A History of the American Musical Theater
2
doi:10.1017/S0266464X09000098 Sheldon Patinkin ‘No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance’: a History of the American Musical Theater Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 2008. 553 p. $45.00. ISBN: 0-8101-1994-3. Developed as a text for college students majoring in musical theatre, this book presents the history of American musical theatre ‘from La Bohème to Rent’. A major feature is its hypertextual design, which allows Patinkin to handle a wealth of material in an efficient and impressive way. At page level, the musical theatre narrative is sup- plemented in the margins by text-boxed inform- ation about specific productions: music, lyrics, book, director, producer, choreographer, designer, key cast, and number of performances. Further boxes provide key facts about significant compo- sers, dramatists, and producers from each histori- cal period. Set below the musical theatre narrative is the ‘Backdrop’ to each historical section, which is sub-divided into national, international, new developments, sports, art, music, dance, public- ations, radio and TV, popular culture, stage, and screen. Thus, the page design embeds musical history within the political, social, cultural, and media history of America and provides a visual recognition of their interdependence. The hypertextual design is mirrored at book level by the division of the material into an ‘over- ture’ and seven parts. For example, in the section entitled ‘The Golden Age of the Broadway Song, 1925–1939’, each part is subdivided into bite-sized modules that conclude with an extensive ‘Sug- gested Watching and Listening’ section, which foregrounds the pedagogical function of the book. The hypertextual structure works also at the con- ceptual level, for Patinkin begins his history in 1943, with a discussion of Oklahoma! – generally accepted as the first fully integrated musical – in order to highlight the importance of the creative team of Rodgers and Hammerstein II, who pro- duced fully rounded characters operative within an integration of book, music, lyrics, and dance. This enables the reader to appreciate more fully the difference between ‘Golden Age of the American Broadway Musical Theater, 1946–64’, with its American musical film counterpart in Hollywood, and all their antecedents: the frag- mented form of the operas and operettas, minstrel shows, vaudeville, and burlesque that made up the social and cultural history of the early musical. The arrival of the ‘concept’ musical epitomized by Sondheim and Prince’s Company (1970) is seen by Patinkin as the next landmark production in the development of the form. There follows a critical analysis of what he calls the demise of American musical theatre by the designer-driven ‘super-pro- ductions’ of the 1980s and 1990s. He concludes with an analysis of recent small-scale productions and a rallying call for the creative team to remain the life-blood and centrifugal force for contempo- rary American musical theatre. This book is a welcome addition to the field, which provides a very useful model for univer- sity lecturers delivering undergraduate courses on its subject, and given the extensive suggestions for self-directed study it will also be extremely useful to research students and scholars. freda chapple doi:10.1017/S0266464X09000104 Dee Reynolds Rhythmic Subjects: Uses of Energy in the Dances of Mary Wigman, Martha Graham, and Merce Cunningham Alton, Hants: Dance Books, 2007. 316 p. £20.00. ISBN: 978-185273-112 0. This is one of a new generation of books of dance scholarship that reconsiders well-known dancers and established ideas. Dee Reynolds’s monograph considers the key works of its three subjects in turn, applying an interdisciplinary approach overall. Energy in movement is a focus of the book, where each dancer is viewed from the point of view of how they used energy in their work. Consequ- ently Rudolf Laban’s ideas are crucial, notably his analysis based on ‘effort’. Thus, Wigman’s modern work of the 1920s is considered in terms of ‘spatial energies’; Graham’s ‘virile rhythms’ of the 1930s are said to demonstrate ‘empowering energies’, and Cunningham’s ‘punctual rhythms’ of the post-war period show ‘life energies’. Each of the subjects is well-contextualized and individual works are considered in clear and des- criptive accounts. Reynolds has brought some formidable historical research into this scholarly work, evidenced by over a thousand detailed end- notes and an impressive bibliography, uncovering many underused German sources, in particular. An introduction and a chapter on ‘kinesthetic imagination’ bracket the three individual chap- ters on the dancers. Here Reynolds lays out and lays claim to her new approach to these three very well-known artists and their work. The thesis on ntq 25:1 (february 2009) © cambridge university press 99 NTQ Book Reviews edited by Ann Featherstone
-
Upload
nath-garza -
Category
Documents
-
view
31 -
download
3
description
A History of the American Musical Theater
Transcript of A History of the American Musical Theater
doi:10.1017/S0266464X09000098
Sheldon Patinkin‘No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance’: a History of the American Musical TheaterEvanston, Illinois: Northwestern UniversityPress, 2008. 553 p. $45.00.ISBN: 0-8101-1994-3.
