Let's Put on a Musical: How to Choose the Right Show for Your School, Community or Professional Theater

Doing a show is great fun—but how do you know which one to do? This practical resource will guide your school, community, or professional theater group to a musical that perfectly fits your budget, creative team, production capabilities, and audience.



With Let’s Put on a Musical! you’ll discover more than 200 famous and little-known shows—all cleverly categorized and described in terms of:





• Story

• Best-known songs

• Musical requirements, including instrumentation

• Chorus and dance numbers

• Staging—the sets, costumes, and props you’ll need




And it’s packed with nuggets about the original Broadway versions and useful tips on casting, publicity, and other practical matters relating to production. Whether it's a big classic like My Fair Lady or an all-but-forgotten show like Top Banana, if there's a musical in your future—or if you’re just a fan of the genre—Let’s Put on a Musical! will be an essential and fun-to-read addition to your theater library.

Peter Filichia is the New Jersey theater critic for The Star-Ledger and author of the weekly "Stagestruck" column in Playbill magazine as well as Playbill On-Line.