Stage Directions | Musical Stages

Books, CDs and DVDs that celebrate musical theatre

Reports of a downturn of interest in the Broadway musical seem to be greatly exaggerated, considering the continuing release of musical theatre books, CDs and DVDs. This month we provide a sampling of some of the most recent of these.

Broadway Musicals, Show by Show, is the sixth edition of the classic reference by Stanley Green, updated for the first time in 12 years by his widow, Kay Green. Not every Broadway musical is listed—only those that ran more than 500 performances, with a high-quality score and “general acceptance as a significant work in the field.” That still adds up to 300 shows in the book, and ones most likely to be sought out. Included are photos, cast lists, a brief but informative commentary on each show and several detailed indexes. [$18.99, Applause Books]

In The Great American Book Musical: A Manifesto, A Monograph, A Manual, author Denny Martin Flinn defines what he believes made the greatest of Broadway musicals great—first by tracing the developing integration of musical techniques, and then by examining the contributions of libretto, music, lyrics and staging to the most successful musicals. He singles out shows from Oklahoma! to A Chorus Line, from West Side Story to Dreamgirls, with an obvious affection for his subject. Some fact-checking would have been helpful before this book went to press, but one finishes it having a better sense of what makes musicals work well, and what future musical writers might do to achieve success, as well. [$19.95 Limelight Editions]

Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, by Carol de Giere, comes just after Schwartz’s latest show, Wicked, celebrated its fifth anniversary on Broadway. With Schwartz’s help—as well the help of his family, friends and colleagues—de Giere provides an extensive biography of the composer and of the development of the Broadway musical over the past three decades. Schwartz’s best-known shows (aside from Wicked) are Godspell and Pippin, but his less familiar shows like Working, The Magic Show and The Baker’s Wife also marked intriguing developments in the musical form. Unfortunately, the second half of the book focuses almost entirely on Wicked, which tends to throw the book out of balance as a survey of Schwartz’s entire oeuvre. On the positive side are “Creativity Notes,” separate commentaries in which Schwartz offers insights, humor or lessons from his experience in getting a musical to the stage. [$34.95, Applause Books]

Fifty years before Schwartz, Rudolf Friml was the composer of some of the greatest hits of his day—all operettas—including Rose Marie, The Vagabond King, and The Three Musketeers. His was a European perspective and style, and it’s no wonder that he was so skillful at evoking far-away places and eras. Friml wrote many other kinds of music as well, but it’s his operettas that define his career—and, when public interest in operetta declined at the end of the 20s, so did his career. In Rudolf Friml, author William Everett provides the first scholarly account of the composer’s life and output, positioning it in the context of the times in which Friml lived. It’s good to have this well-researched and written reminder of his importance to the development of American musical theatre. [$35, University of Illinois Press]

Rodgers & Hammerstein's follow-up to Oklahoma! and Carousel was Allegro in 1947. It told the story of a doctor's life from birth to re-birth, when he leaves a big-city hospital and returns to practice in the small town where he was born. A new two-CD release from Sony is the show’s first complete recording, beautifully capturing the interweaving dialogue and song that was cutting edge in 1947. It’s beautifully done, although it also makes clear why Allegro didn't win an audience—and how it inspired the experiments of Stephen Sondheim (who was a gofer on the original production). The ensemble includes Audra McDonald, Norbert Leo Butz, Liz Callaway and Marni Nixon. Songs include “A Fellow Needs a Girl,” “You Are Never Away,” and “The Gentleman Is a Dope,” and a handsome booklet provides extensive notes. [$24.98, Sony Masterworks Broadway]

A far cry from Allegro is Frankenstein, the 2007 Off-Broadway musical adapted from Mary Shelley's novel. It was neither an artistic nor financial success, but it spawned a recently released recording, which makes clear that it’s the lyrics by Jeffrey Jackson that make the show, not the derivative pop tunes by Mark Baron that frame them. The original production’s imaginative staging is, of course, not visible—not even in the photos in the accompanying booklet—so what you hear is what you get. The result is interesting, but not as gripping as you’d expect from the subject matter. [$14.99, Ghostlight Records]

Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway captures the final performance of the hit musical’s 12-year run, both from the audience’s perspective and from the stage and wings. The show, by Jonathan Larson, is well served by this recording—although, of course, it can’t possibly capture the excitement of a live performance. Besides the full-length musical, the DVD and Blu-Ray discs include a retrospective documentary featuring cast and crew, the final curtain call, and several short features. The Blu-Ray disc also offers a behind-the-scenes look at the New York theatre that was transformed into Rent’s home, plus a feature on the casting of the show. [$24.95 DVD, $38.96 BluRay, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]