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General Reference Books

Bordman, Gerald. American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle (3rd Edition), Oxford Univ. Press, New York, 2001. The best history and reference book so far, chronicling every show opening on Broadway (and some off-Broadway) since 1866, with details on the creators, cast, plot, critical reception, and the shows' place in history. It's the musical theatre Bible. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Hummel, David. The Collector's Guide to the American Musical Theatre, Scarecrow Press, Inc., Metuchen, NJ, 1984. A comprehensive list of every recording of the musical theatre up through 1983, with detailed information about cast, creators, dates, songs included, revivals and film versions, dubbed voices, etc. Unfortunately out of print, but Hummel says he's working on an update... Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Green, Stanley. Broadway Musicals: Show by Show (5th edition), Hal Leonard Publishing Corp., Milwaukee, WI, 1996. A good but incomplete history of musical theatre, listing credits, plot synopsis, and other info for each show, plus several valuable indices. It's missing a lot of lesser known shows, but it's still a good quick reference. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Green, Stanley. Hollywood Musicals: Year by Year, Hal Leonard Publishing Corp., Milwaukee, WI, 1990. A very good, pretty complete history of movie musicals (including films with lots of music that aren't really technically musicals), listing credits, plot synopsis, and other info for each show, plus several valuable indices. Probably the best reference book of its kind. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Kaplan, Phillip. The Best, Worst, & Most Unusual Hollywood Musicals, Beekman House, New York, 1983. A fun coffee table book with good info and great photos of Rocky Horror, Tommy, Can't Stop the Music, Bugsy Malone, The Muppet Movie, and so many others. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Miller, Scott. From Assassins to West Side Story: The Director's Guide to Musical Theatre, Heinemann Publ., Portsmouth, NH, 1996. In-depth analysis and discussion of 16 musicals, written for directors, actors, or just people who love musicals. Including Assassins, Cabaret, Carousel, Company, Godspell, Gypsy, How to Succeed, Into the Woods, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Misérables, Man of La Mancha, Merrily We Roll Along, My Fair Lady, Pippin, Sweeney Todd, and West Side Story. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Miller, Scott. Deconstructing Harold Hill, Heinemann Publ., Portsmouth, NH, 1999. In-depth analysis and discussion of 8 musicals, written for directors, actors, or just people who love musicals. Includes Camelot, Chicago, The King and I, March of the Falsettos, The Music Man, Passion, Ragtime, and Sunday in the Park with George. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Miller, Scott. Rebels With Applause: Broadway’s Ground Breaking Musicals, Heinemann Publ., Portsmouth, NH, 2001. In-depth analysis and discussion of 10 musicals, written for directors, actors, or just people who love musicals. Includes The Cradle Will Rock, Pal Joey, Oklahoma!, Anyone Can Whistle, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Hair, The Ballad of Little Mikey, Songs for a New World, Floyd Collins, and Rent. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Rich, Frank. Hot Seat: Theater Criticism for the New York Times, 1980-1993, Random House, New York, 1998. A wonderful collection of reviews and essays written while Rich was the senior critic for the New York Times. His intelligence, wit, and deep love of theatre shines through even in his harshest reviews. Far from being the dreaded "butcher of Broadway," he loves theatre passionately and reading this book is a rare snapshot of a fascinating piece of theatre history. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Peithman, Stephen and Neil Offen (editors). The Stage Directions Guide to Musical Theater, Heinemann Publ., Portsmouth, NH, 2001. A collection of articles about making musical theatre, assembled from the pages of Stage Directions magazine. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Suskin, Steven. Opening Nights on Broadway, Schirmer Books, New York, 1990. Reviews of hundreds of Broadway musicals from 1943 to 1964. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Suskin, Steven. More Opening Nights on Broadway, Schirmer Books, New York, 1997. Companion volume, covering 1965 through 1981. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Books About the History & Evolution of the Art Form

