Description |
xii, 444 pages : illustrations, music ; 24 cm |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 427-438) and index. |
Contents |
Part I. Early stages. Williams College before, during, and after Sondheim / Steve Swayne -- Fragments of fairyland: Sondheim's abandoned adaptation of Mary Poppins / Dominic McHugh -- "Nearly everything I wrote": Sondheim and the Actors Studio / Jeffrey Magee -- Breakout from the asylum of conformity: Sondheim, Laurents, and the dramaturgy of Anyone can whistle / James O'Leary -- Part II. Staging identities. Sondheim's whiteness / Todd Decker -- Politics, representation, and collaboration in Pacific overtures (1976) / Ashley M. Pribyl -- Sexual identity in Company, 1969-2019 / Andrew Buchman -- Students performing gender with Sondheim's musicals in the age of #MeToo / Stacy Wolf -- Part III. Versions, genres, and collaborations. Sweeney's identity crisis and the dynamic potential of generic hybridity / Kim H. Kowalke -- "A sad and listless affair": the unsung film adaptation of Sondheim's A Little Night Music / Geoffrey Block -- Part IV. Reconceived structures and techniques. Time and time again: temporal structures in Sondheim's musicals / Jim Lovensheimer -- Sunday in the park with Sondheim, Lapine, Seurat, and Babbitt / Lara E. Housez -- Sondheim and the 11 o'clock principle / Elizabeth A. Wells -- Finishing the line: wit, rhythm, and rhyme in Sondheim / W. Anthony Sheppard -- Afterword: Moving on with Sondheim / Kristen Anderson-Lopez. |
Summary |
This book offers a wide-ranging historical investigation of the landmark works and extraordinary career of Stephen Sondheim, a career which has spanned much of the history of American musical theater. Each author uncovers those aspects of biography, collaborative process, and contemporary context that impacted the creation and reception of Sondheim's musicals. In addition, several authors explore in detail how Sondheim's shows have been dramatically revised and adapted over time. Multiple chapters invite the reader to rethink Sondheim's works from a distinctly contemporary critical perspective and to consider how these musicals are being reenvisioned today. Through chapters focused on individual musicals, and others that explore a specific topic as manifested throughout his entire career, plus an afterword by Kristen Anderson-Lopez; by digging deep into the archives and focusing intently on his scores; from interviews with performers, directors, and bookwriters, and close study of live and recorded productions--volume editor W. Anthony Sheppard brings together Sondheim's past with the present, thriving existence of his musicals. |
Subject |
Sondheim, Stephen -- Criticism and interpretation.
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Sondheim, Stephen. |
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Criticism and interpretation. |
Genre/Form |
Criticism, interpretation, etc.
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Added Author |
Sheppard, William Anthony, 1969- editor.
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ISBN |
019760319X hardcover |
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9780197603192 hardcover |
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0197603203 paperback |
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9780197603208 paperback |
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