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In ''The Secret Life of the American Musical'', Jack Viertel takes a good look at this special phenomenon - taking them apart, putting them back together, singing their praises, marvels at their unflagging inventiveness, and occasionally despairing over their more embarrassing shortcomings. In the process, he invites us to fall in love all over again by showing us how musicals happen, what makes them work, how they captivate audiences, and how one landmark show leads to the next ― by design or by accident, by emulation or by rebellion ― from ''Oklahoma!'' to ''Hamilton'' and onward.
Structured like a musical, ''The Secret Life of the American Musical'' begins with an overture and concludes with a curtain call, with stops in between for “I Want” songs, “conditional” love songs, production numbers, star turns, and finales. The ultimate insider, Viertel has spent three decades on Broadway, working on dozens of shows old and new as a conceiver, producer, dramaturg, and general creative force; he has his own unique way of looking at the process and at the people who collaborate to make musicals a reality. He shows us patterns in the architecture of classic shows and charts the inevitable evolution that has taken place in musical theater as America itself has evolved socially and politically.
''The Secret Life of the American Musical'' makes you feel as though you’ve been there in the rehearsal room, in the front row of the theater, and in the working offices of theater owners and producers as they pursue their own love affair with that rare and elusive beast ― the Broadway hit.
Paperback, 312 Pages, Orig. Publ. 2016, This Edition Publ. February 2017
Written by : Jack Viertel