Table of Contents

Foreword
Prefaces to the Fourth and First Editions
Prologue: Origins to 1866
Act One: Early Successes, 1866-1892
Intermission: Further British Influences and New Stirrings, 1892-1902
Act Two: The Emergence of American Talent, 1902-1907
Intermission: Viennese Operetta and the American Retreat, 1907-1914
Act Three: The Birth of the Modern Musical, 1914-1921
Intermission: The Cinderella Era, 1921-1924
Act Four: The Golden Age of the American Musical, 1924-1937
Intermission: Broadway's Response to the Swing Era, 1937-1942
Act Five: The American Musical as a Conscious Art Form, 1942-1965
Intermission: Exhaustion, 1965-1969
Act Six: Full Circle? Return of the Brits, 1969-1995
Intermission: Technological Spectacles, Retrospectives, and Revivals, 1995-2000
Act Seven: The Twenty-First Century, 2000-2010
Indexes (Shows, Sources, Songs, People)

About the Author

Gerald Bordman is the author of many books on theatrical history, including American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1930-1969; Jerome Kern: His Life and Music; and the Oxford Companion to American Theatre (with Thomas Hischak). Richard C. Norton, a musical theatre archivist, historian and former producer, is the author of A Chronology of American Musical Theater (2002), an ALA Outstanding Reference Source.

Reviews

"Absolutely the best reference of its kind."--Newsweek
"One of the most thorough treatments of the subject to be produced."--RBB/Booklist
"A chronicle of unapproached detail, sweep, and relish."--The Washington Post
"Fun to read...a labor of love."--The New York Times
"THE reference book for the American musical theater...a remarkable achievement."--Musical Opinion
"...Bordman's narrative chronology provides endless entertainment, in addition to a wealth of information. Open American Musical Theatre at almost any page and you will find hours whiz by before you realize it."--Show Music
"Simply put, there is no other work on the American musical theater that provides such comprehensive information to the highlights of major and minor musical productions, nor that provides such information is a highly readable, informative and entertaining format."--American Reference Book Annual 2002
"American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle, Fourth Edition now runs over 1,000 pages....easier to read and easier for browsing."--Steven Suskin, Playbill.com
"....fair, perceptive and interesting readingL.. giving the reader a real feel for what the show was like."--Brad Hataway, Theatre Shelf
"This is the most up-to-date subject reference available and an enjoyable read."-- Library Journal
"The fourth edition of American Musical Theatre brings readers up-to-date with early-twenty-first-century developments of musicals and the musical-theater industry through a new section by coauthor Norton... Bordman's passion for this genre is obvious, and the writing is informative and intelligent. Norton follows in the same format for 2000-2010... There are many other Broadway encyclopedias that offer show-by-show details, but Bordman's and Norton's
narratives provide an additional perspective beyond lists of facts."-- Booklist