The Oxford companion to American theatre

First published in 1984, Gerald Bordman's Oxford Companion to American Theatre is the standard one-volume source on our national theatre. Critics have hailed its "wealth of authoritative information" ( Back Stage ), its "fascinating picture of the volatile American stage" ( The Guardian ), and its "well-chosen, illuminating facts" ( Newsday ). Now thoroughly revised, this distinguished volume once again provides an up-to-date guide to the American stage from its beginnings to the present. Completely updated by theater professor Thomas Hischak, the volume includes playwrights, plays, actors, directors, producers, songwriters, famous playhouses, dramatic movements, and much more. The book covers not only classic works (such as Death of a Salesman ) but also many commercially successful plays (such as Getting Gertie's Garter ), plus entries on foreign figures that have influenced our dramatic development (from Shakespeare to Beckett and Pinter). New entries include recent plays such as Angels in America and Six Degrees of Separation , performers such as Eric Bogosian and Bill Irwin, playwrights like David Henry Hwang and Wendy Wasserstein, and relevant developments and issues including AIDS in American theatre, theatrical producing by Disney, and the rise in solo performance. Accessible and authoritative, this valuable A-Z reference is ideal not only for students and scholars of theater, but everyone with a passion for the stage.

In order to incorporate new information into Bordman's reference without the volume filling up with gaps or becoming too heavy to lift, playwright Hischak (State U. of New York-Cortland) has shortened and combined existing entries rather than dropping them entirely whenever possible. More plays, musical, and people are included, but also new entries on such topics as Asian American theater, gay and lesbian theater, the redevelopment of 42nd Street, solo performances, road tours, AIDS, participatory theater events, and various New York theater companies. Entries of plays include plot summaries and sample reception. Extensive cross-referencing substitutes for an index. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Library Journal

While both books give a broad view of the American theater, they have different strengths. The Oxford Companion is an extensive revision of the 1984 edition and is updated with about 700 entries on contemporary playwrights, performers, and plays, which brings the total to approximately 2600 entries. Both Bordman and Hischak have written extensively about the Broadway theater, particularly musicals, and their experience and interests are reflected in the text. The Oxford has many more entries on producers and individual performers (e.g., Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald, and Ruby Dee have separate entries here but do not in The Facts On File Companion). The articles are more numerous but tend to be shorter, and there is no index or bibliography. The Facts On File Companion reflects the scholarly training of editor Bryer (English, Univ. of Maryland). There are fewer entries (600 total), and many of the articles run several columns with discussions of a particular title (e.g., discussions of Death of a Salesman and Mourning Becomes Electra are each almost three pages). Articles usually have a brief bibliography. Bottom Line If your library has money for only one volume, go with The Oxford Companion. It has more ready-reference detail, and some of the Facts On File analyses of plays can be found in other library sources. However, if the budget allows, buy both, as they complement each other nicely.-Susan L. Peters, Univ. of Texas, Galveston Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

"First published in 1984, Gerald Bordman's The Oxford Companion to American Theatre is the standard one-volume source on our national theatre." "Now thoroughly revised, this volume once again provides an up-to-date guide to the American stage from its beginnings to the present. Completely updated by theatre professor Thomas S. Hischak, the volume includes playwrights, plays, actors, directors, producers, songwriters, famous playhouses, dramatic movements, and much more. The book covers not only classic works (such as Death of a Salesman) but also many commercially successful plays (such as Getting Gertie's Garter), plus entries on foreign figures that have influenced our dramatic development (from Shakespeare to Beckett and Pinter). New entries include recent plays such as Angels in America and Six Degrees of Separation, performers such as Eric Bogosian and Bill Irwin, playwrights such as David Henry Hwang and Wendy Wasserstein, and relevant developments and issues including AIDS in American theatre, theatrical producing by Disney, and the rise in solo performance." "Accessible and authoritative, this valuable A-Z reference is ideal not only for students and scholars of theatre, but everyone with a passion for the stage."--Jacket A guide to the American stage from its beginnings to the present. Includes entries on playwrights, plays, actors, directors, producers, songwriters, famous playhouses, dramatic movements, classic works, commercially successful plays, and foreign figures that have influenced American dramatic development This revised guide to the American stage from its beginnings to the present day contains over 3,000 entries on playwrights plays, actors, directors, producers, songwriters, famous playhouses, dramatic movements and more