Miller, Scott. Strike Up the Band: A New History of Musical Theatre, Heinemann, Portsmouth, NH, 2007. A comprehensive look at the evolution of American musical theatre, focusing not just on big Broadway hits but also on off Broadway musicals, off off Broadway musicals, and shows from regional theatre; and also giving due to credit to important Black, Latino, Asian, female, and gay musical theatre artists that are usually left out of books like this. While other histories use the Rodgers & Hammerstein model as their measuring stick, this history tells the story of the art form from the point of view of the incredible, vigorous, adventurous work happening today. Buy this book from Amazon.com

Everett, William A. and Paul A. Larid, editors. The Cambridge Companion to the Musical, Cambridge University Press, 2002. An uneven collection of essays about the history and evolution of musical theatre -- some are terrific, some not so great (the cover photo from Cats gives you some idea of the slant of the book), but it's worth a read for fans or students. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Frommer, Myrna Katz and Harvey Frommer. It Happened on Broadway: An Oral History of the Great White Way, Harcourt Brace & Company, New York, 1998. A wonderful book of personal recollections by some of the greatest stars of Broadway, including Betty Buckley, Carol Channing, Cy Coleman, Comden & Green, Jerry Herman, Kander & Ebb, Gwen Verdon, Jerry Zaks, and so many more. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Gänzl, Kurt. The Musical: A Concise History, Northeastern University Press, Boston, 1997. A fairly interesting book with plenty of great photos, but Gänzl considers nearly any show that uses any music to be a musical, and so his "concise" history strays quite far from musical theatre in discussions of operettas, comic opera, French farces, etc. Also, the book treats American musical theatre as decidedly secondary, so a lot of important stuff is missed, but this also results in a better history of musical theatre in Europe than most books offer. The price for a new copy isn't really worth it, but used copies abound. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Gänzl, Kurt. Musicals, Carlton Books Ltd., London 1995. Pretty much a first draft of The Musical: A Concise History, not much here that isn't in the other book, but again, great photos. Also, interesting to note, this exact same book was published under a totally different title, Song & Dance: The Complete Story of Stage Musicals by Smithmark Publishers in New York. Don't get suckered into buying both titles. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Gottfried, Martin. Broadway Musicals, Abradale Press, New York, 1984. A great coffee table book with hundreds of beautiful photos, some interesting info, and a few questionable opinions. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Gottfried, Martin. More Broadway Musicals, Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1991. A sequel to Broadway Musicals, with many more great photos and good background, info, but also more questionable opinions. This guy knows a lot of facts about musicals but doesn't really understand the art form. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Guernsey, Otis L., Jr. Broadway Song and Story: Playwrights, Lyricists, Composers Discuss Their Hits, Dodd, Mead Company, New York, 1985. A compilation of transcripts from Dramatist Guild symposia with the greatest artists of the Broadway theatre, covering decades of great works. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Hemming, Roy. The Melody Lingers On, Newmarket Press, New York, 1986. A book that profiles the work of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, and other major songwriters. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Hischak, Thomas. Boy Loses Girl: Broadway's Librettists, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, MD, 2003. An excellent history of American musical theatre through a discussion of the men and women who write Broadway musical scripts. Not just a history but a clear-eyed analysis of how and why musical scripts work or don't... Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Kasha, Al and Joel Hirschhorn. Notes on Broadway, Contemporary Books, Chicago, 1985. Interviews with important figures in the contemporary theatre. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Lewis, David H. Broadway Musicals: A Hundred Year History, McFarland & Company, London, 2002. Not the greatest history book, but still interesting with some info other books don't include. Worth a read for serious musical theatre fans and students. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Lerner, Alan Jay. The Musical Theatre: A Celebration, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1986. A survey and contemplation of the musical theatre by one of its foremost lyricists. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Loney, Glenn, ed. Musical Theatre in America: Papers and Proceedings of the Conference on the Musical Theatre in America, Greenwood Press, Westport, Conn., 1984. Sometimes a little dull, but good info and research. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Mandelbaum, Ken. Not Since Carrie: 40 Years of Broadway Musical Flops, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1991. A complete history of musical flops. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Mates, Julian. America's Musical Stage: 200 Hundred Years of Musical Theatre, Greenwood Press, Westport, Conn., 1985. One of the best -- a very intelligent and thorough history of the evolution of musical theatre in America, including minstrel shows, vaudeville, burlesque, etc., and how those forms influenced today's musicals. