Studying Musical Theatre Theory and Practice

The ideal accompaniment to any study of musical theatre, this lively textbook provides a comprehensive overview of the history, theory and practice of this popular theatre form. Bringing critical theory and musical theatre together, Millie Taylor and Dominic Symonds explore the musical stage from a broad range of theoretical perspectives, including narrative theory, orientalism, gender theory and globalization.

Focusing on opera as well as musical theatre, Studying Musical Theatre considers dozens of diverse shows from 1607 to the present day. From Monteverdi to Mamma Mia, and from HMS Pinafore to Hedwig, this book offers an accessible and up-to-date guide to musical theatre for students, aficionados and enthusiasts alike.

Millie Taylor is Professor of Musical Theatre at the University of Winchester, UK. She is author of Musical Theatre, Realism and Entertainment, among other titles.
Dominic Symonds is Reader in Drama at the University of Lincoln, UK. He is co-editor of the Studies in Musical Theatre journal, and author of the forthcoming We'll Have Manhattan: the Early Work of Rodgers and Hart, among other titles.

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART I: READING TEXTS
1. 'A tale as old as time': Narrative Theory
2. 'A man who can interpret could go far': Semiotics and Semiology
3. 'Razzle dazzle 'em': Reception Theory and the Epic Musical
4. 'Life is a cabaret': Cultural Materialism
PART II: INTERPRETING CONTEXTS
5. 'You've got to be carefully taught': Orientalism and Musical Theatre
6. 'I wanna be a producer': Globalization, Capitalism and Consumerism
7. 'What's the buzz?' Meta-narratives and Postlinearity
PART III: PERFORMING IDENTITIES
8. 'Marry the man today': Feminism and the Performance of Identity
9. 'The bitch of living': Youth Cultures, Power, and Sexuality
10. 'I am what I am': Sexuality and Queer Theory
PART IV: RETHINKING RELATIONSHIPS
11. 'It's the last midnight': Playing with Time and Space
12. 'I'm just a Broadway baby': Intertextuality in Music and Lyrics
13. 'Dreamgirls will make you happy': The Pleasures of Voice and Body
14. 'Make 'em laugh': The Politics of Entertainment
Bibliography
Index