephen Schwartz	355	(4)
Marvin Hamlisch	359	(4)
Alan Menken	363	(6)
William Finn	369	(6)
Maury Yeston	375	(6)
Stephen Flaherty	381	(4)
PART IV NOTABLE SCORES BY OTHER COMPOSERS	385	(32)
Introduction	385	(2)
IRENE	387	(1)
SHUFFLE ALONG	387	(1)
GEORGE WHITE'S SCANDALS OF 1926	388	(1)
GOOD NEWS!	388	(1)
BLACKBIRDS OF 1928	389	(1)
WHOOPEE	389	(1)
FINE AND DANDY	390	(1)
WALK WITH MUSIC	390	(1)
EARLY TO BED	391	(1)
BEGGAR'S HOLIDAY	391	(1)
FLAHOOLEY	392	(1)
TOP BANANA	392	(1)
KISMET	393	(1)
THE GOLDEN APPLE	394	(1)
PLAIN AND FANCY	394	(1)
LI'L ABNER	395	(1)
GOLDILOCKS	396	(1)
REDHEAD	396	(1)
ONCE UPON A MATTRESS	397	(1)
YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN	397	(1)
JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS	398	(1)
HAIR	399	(1)
PROMISES, PROMISES	400	(1)
1776	400	(1)
PROMENADE	401	(1)
PURLIE	402	(1)
GREASE	402	(1)
THE WIZ	403	(1)
SHENANDOAH	403	(1)
THE ROBBER BRIDEGROOM	404	(1)
THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS	404	(1)
DREAMGIRLS	405	(1)
BABY	405	(1)
BIG RIVER	406	(1)
THE SECRET GARDEN	406	(1)
JELLY'S LAST JAM	407	(1)
VICTOR/VICTORIA	408	(1)
FLOYD COLLINS	408	(1)
BRING IN 'DA NOISE, BRING IN 'DA FUNK	409	(1)
BIG	409	(1)
RENT	410	(1)
JEKYLL & HYDE	411	(1)
SIDE SHOW	412	(1)
THE LION KING	413	(1)
SATURN RETURNS: A CONCERT	413	(1)
PARADE	414	(3)
APPENDICES	417	(1)
Appendix 1 Chronological Listing of Productions	417	(24)
Appendix 2 Collaborator Reference Listing	441	(22)
Appendix 3 Bibliography and a Word about Finding Music	463	(4)
Song Title Index	467	(76)
Show Index	543	(14)
People Index	557