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Mordden, Ethan. Broadway Babies, Oxford University Press, New York, 1983. An entertaining survey of the some of the important creators of Broadway musicals up through the early 1980s. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Mordden, Ethan. Make Believe: The Broadway Musical in the 1920s, Oxford University Press, New York, 1997. A detailed account of the evolution of the American musical up to and through the 1920s. Lots of fun to read and great info. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Mordden, Ethan. Beautiful Mornin’: The Broadway Musical in the 1940s, Oxford University Press, New York, 1999. The second in Mordden's series of books about the American musical Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Mordden, Ethan. Coming Up Roses: The Broadway Musical in the 1950s, Oxford University Press, New York, 1998. The third in Mordden's series of books about the American musical, this time covering Gypsy, My Fair Lady, Candide, West Side Story, and lots of others. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Mordden, Ethan. Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s, Palgrave/St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2001. The fourth in Mordden's series of books about the American musical, this time covering Cabaret, Hello Dolly!, Mame, By Bye Birdie, Fiddler on the Roof, Sweet Charity, Man of La Mancha, Jacques Brel, How to Succeed, and lots of others. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Mordden, Ethan. One More Kiss: The Broadway Musical in the 1970s, Palgrave/St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2003. The fifth in Mordden's series of books about the American musical, this time covering Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, A Chorus Line, and lots of others. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Morley, Sheridan. Spread a Little Happiness: The First Hundred Years of the British Musical, Thames and Hudson, London, 1987. A good history of British musical theatre from Gilbert & Sullivan up through the pop operas of the 80s, including American musicals and artists in London, with lots of photos and detailed descriptions. Out of print now, but worth finding. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Most, Andrea. Making Americans: Jews and the Broadway Musical, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2004. An interesting history of American musical theatre as a metaphor for the immigration and assimilation of American Jews. Plenty of interesting stuff here. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Riis, Thomas L. Just Before Jazz: Black Musical Theatre in New York, 1890-1915, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC, 1989. An outstanding history book about the shows and artists all the other history books leave out, chronicling an extremely important and interesting time in the history and evolution of the American musical theatre -- a real must-read. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Rosenberg, Bernard, and Ernest Harburg. The Broadway Musical: Collaboration in Commerce and Art, New York University Press, New York, 1993. An extremely interesting, intelligent, thorough look at the business of making musicals -- the best book of its kind. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Sandoval-Sánchez, Alberto. José, Can You See?, University of Wisconsin Press, 1999. An interesting book about Latinos on and off Broadway. This book is not specifically about musicals but includes many discussions of musicals. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Savran, David. In Their Own Words, Theatre Communications Group, New York, 1988. Another volume of interviews. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Sennett, Ted. Hollywood Musicals, Abradale Press, New York, 1985. Another great coffee table book with hundreds of photos. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Smith, Cecil, and Glenn Litton. Musical Comedy in America, Routledge/Theatre Arts Books, New York, 1981. A terrific book, the first half written by Smith in 1950, the second half written by Litton in 1981, taken together a nicely detailed survey. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Swain, Joseph. The Broadway Musical: A Critical Survey. Oxford University Press, New York, 1990. A very technical but interesting book dissecting the scores of several musicals -- don't try this one without some music theory background, though. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Wilk, Max. They're Playing Our Song, Atheneum, New York, 1973. Interviews with major figures in the Broadway musical theatre. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Wolf, Stacy. A Problem Like Maria: Gender and Sexuality in the American Musical, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI, 2002. A new perspective on musical theatre, which is certainly worth something, but Wolf sees lesbian overtones EVERYWHERE, so her arguments kind of stretch the limits of logic sometimes. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Woll, Allen. Black Musical Theatre, Louisiana State Univ. Press, Baton Rouge, LA, 1989. Read this and you'll be amazed at how many important shows and people are left out of all the other history books... an excellent book. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Books About Specific Musicals (alphabetical by show)

