In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

Reviewed by:
  • A Critical Companion to the American Stage Musical by Elizabeth L. Wollman
  • Jenna L. Kubly
A Critical Companion to the American Stage Musical. By Elizabeth L. Wollman. Bloomsbury, 2017. Paper $29.95. 292 pages.

Given the number of books written about musical theatre in the last few decades, from overviews to studies of one specific show, at first it may seem there is no need for yet another book on American musical theatre. Indeed, in the introduction to her new book, Elizabeth Wollman acknowledges that her monograph serves as a “companion” (as its very title implies), meant to “complement, not compete with, the extant musical theater histories” and other monographs currently available (ix). Although it certainly covers familiar territory, already considered in works such as Knapp’s The American Musical and the Formation of National Identity or John Bush Jones’s Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theater, Wollman deliberately seeks to “fill in the gaps” by focusing on the external forces—“whether cultural, political, social or economic”—that influenced the development of the American musical (xiii).

Certainly the strength of Wollman’s book is this “bird’s eye view” (xii) that demonstrates how demographics and mobility, specific audience preferences, or even changes in state or federal laws impacted the theatre, sometimes in large ways, other times in a trickle-down effect that she traces. Clearly, Wollman has read deeply and widely across a variety of sources, from musical theatre surveys to cultural histories to create such an overview. At times her suggestions of how a certain moment affected musical theatre are tantalizing, yet also frustratingly brief—for instance the almost offhand comment that early American colonists tended to oppose theatre for religious reasons but were more receptive to music, which, Wollman seems to imply, paved the way for musical drama decades before the United States was even conceived as an idea (4). She makes interesting connections, demonstrating how economic factors could lead to lasting changes—such as when she notes that the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, [End Page 138] and Publishers) strike paved the way for the popularization of country and blues music as well as contributing to the decline of sheet music’s popularity (141). Other times her analysis seems self-evident and obvious, yet no one else has quite managed to put it in such succinct terms before. For example, she argues that the Great Depression and new mass entertainment forms were external factors that contributed to 1930s musicals being conceived as more coherent and aesthetically compelling than the frothy shows of the 1920s that often provided mostly glamor and spectacle.

The book is organized chronologically, from the Colonial Era to Hamilton. The chapters are divided along expected historical eras, as Wollman consistently seeks to explicate how shifts in the political and cultural landscape are reflected in musicals of each era. Each chapter highlights a few musicals. Discussions of the music score, the stars, the lyrics, or design are largely left to others; instead, the author demonstrates how the selected musicals are representative of the era and reflect or refract the concerns of the day. Wollman consistently reminds the reader that the American musical in its long history, has tended to cater to the dominant audience: white, middle-class, heterosexual Americans, reflecting their concerns, aspirations, and unspoken assumptions and outlooks. Musicals have often tried to be groundbreaking, but the author notes that many never quite broke free from their era’s constraints; despite taking a stance against racial prejudice, she reminds the reader that the Asian characters in South Pacific are drawn stereotypically, especially when compared to the nuanced characters Rodgers and Hammerstein created in their other works. Wollman also thoughtfully documents the advances made by minorities and marginalized groups, especially blacks, considering the waxing and waning popularity of the all-black musical.

The last section of the book, “Critical Perspectives,” features short essays by noted musical theatre scholars Robert Meffe, Stacy Wolf, Laura MacDonald, Jessica Sternfield, Elizabeth Titrington Craft, and Joanna Dee Das. After the preceding chapters primarily focused on the history of the iconic American theatrical genre, these concluding essays demonstrate the ongoing vibrancy and relevance of...

pdf

Share