Broadway: The American Musical

Product Description

A comprehensive companion to the six-part Emmy-winning PBS documentary series, Broadway: The American Musical is the gold standard of musical theater history books, tracing the roots of the art form at the turn of the twentieth century through the smashing successes of the new millennium.

The in-depth text is lavishly illustrated with a treasure trove of photographs, scenic renderings, production stills, and rehearsal shots, many previously unpublished. With a foreword by Julie Andrews, this edition is revised and updated, with brand-new material on all the Broadway musicals through the 2018–2019 season, including The Book of Mormon, Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, and Hadestown. Called by Playbill “an epic tome—handsomely produced and intensely researched,” this five hundred-page volume is a must-have for theater fans, casual enthusiasts, and students of all ages.

About the Author

Laurence Maslon
is an arts professor at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts’ Graduate Acting Program. He hosts the weekly radio program, “Broadway to Main Street” (winner of the 2019 ASCAP Foundation/Deems Taylor Award for Radio Broadcast) and has written many books on popular culture, including
The Sound of Music Companion,
and
Broadway to Main Street: How Show Tunes Enchanted America
. For the Library of America, he has edited
Kaufman & Co.
(George S. Kaufman’s plays) and the two-volume collection of
American Musicals (1927-1969).
With Michael Kantor, he was co-writer of the multi-part PBS series
Make ‘Em Laugh
and
Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle
, as well as their companion volumes. He often sings show tunes, even without being asked.

Michael Kantor
is a writer, director, and producer who created the PBS series
Broadway: The American Musical
, which won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Nonfiction Series. Other work includes the Emmy-nominated
Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America
and the Peabody Award-winning program for the Great Performances series,
Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy.
Beginning in 2014, Kantor has been Executive Producer of the acclaimed

American Masters series on PBS, where he oversees films such as
Raul Julia: The World’s a Stage, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story,
and
Sammy Davis Jr. I’ve Gotta Be Me.
He has served as a nominator for the Tony Awards, and currently lives two blocks from Broadway.