Charnin, Martin. Annie: A Theatre Memoir: A Theatre Memoir: A Theatre Memoir, E.P. Dutton, New York, 1977. A fairly interesting chronicle of the creation of this musical, but aimed at kids, with lots of cartoons and photos and not much genuinely revealing stuff. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

King, Larry L. The Whorehouse Papers, Viking Press, New York, 1982. A funny, fascinating look at the creation of the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, written by the co-bookwriter whose article it was based on. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Isenberg, Barbara. Making It Big, Proscenium Publishers Inc. (Limelight Editions), New York, 1996. Incredibly detailed diary of the creation, recreation, and production of the musical Big, from its inception through its disappointing reception. Really great inside look at the insane process of creating a Broadway musical. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Garebian, Keith. The Making of Cabaret, Mosaic Press, Toronto, 1999. Unlike Garebian’s other "Making Of" books, this one actually tells us a lot we don’t already know about the creation and background of one of the greatest musicals in history. Lots of good info here presented in an entertaining way. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Stephen Mo Hanan. A Cat's Diary, Smith and Kraus, Hanover, NH, 2001. One actor's diary of the creation of the mega-hit musical Cats that will give you more respect for the show than you had before -- the character work, the thought that went into each scene, the seriousness with which director Trevor Nunn approached the show. A very nice glimpse into the creation process. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Viagas, Robert, Baayork Lee, and Thommie Walsh. On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line, William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York, 1990. Absolutely the best and most detailed book about the creation of A Chorus Line, built with extensive interviews with every member of the original cast, chronicling every step from the first recording sessions, up through the film, various reunions, to the present. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Flinn, Denny Martin. What I Did for Love: The Untold Story Behind the Making of A Chorus Line, Bantam Books, New York, 1989. It's interesting how different the story is from the dancers' point of view than when Michael Bennett tells it. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Mandelbaum, Ken. A Chorus Line and the Musicals of Michael Bennett and the Musicals of Michael Bennett and the Musicals of Michael Bennett and the Musicals of Michael Bennett. St. Martin's Press, New York, 1989. A look at another of the musical theatre's true geniuses. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Stevens, Gary and Alan George. The Longest Line, Applause Books, 1995. A collection of interviews with insiders, giving a pretty good overview of A Chorus Line. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Welles, Orson. The Cradle Will Rock: An Original Screenplay, Santa Teresa Press, Santa Barbara, CA, 1994. This is the behind-the-scenes story of the creation of The Cradle Will Rock and its historical first production, as told in a screenplay that director Orson Welles wrote in the last two years of his life. Fascinating look at this musical and this historical event by someone who was There. Buy this book from Amazon.com. (This is out of print so Amazon will charge you $50 for it, but order it used thru Amazon and you can probably get it for $25.)

Robbins, Tim. The Cradle Will Rock, Newmarket Press, New York, 2000. A coffee table book about Tim Robbin’s movie about the creation of the ground-breaking 1937 musical The Cradle Will Rock, including Robbins’ screenplay and historical essays and notes. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Farber, Donald C., and Robert Viagas. The Amazing Story of The Fantasticks, Carol Publishing Group, New York, 1991. Fascinating background on the creation of the world's longest running musical. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Altman, Richard. The Making of a Musical: Fiddler on the Roof, Crown Publishing, New York, 1971. A fascinating and entertaining account of the writing, rehearsing, and production of Fiddler on the Roof, told by someone who was there.

Chapin, Ted. Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies, Knopf, New York, 2003. A behind-the-scenes look at the evolution and creation of Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece Follies. Buy it now from Amazon.com.

