Opening Night on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theatre from Oklahoma! (1943) to Fiddler on the Roof (1964)

 Opening Night on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theatre from Oklahoma! (1943) to Fiddler on the Roof (1964)

by Steven Suskin

Pages: 810

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Steven Suskin shares critiques of musicals on Broadway from 1943 to 1964. Many consider this time period, the golden era of musical theater. This time period does include many classics and musicals that even those who don't watch musicals, have heard of and may have watched the movie version, such as Hello Dolly, Funny Girl and the Music Man. The critiques are from well-known newspapers such as the Post, Daily Mirror, World-Telegram & Sun, the Times. A true collection of theater history. 

Ganzl's Book of the Broadway Musical: 75 Favorite Shows, from H.M.S. Pinafore to Sunset Boulevard

  Ganzl's Book of the Broadway Musical: 75 Favorite Shows, from H.M.S. Pinafore to Sunset Boulevard

by Kurt Gänzl

Pages: 488

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This is a guide to 75 Broadway musical favorites ranging from the 1890s to the 1990s. Actor, author and producer, Karl Ganzl, provides full production information, casts, plot synopses, song titles and notes about each show. The work is illustrated throughout with photographs of the original Broadway productions. The Broadway shows featured include The King and I, Jesus Christ Superstar, Damn Yankees, Grease, My Fair Lady, The Music Man, A Chorus Line, West Side Story, Annie, The Sound of Music, Gypsy, Sweeny Todd, Evita, Show Boat, 42nd Street, Anything Goes, Cats, Oklahoma, Hello Dolly!, Fiddler on the Roof, Carousel, Hair, South Pacific, Phantom of the Opera, Guys and Dolls and Miss Saigon. Fascinating information for theater buffs. 

Broadway Musicals: Show by Show, 9th edition

Broadway Musicals: Show by Show, 9th edition by Stanley Green

Revised and Updated by Cary Ginell

Pages: 439 plus indexes

Rating:  5 out of 5 stars. 

Described by the author, Stanley Green, as a combination history, guide, fact book and photograph album of the most memorable productions presented both on and off Broadway each year from 1866 to 2018. The wide variety of the types of stories told, the embracing of changing technology and social norms makes this a history of American society as well. With photos of playbills and posters and a brief summary of the plot and the musical's performance, Green also lists revival performances and movie versions of each musical. He lists the cast, songs, songwriter, lyricist, producer, director, choreographer, songs and the theatre where the musical was performed and the dates of the run. 

There are so many more musicals out there than I realized. Especially since those listed in the book are the successful, award-winning or otherwise memorable performances and not all the musicals performed in say, just New York City that year, or published that year.