Our Musicals, Ourselves : A Social History of the American Musical Theatre

Our Musicals, Ourselves is the first full-scale social history of the American musical theater 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 it with wonderful, diversionary shows like The Music Man or My Fair Lady, John Bush Jones instead selects musicals for their social relevance and the extent to which they engage, directly or metaphorically, contemporary politics and culture. Organized chronologically, with some liberties taken to keep together similarly themed musicals, Jones examines dozens of Broadway shows from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present that demonstrate numerous links between what played on Broadway and what played on newspapers’ front pages across our nation. He reviews the productions, lyrics, staging, and casts from the lesser-known early musicals (the “gunboat” musicals of the Teddy Roosevelt era and the “Cinderella shows” and “leisure time musicals” of the 1920s) and continues his analysis with better-known shows including Showboat, Porgy and Bess, Oklahoma, South Pacific, West Side Story, Cabaret, Hair, Company, A Chorus Line, and many others. While most examinations of the American musical focus on specific shows or emphasize the development of the musical as an art form, Jones’s book uses musicals as a way of illuminating broader social and cultural themes of the times. With six appendixes detailing the long-running diversionary musicals and a foreword by Sheldon Harnick, the lyricist of Fiddler on the Roof, Jones’s comprehensive social history will appeal to both students and fans of Broadway. 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. Jones organizes the book chronologically, taking some liberties in order to keep together similarly themed musicals, and examines dozens of Broadway shows -- from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present -- that demonstrate numerous links between what played on Broadway and what played on newspapers' front pages across our nation.

He reviews the productions, lyrics, staging, and casts from the lesser-known early musicals (the "gunboat" musicals of the Teddy Roosevelt era and the "Cinderella shows" and "leisure time musicals" of the 1920s) and continues his analysis with better-known shows including Showboat, Porgy and Bess, Oklahoma, South Pacific, West Side Story, Cabaret, Hair, Company, and A Chorus Line. While most examinations of the American musical focus on specific shows or emphasize the development of the musical as an art form, Jones's book studies musicals as a way of illuminating broader, ever-changing social and cultural themes of the times. With six appendixes detailing the long-running diversionary musicals and a foreword by Sheldon Harnick, the lyricist of Fiddler on the Roof, Jones's comprehensive social history will appeal to both students and fans of Broadway.

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. A social history of American musical theatre from the imported Gilbert and Sullivan operas of the late 19th century to modern musicals such as 'Urinetown'. The author examines the numerous links between what played on Broadway and what played on newspapers' front pages across the nation A retired professor of theater arts from Brandeis University serves up the first social history of American musical theater, covering the broad sweep of plays, from "Showboat" to "Urinetown," discussing the impact of this brand of theater on culture and society. (Performing Arts) December 31, 1899: It was New Year's Eve, a small but gala evening of theaire in Manhattan.