Miller, Scott. Let the Shine In: The Genius of Hair, Heinemann Publishing, 2003. The first really detailed look at all the historical forces that came together to inspire the creation of the great rock miusical Hair, including analysis of the show's historical context, its creation process, its text and music, and its profound, mystical effect on everyone who becomes involved with it. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Horn, Barbara Lee. The Age of Hair: Evolution and Impact of Broadway's First Rock Musical, Greenwood Press, Westport, Conn., 1991. A fascinating and entertaining read, that explores the hippie movement, the experimental theatre movement, and the way Hair evolved out of both, about the Public Theatre production, the Broadway production, and all the people involved in both. This is a great, fun book, but sadly out of print. Order this book used from Amazon.com.

Davis, Lorrie, and Rachel Gallagher. Letting Down My Hair, Arthur Fields, Publ., New York, 1971. A personally diary of being a part of the rock musical Hair, written by one of the original cast members. A detailed insider's look at the creation of this amazing musical, though sadly out of print. Order this book used from Amazon.com.

Blau, Eric. Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, E.P. Dutton & Co., New York, 1971. A detailed chronicle of the creation of the ground-breaking revue, by one of the two men who created it. Includes an appendix with all Brel's original French lyrics side by side with the English translations used in the show. Really interesting. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Taymor, Julie. The Lion King: Pride Rock on Broadway, Hyperion, New York, 1997. Behind-the-scenes account and lots of sketches of the stage musical, as told by its Tony winning director. No serious insights here, but great photos. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Wasserman, Dale. The Impossible Musical: The Man of La Mancha Story, Applause Books, 2003. A behind-the-scenes story of the evolution and creation of one of Broadway's greatest classic musicals, as told by the author of the show himself. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Behr, Edward. The Complete Book of Les Miserables, Arcade Publishing, New York, 1989. From the original novel, through writing the show, rehearsals and opening night. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Behr, Edward and Mark Steyn. The Story of Miss Saigon. Arcade Publishing, New York, 1991. The making of another hit... Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Willson, Meredith. But He Doesn't Know the Territory, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1959. A wonderful, first-hand account of the creation of The Music Man by its author. Unfortunately out of print.

Dunn, Dan. The Making of No, No, Nanette, Citadel Press, Secaucus, NJ, 1972. The story of the rocky road to opening night for the 1971 revival of the 1925 classic musical comedy -- a bit long-winded, but somewhat interesting. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Wilk, Max. OK! The Story of Oklahoma!, Grove Press, New York, 1993. A detailed behind-the-scenes account of the creation of the ground-breaking, history making musical. Buy this book from Amazon.com. (Before you buy this, see the next entry.)

Wilk, Max. Overture and Finale, Back Stage Books, New York, 1999. Kind-of two books in one, the first half is about Oklahoma! (and reprints most of the text of OK! The Story of Oklahoma), and the second half is about The Sound of Music. This is an excellent book with tremendous detail, genuine insight, and an entertaining style. Lots of good info here that can’t be found elsewhere. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Brooks, Mel and Thomas Meehan. The Producers: The Book, Lyrics, and Story Behind the Biggest Hit in Broadway History!, Talk Miramax Books, New York, 2001. The whole script plus notes on the script and the creation process, along with some great photos. A terrific coffee table book. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Denman, Jeffrey, A Year with The Producers, Routledge, New York, 2002. One actor's detailed, funny, interesting diary of the creation and production process of Mel Brooks' hit musical The Producers. A genuinely fascinating insider's look at how a musical gets made. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Larson, Jonathan, Evelyn McDonnell, and Katherine Silberger. Rent, Rob Weisbach Books, New York, 1997. The entire libretto, plus interviews, behind-the-scenes stories, a remembrance of Larson, and other fun info for fans. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Evans, David, and Scott Michaels. Rocky Horror: From Concept to Cult, Sanctuary Publishing, 2002. An interesting collection of interviews with dozens of people who've been involved with the various incarnations of the great rock musical, and -- unlike other books -- with a great emphasis on the original stage version, its creation process, its strengths and weaknesses, and its reception. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Krueger, Miles. Show Boat: The Story of a Classic American Musical: The Story of a Classic American Musical, Da Capo Press, Inc., New York, 1977. Behind the scenes of the first important serious musical. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Hirsch, Julia Antopol. The Sound of Music: The Making of America's Favorite Movie, Contemporary Books, Inc., Chicago, 1993. An interesting book that follows this classic movie musical from acquiring rights to writing the screenplay, casting, scouting locations, filming, and publicizing. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Books About Important Figures and Their Work