Developed as a text for college students majoringin musical theatre, this book presents the historyof American musical theatre ‘from La Bohème toRent’. A major feature is its hypertextual design,which allows Patinkin to handle a wealth ofmaterial in an efficient and impressive way. Atpage level, the musical theatre narrative is sup -ple mented in the margins by text-boxed inform -ation about specific productions: music, lyrics,book, director, producer, choreographer, designer,key cast, and number of performances. Furtherboxes provide key facts about significant com po -sers, dramatists, and producers from each his tori -cal period. Set below the musical theatre narrativeis the ‘Backdrop’ to each historical section, whichis sub-divided into national, international, newdevelopments, sports, art, music, dance, public -ations, radio and TV, popular culture, stage, andscreen. Thus, the page design embeds musicalhistory within the political, social, cultural, andmedia history of America and provides a visualrecognition of their interdependence.
The hypertextual design is mirrored at booklevel by the division of the material into an ‘over -ture’ and seven parts. For example, in the sectionentitled ‘The Golden Age of the Broadway Song,1925–1939’, each part is subdivided into bite-sizedmodules that conclude with an extensive ‘Sug-gested Watching and Listening’ section, whichforegrounds the pedagogical function of the book.The hypertextual structure works also at the con -ceptual level, for Patinkin begins his history in1943, with a discussion of Oklahoma! – generallyaccepted as the first fully integrated musical – inorder to highlight the importance of the creativeteam of Rodgers and Hammerstein II, who pro -duced fully rounded characters operative withinan integration of book, music, lyrics, and dance.
This enables the reader to appreciate morefully the difference between ‘Golden Age of theAmerican Broadway Musical Theater, 1946–64’,with its American musical film counterpart inHollywood, and all their antecedents: the frag -mented form of the operas and operettas, minstrelshows, vaudeville, and burlesque that made upthe social and cultural history of the early musi cal.
The arrival of the ‘concept’ musical epitom ized bySondheim and Prince’s Company (1970) is seen byPatinkin as the next landmark production in thedevelopment of the form. There follows a criticalanalysis of what he calls the demise of Americanmusical theatre by the designer-driven ‘super-pro -duc tions’ of the 1980s and 1990s. He con cludeswith an analysis of recent small-scale pro ductionsand a rallying call for the creative team to remainthe life-blood and centrifugal force for contem po -rary American musical theatre.
This book is a welcome addition to the field,which provides a very useful model for univer -sity lecturers delivering undergraduate courseson its subject, and given the extensive suggestionsfor self-directed study it will also be extremelyuseful to research students and scholars.
freda chapple
doi:10.1017/S0266464X09000104
Dee ReynoldsRhythmic Subjects: Uses of Energy in theDances of Mary Wigman, Martha Graham,and Merce CunninghamAlton, Hants: Dance Books, 2007. 316 p. £20.00.ISBN: 978-185273-112 0.
This is one of a new generation of books of dancescholarship that reconsiders well-known dancersand established ideas. Dee Reynolds’s monographconsiders the key works of its three subjects in turn,applying an interdisciplinary approach overall.Energy in movement is a focus of the book, whereeach dancer is viewed from the point of view ofhow they used energy in their work. Conse qu -ently Rudolf Laban’s ideas are crucial, notably hisanalysis based on ‘effort’. Thus, Wigman’s modernwork of the 1920s is considered in terms of ‘spa tialenergies’; Graham’s ‘virile rhythms’ of the 1930s aresaid to demonstrate ‘empowering ener gies’, andCunningham’s ‘punctual rhythms’ of the post-warperiod show ‘life energies’.
Each of the subjects is well-contextualized andindividual works are considered in clear and des -criptive accounts. Reynolds has brought someformidable historical research into this scholarlywork, evidenced by over a thousand detailed end -notes and an impressive bibliography, uncoveringmany underused German sources, in particular.
An introduction and a chapter on ‘kinestheticimag i nation’ bracket the three individual chap -ters on the dancers. Here Reynolds lays out andlays claim to her new approach to these three verywell-known artists and their work. The thesis on
ntq 25:1 (february 2009) © cambridge university press 99
NTQ Book Reviewsedited by Ann Featherstone
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.
