It was a charming, disarming Off-Broadway moment. ![]() ![]() There was no need to belt in the 144seat Sullivan Street Playhouse, but Gardner’s direct plea not to be “normal” was enthralling all the same. On May 3, 1960, about fifteen minutes into the opening night of the Off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks, the unknown ingénue Rita Gardner sang the plaintive song “Much More,” a naive but heartfelt number in which the Girl vows not to be like other people and exclaims how her life will be filled with romance and adventure. It was a brassy, unforgettable Broadway moment. With her bold and thrilling voice filling the Broadway Theatre, the largest venue in the Theatre District at the time, Merman’s Rose proclaimed that she was not like other people and boasted how she was determined to make her young kids into stars. I WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS MY THANKS to Mark Robinson, Bill Whiting, and Cathy Hischak who helped in the preparation of the manuscript to the editors at Scarecrow Press and to Ron Mandelbaum at Photofest.ĬONSIDER TWO MEMORABLE MOMENTS in the American musical theatre that occurred within a year of each other: On May 21, 1959, the opening night of Gypsy, one of Broadway’s biggest stars, Ethel Merman, launched into the song “Some People” about fifteen minutes into the show. Fodder for Broadway: The 2000s 319Īppendix: Guide to Recordings Bibliography Index Printed in the United States of Americaįor Greg, who has the spirit of Off BroadwayĪlphabetical List of Off-Broadway MusicalsĬhronological List of Off-Broadway MusicalsĢ. ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Includes bibliographical references and index. Off-Broadway musicals since 1919 : from Greenwich Village follies to the toxic avenger / Thomas S. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hischak, Thomas S. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. ![]() 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom Copyright © 2011 by Thomas S. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. O FF -B ROADWAY M USICALS SINCE 1919 From Greenwich Village Follies to The Toxic Avenger Thomas S. The first book of its kind, this highly readable volume will please both the theatre scholar and the average musical theatre patron or fan. In addition to essential data about each musical, the plot and score are described, the success (or lack of) is chronicled, and an opinionated commentary discusses the work's merits and influences on the musical theatre in general. Works that introduced an important artistic talent, from performers to songwriters, are looked at, and the selection represents the various trends and themes that made Off Broadway significant. In this volume, any work of consequence is covered, especially if it was popular or influential, but also dozens of more obscure musicals are included to illustrate the depth and breadth of Off Broadway. Presented chronologically and divided into chapters for each decade, beginning with the landmark musical Greenwich Village Follies (1919), the book culminates with the satiric The Toxic Avenger (2009). Long-running champs, such as The Fantasticks and Little Shop of Horrors, are discussed in many books about American musicals, but what of the hundreds of other Off-Broadway musicals? In Off-Broadway Musicals since 1919, Thomas Hischak looks at more than 375 musicals, which are described, discussed, and analyzed, with particular attention given to their books, scores, performers, and creators. Although the venue Off Broadway has long been the birthplace of innovative and popular musicals, there have been few studies of these influential works.
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