(alphabetical by subject)

Peyser, Joan. Bernstein: A Biography (revised and updated), Beech Tree Books, New York, 1998. A really great biography of the fiery life and career of Leonard Bernstein. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Gordon, Eric A. Mark the Music: The Life and Work of Marc Blitzstein, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1989. An excellent biography of the composer who wrote the ground-breaking musical The Cradle Will Rock and other operas and musicals. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Feuer, Cy. I Got the Show Right Here, Simon and Schuster, New York, 2003. The autobiography of one of Broadway's greatest producers of the 1950s, who produced How to Succeed, Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, and other classic musicals. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Gottfried, Martin. All His Jazz: The Life and Death of Bob Fosse. Bantam Books, New York, 1990. It reads like a soap opera, but maybe that's how it really was -- an eye-opening look at the personality behind one of the musical theatre's greatest geniuses. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Grubb, Kevin Boyd. Razzle Dazzle, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1989. Another survey of Fosse's career -- this time from the dancers' point of view. Extremely cool book. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Beddow, Margery. Bob Fosse's Broadway, Heinemann Publ., Portsmouth, NH, 1996. A show-by-show analysis of Fosse's career, interesting but only a few pages per show (the book covers 13 musicals in only 76 pages). Not very in-depth and not as much "insider info" as it should have. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Rosenberg, Deenna. Fascinating Rhythm; George and Ira Gershwin, Penguin Group, New York, 1991. A strange book -- the biographical info is wonderful; the analyses are ridiculous. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Fordin, Hugh. Getting to Know Him: A Biography of Oscar Hammerstein II, Random House, New York, 1977 (re-released by Da Capo Press in 1996). A wonderfully detailed and interesting look at the work, many moods, and the incredible career of the man who changed the course of musical theatre -- several times... Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Kander, John, and Fred Ebb. Colored Lights: Forty Years of Words and Music, Show Biz, Collaboration, and All That Jazz, Farber & Farber, 2003. A look back, show by show, by the creators of Cabaret, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Chicago, and other great shows. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Citron, Stephen. The Wordsmiths: Oscar Hammerstein II and Alan Jay Lerner, Oxford University Press, New York, 1995. Letters, first drafts, and notes from two great theatre lyricists. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Herman, Jerry. Showtune, Donald I. Fine Books, New York, 1996. An utterly charming, wonderful, funny autobiography from the composer/lyricist of Hello Dolly, Mame, La Cage aux Folles, and other musicals. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Lerner, Alan Jay. The Street Where I Live, W.W. Norton & Co., New York, 1978. A great auto-biography from one of the greatest lyricists ever. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Shapiro, Doris. We Danced All Night, Barricade Books, Inc., New York, 1990. Memoir by Alan Jay Lerner's personal secretary about her years working for him, about his musicals and his collaborators. Not a brilliant book, but interesting. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Loesser, Susan. A Most Remarkable Fella, Donald I. Fine, Inc., New York, 1993. A bio of Frank Loesser, the man who wrote Guys and Dolls, How to Succeed..., and other great musicals, written by his daughter. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Kissel, Howard. David Merrick: The Abominable Showman, Applause Books, New York, 1993. A fascinating chronicle of the controversial Broadway producer's career (and of several decades of Broadway theatre). Merrick, who produced Hello Dolly! and dozens of other musicals, was a monster, but a really interesting one... Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Hirsch, Foster. Harold Prince and the American Musical Theatre, Cambridge University Press, New York, 1989. A masterful director and producer's career. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Ilson, Carol. Harold Prince: From Pajama Game to Phantom of the Opera and Beyond, Limelight Editions, New York, 1992. Not as well written as the other Prince book, but still interesting. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Prince, Hal. Contradictions: Notes on Twenty-Six Years in the Theatre, Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, 1974. The brilliant producer/director's musings on what's he's learned about making musicals through his career (well, until 1974...). Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Mordden, Ethan. Rodgers & Hammerstein, Henry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1992. A great coffee table book with great photos, and a fascinating tour through the creation, opening, and closing of every R&H show. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Rodgers, Richard. Musical Stages, Random House, New York, 1975. An interesting but not entirely truthful autobiography (he leaves out A LOT) by one of the most influential composers ever on Broadway. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Secrest, Meryle. Somewhere for Me: A Biography of Richard Rodgers, Knopt, New York, 2001. A in-depth biography of Richard Rodgers, illuminating dark side no one has written before -- his rampant alcoholism, adultery, varioous phobias, etc. A much clearer look at his life than his own autobiography. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Horowitz, Mark Eden. Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions, Scarecrow Press, 2003. Extensive interviews with Stephen Sondheim on the entire canon of his work. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Gordon, Joanne. Art Isn't Easy; The Theatre of Stephen Sondheim (revised edition), Da Capo Press, New York, 1992. A survey of all Sondheim's shows, including biographical info, historical info, and some analysis. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Gordon, Joanne, ed. Stephen Sondheim: A Casebook, Garland Publishing, Inc., New York, 1997. A collection of essays on most of Sondheim's shows by the country's top musical theatre experts. Some of the chapters are a bit boring but several chapters are very interesting and insightful, and very much worth reading. Overall, this is a good collection. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Banfield, Stephen. Sondheim's Broadway Musicals, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor, MI, 1993. A VERY technical musical analysis of each of Sondheim's scores up through Into the Woods, but not including Assassins. The conclusions are occasionally questionable, but it's a very interesting book. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Secrest, Meryle. Stephen Sondheim: A Life, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1998. The best biography so far. Secrest doesn't really know or understand the shows all that well, but the biographical info is outstanding. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Zadan, Craig. Sondheim and Company (2nd edition), Harper & Row, New York, 1986. An interesting look at Sondheim's career, collaborators, etc. -- a good book for "beginner" Sondheim fans... Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Gottfried, Martin. Sondheim, Harry K. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1993. An interesting book about Broadway's greatest innovator, although take his criticisms with a grain of salt. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

