Musical Theatre Song: A Comprehensive Course in Selection, Preparation, and Presentation for the Modern Performer by Stephen Purdy (review)

In the foreword to Stephen Purdy's Musical Theatre Song: A Comprehensive Course in Selection, Preparation, and Presentation for the Modern Performer, Tony Award–nominated actor, director, and playwright Hunter Foster recounts the advice he often gives to young performers yearning to "make it" in musical theatre: "I always say that there is no substitute for good acting. . . . As theatre artists the basis of everything we do is telling a good story, and good actors can help tell that story" (xxvii). If "good acting" is the magic ingredient that performers must possess to be employable in musical theatre, then Purdy's book serves as an excellent companion on the road to success in the audition room.

Purdy's biography includes a long list of Broadway shows in which his students have been cast, as well as experience teaching at several institutions of higher education, including the well-respected musical theatre program at Marymount Manhattan College. This pedigree adds a certain weight to the advice contained in the pages of his book. In addition, the sections in which he offers practical advice, tricks of the trade, and exercises make the book a useful guide for students of musical theatre, as well as musical theatre practitioners and teachers.

Although Purdy notes that portions of the book are for beginning performers the volume may be better-suited to performers who already have some concept of the process and requirements of musical theatre auditions. One oversight in the work is the author's emphasis on discussing the contents and preparation of a singing actor's "book"—a tool he never defines. This lack of definition is confusing to those not already well-versed in the world of musical theatre auditions. Additionally, the lack of discussion about why the "book" is important and useful detracts from his argument. However, Purdy encourages readers of all experience levels to put his teachings into practice with "Get It Done" exercises at the ends of many chapters. These invitations for application make the volume an excellent tool for classroom use.

Musical Theatre Song begins with an attempt to outline the entire history of American musical theatre in a mere seventy-eight pages, which is the book's weakest point. While the subtitle for the chapter is "What You Should Know (and Why You Should Care)," it is heavy on the what and contains very little of the why. Additionally, the history itself is lacking (as would be expected from its brevity), with odd delineations of time periods and the omission of important watershed moments and musicals. For example, the 1980s and '90s are lumped together as one section, and there is no distinction made between the early 1960s, which in most cases are classified as a part of the Golden Age, and the late '60s, when the true departure from the established form began. This section would be more valuable if it spent more time discussing why it is important for performers to know the history and offered suggestions of already existing resources, which readers might consult, rather than trying to fit an entire history textbook within seventy-eight pages.

Beyond the problematic history, the rest of the first section offers a wealth of information and advice for selecting appropriate song material for auditions. Purdy's dissection of the various singing styles that one might encounter and how to appropriately analyze an audition posting for clues about material selection are invaluable insights. He repeatedly insists that singing actors "know themselves," and offers a myriad of ways in which performers can do just that. Purdy insists that "whatever traits render you exceptional and especially memorable should be highlighted front and center for all to see and hear" (97). Those who regularly sit behind the audition table would certainly appreciate it if more young performers listened to this advice and presented their best selves in the audition room.

Section 2, "Song Preparation," is...