On Sondheim: An Opinionated Guide - Hardcover

Mordden, Ethan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199394814 ISBN 13: 9780199394814

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2015

Synopsis

In On Sondheim, renowned author Ethan Mordden takes the reader on a tour of Stephen Sondheim's work, arguing for the importance and appeal of the composer-lyricist in American theater and, even more, in American culture. Over the course of eighteen shows, Mordden demonstrates that Sondheim is a classical composer who happens to write musicals. Sondheim has intellectualized the musical by tackling serious content usually reserved for the spoken stage: nonconformism (in Anyone Can Whistle, 1964), history (in Pacific Overtures, 1976), and cannibalism as a metaphor for class warfare (Sweeney Todd, 1979). Yet his work combines complex music and intellectual plots with a masterly skill for the fabric of theatre. His shows are all intensely theatrical, produced with flair and brilliance, whether in the lush operetta of A Little Night Music (1973) or the quixotic fairy-tale magic of Into the Woods (1987).

Mordden provides fresh insights and analyses of every Sondheim show, from his first hit (West Side Story, 1957) to his most recent title (Road Show, 2008). Each musical has a dedicated chapter, including articles on Sondheim's life and his major influences, and comprehensive bibliographical and discographical essays place the Sondheim literature and recordings in perspective. Writing with his usual blend of the scholarly and the popular - with a wicked sense of humor - Ethan Mordden reveals why Stephen Sondheim has become Broadway's most significant voice in the last fifty years.

About this title

About the Author

Ethan Mordden has long been recognized as an authority on the American musical, and is the author of such books as Anything Goes: A History of American Musical Theater, Make Believe: The Broadway Musical in the 1920s, Beautiful Mornin': The Broadway Musical in the 1940s, and Coming Up Roses: The Broadway Musical in the 1950s. He lives in Manhattan.

Review

"...at less than 200 pages, and given his wealth of insight, Mr. Mordden's book may be the ideal introduction to Sondheim's work for those who've just caught the bug." -- Charles Isherwood, New York Times

"Mordden offers a highly idiosyncratic, big-picture, and completely delicious portrait of Sondheim, show by show, as one of the 20th (and 21st?) century's greatest artists." -- Jesse Green, New York Magazine

"With this book, Ethan Mordden continues his critical examination of that body of work and, with affection and smarts, gives us a good overview. The more you know, the more you will like ON SONDHEIM." -- Wall Street Journal

"Essential reading for lovers of Sondheim or musical theater." -- Library Journal

"...candid and academically sound assessment of Sondheim as a unique personality creating art." -- Broadway World

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0199394814
• ISBN 13: 9780199394814
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 216