McKnight, Gerald. Andrew Lloyd Webber, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1984. An interesting but candy-coated look at Sir Lloyd Webber. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Walsh, Michael. Andrew Lloyd Webber: His Life and Works (updated), Harry N. Abrams, New York, 1997. A very complete chronicle and analysis of Lloyd Webber's works. Sometimes he works too hard at analyzing things that aren't worth the effort, but overall, it's a good book. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Skipper, John C. Meredith Willson: The Unsinkable Music Man, Savas Publishing, 2000. A good though not great biography of the creator of The Music Man and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Bell, Marty. Broadway Stories, Sue Katz & Associates, New York, 1993. A fascinating look at 16 theatre professionals working on Broadway musicals during the 1991-92 season, including director Jerry Zaks, choreographer Susan Stroman, actress Faith Prince, producer Margo Lion, playwright Peter Stone, and others. A great book! Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Grady, Svetlana, and Dorothy Lister, editors. Conversations with Choreographers, Heinemann Publ., Portsmouth, NH, 1996. Two retired Broadway dancers interview some of the greatest theatre choreographers of all time, including Michael Bennett, Tommy Tune, and other giants. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

Thelen, Lawrence. The Show Makers: Great Directors of the American Musical Theatre, Routledge, New York, 2000. An excellent series of interviews with the top working directors in musical theatre, including Harold Prince, Jerome Robbins, James Lapine, Graciela Daniele, etc. Buy this book from Amazon.com.

revised 7/23/07

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