Our musicals, ourselves : a social history of the American musical theater / John Bush Jones.

Author/creator Jones, John Bush
Format Book
Publication InfoHanover : Brandeis University Press, published by University Press of New England, ©2003.
Descriptionxiii, 411 pages ; 25 cm
Subjects

Contents Patriotism, xenophobia, and World War I -- The musicals of the roaring twenties -- Coping with Depression -- World War II and the Rodgers and Hammerstein years -- From isolationism to idealism in the Cold War years -- Black and Jewish musicals since the 1960s -- Issue-driven musicals of the turbulent years -- Fragmented society, fragmented musicals -- A recycled culture, nostalgia, and spectacle -- New voices, new perspectives.
Abstract This 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, the author singles out musicals for their social relevance. He is interested in how they engage, directly or metaphorically, contemporary politics and culture.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 375-390) and index.
LCCN 2003000240
ISBN1584653116 (cloth : alk. paper)