Musicals of the 1990s felt the impact of key developments that forever changed the landscape of Broadway. While the onslaught of British imports slowed down, the so-called Disneyfication of Broadway began, a trend that continues today. Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King became long-running hits, followed by more family-friendly musicals. The decade was also distinguished by a new look at revivals-instead of slavishly reproducing old shows or updating them with campy values, Broadway saw a stream of fresh and sometimes provocative reinventions, including major productions of My Fair Lady, Damn Yankees, Carousel, Show Boat, and Chicago. In The Complete Book of 1990s Broadway Musicals, Dan Dietz examines in detail every musical that opened on Broadway during the 1990s. This book discusses the era's major hits (Miss Saigon, Crazy for You, Rent), notorious flops (Shogun, Nick & Nora, The Red Shoes), controversial shows (Passion, The Capeman), and musicals that closed during their pre-Broadway tryouts (Annie 2: Miss Hannigan's Revenge, Whistle Down the Wind). In addition to including every hit and flop that debuted during the decade, this book highlights revivals and personal-appearance revues with such performers as Sandra Bernhard, Michael Feinstein, Patti LuPone, Liza Minnelli, and Mandy Patinkin. Each entry contains the following information: *Plot summary *Cast members *Names of all important personnel, including writers, composers, directors, choreographers, producers, and musical directors *Opening and closing dates *Number of performances *Critical commentary *Musical numbers and the performers who introduced the songs *Production data, including information about tryouts *Source material *Tony awards and nominations *Details about London and other foreign productions Besides separate entries for each production, the book offers numerous appendixes, including a discography, filmography, and published scripts, as well as lists of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, black-themed shows, and Jewish-themed productions. A treasure trove of information, The Complete Book of 1990s Broadway Musicals provides a comprehensive view of each show. This significant resource will be of use to scholars, historians, and casual fans of one of the greatest decades in musical theatre history.
Industry Reviews
With this book, Dietz continues his decade-by-decade encyclopedic treatment of Broadway musicals, which started with The Complete Book of 1940s Broadway Musicals. In the present volume, he underscores the decline of the medium. The 1990s brought in the era of what he calls 'the new Broadway,' with family friendly and other feel-good musicals dominating traditional 'adult-oriented' fare. The 203 featured revues and musicals that opened from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 1999 (compare 271 openings in the 1960s) cover the gamut of possibilities: 32 featured new music, 12 had preexisting scores, 32 were imports, 57 were revivals, and 16 closed pre-Broadway. As in the previous volumes, Dietz provides plot summaries, casts and crews, run dates, critical commentary, musical numbers and performers, source material, and awards and nominations, among other data. The volume concludes with 11 useful appendixes. Dietz does not hold back his own opinion-pretentious and politically correct crop up often-and though readers may find themselves disagreeing with Dietz's analyses, his diatribes complement the narratives and make for an enjoyable read.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals; general readers. * CHOICE *
