Manufacturer: Routledge Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours List Price:$200.00 Our Price:$146.00 Authors: Mark Steyn Description:

As such, it is a wonderful breath of fresh air to find this book by Mark Steyn, a theater critic who happens to be a political conservative, offering a good deal of telling insights as to why Broadway has largely lost its way the last couple decades, though it is very unfair and typical of the left-wing arrogance of some of the writers below that all of his criticisms are rooted in his ideology. To blast today's musicals on their inability to provide a good integrated score and book, as well as good songs is the kind of criticism that a liberal like Richard Rodgers, who walked out of "Hair" after Act One, would have no problem with. (Indeed, apart from "Memory" when was the last time a Broadway song made into the standard repertoire of American popular music?) Steyn proves to be provacative at times, and also very funny as well on a number of occasions that you have to applaud his brilliance even if you don't end up agreeing with him all the time. His chapter on Stephen Sondheim is priceless, showing the strange contradiction of how the works of Sondheim that are so timeless in their appeal ("West Side Story" and "Gypsy") are the ones that are put down the most by his most die-hard fans in favor of his forgettable flops.

One other note to MssOtis@aol.com who likes to use the term "McCarthyism" with the same reckless abandon so typical of the militant left, yet like so many of its members does so in total ignorance of the actual events that spawned the term. One, Senator McCarthy didn't send anyone to jail, and two he had nothing to do with the investigation of Hollywood Communists (all of whom went to jail for the very real crime of contempt of Congress, not their poltical beliefs and the fact that they were leftists or in some cases committed Stalin bootlickers). "McCarthyism" is a term which in its proper context refers to unproved or reckless accusations against someone with the intent to damage or smear merely beacuse of one's political associations. It has nothing to do with sending people to jail for their beliefs. And in its proper context, MssOtis@aol.com by smearing Mark Steyn because he is a conservative who writes for the American Spectator on occasion, is the true practitioner of "McCarthyism" in the end.


Go Steyn!
"if you think, are PC terriblly and white straight men are a right to insult everyone without respect to the way or friendliness, then you could enjoy them", which is large! That was the report, which requested me to buy this book. That rare kind of the quality tendency comes not along all to frequently these days. National mockery writing used, which was Pinnacle of the selection tendency to be back as my amusing Idol, P.J. O'Rourke publisher in leader. As always, Steyn maintains like no different one. Buy this book; They wish it rather frequently again-read.


Interesting ideas, too many mistakes
Interesting and irritating. Interest, because the author offers somewhat thought-exciting views of the history to musical Broadway and where it went discussable wrongly into its modern form. One can not agree or cannot, but there are sufficient new ideas to adjust you thinking. Attractions, because it is also solved on facts which are based inaccuracies, evenly on simple affairs. "dancing into the darkness" is not small in a major, keys. "for the Gipper" George Gipp "is not, it is from one biopic the football touring bus Knute Rockne of" one biopic the baseball player. These are not located cases and the cause, one, for the that to accuracy of the facts to distrust less easily examined. Promote a provoking, because it aims at musical requirement with lots technical designations (including British use of words as and "trembling" "crotchet"), but fasten melodies, by not printing the music, but by representations as "since-there-DTE-DUM". The author white far smaller over music than it wishes uninitiated readers, in order to think. This is briefly said a fun book to read to to prepare but frequently with the author cross to be.


Mark Steyn, the provocateur.



All bluster! Occasionally witty but often sloppy
The only way, with its away to receive an intelligent aleck should be really intelligent, and marking Steyn comes over all too frequently as large mockup. Its casual name traps is at best pretentious, and all too many of the stating lines, which he stated from first hand to have heard before other where were published. Regarding its theories he builds on data, which is, to many of its ideas to support too preselected far. In looking for to maintain or even in titillate he winds a sounding up boorish. While I do not think much of RENT, am not I in agreement with much of, which he says against it. Its wordplays and wordplays maintain, but them carry thinly, after the first chapters -- my advice to it is to the attentions of the Barde: "multi affair with less art." My advice to you is to spend your money other where.


What a crock!
What an incredibly disappointing book this turned out to be. Is Mark Steyn's brain completely ossified? Does he think that the only good musicals are those that are "fun"? Get real, Mark, a lot has happened since Curley rode on into that cornfield. In case you haven't heard, the musical can actually comment melodically on the lives of real people AND be good entertainment. I heard that Steyn knew what he was talking about, but after partaking of this bowl of tripe, I will take the comments of the person who told me that with a very large grain of salt. The final straw, of course, is his viciously homophobic chapter called "The Fags." One would expect this from a company like Regnery, but not from Routledge. What is happening over there? And finally, a question for the father from Manhattan who whistles tunes from Oklahoma (a show I like by the way) on the way to school with his little boy: Are you for real???????


It could have been so much better.
Mark Steyn has always written the only London Theatre Record reviews which show any practical knowledge of music and lyrics. He writes like someone who plays a little piano and has perhaps sung along more than once, so he understands why "Blood Brothers" isn't really a musical, and not just because it cannot rhyme; he also pointed out why "Love Changes Everything" was not equivalent to "Ol' Man River".

Parts of this book are astute - Steyn rightly sees opera and operetta as not that far removed from musicals, especially in the wake of `80s London shows. He gives Wodehouse his long overdue credit, he names Hammerstein as the most important single figure in the genre's history, and he spots Dorothy Fields, as most practitioners but few critics do, as the sexiest lyricist around.

And then. And then he's so damn inconsistent. There are chapters where he completely loses his head, and reads like Joe Queenan or P. J. O'Rourke, but because he's attempting something more than throwaway humour, the effect is disastrous.

Steyn also cannot approach rock and post-'50s pop music without losing perspective - I suspect he doesn't really know that much about it. He refers to Paula Abdul's "hit MTV video" as a steal from Fosse, which it is, but how is a video a hit? He's also convinced that Kurt Cobain never wrote a household tune. Well, maybe not in your household, Mark, but there are bedrooms around the world where "Smells Like Teen Spirit" commands more awe, respect and unalloyed love than all the Gershwin songs put together. This may be lamentable, but it's neverthless true.

An editor, or even a good friend, would have convinced Steyn not to include so many execrable puns. About two of them are actually funny. This tendency is prevalent throughout Steyn's reviews, where it's alleviated by some good sense on the craft of writing musicals, but too much of this in a book smacks of hasty collation; whole slabs from his reviews have been incorporated without changing a word, journalese jokes and all.

There's a sad tendency to name-drop: it's not "as Alan Jay Lerner once said", but always "as Alan Jay Lerner once said to me", which is only useful if he never said it to anyone else - sometimes the anecdote related is something freely available in any number of other books (Alan told some stories a lot). This leaves the writer sounding like one of those tiresome audience members, or slightly drunk newspaper critics, who buttonhole members of the creative team after the performance of a new show, and explain how the thing should have been done.


Flawed and short-sighted
Since I was accused of by McCarthyism, I would like to address this interest. McCarthyism never referred principled discussion over politics among people of the same energy. Book reviews can never be McCarthyism. McCarthy had the people, those in prison was used and on the black list was set (to work i.e. not be allowed) for its political connection. An element of a book in an on-line forum to criticize is not the same. Buy the name giving of of names, in order to know, about which you speak, before you use that, which is friendly from the poison! I never said that Steyn was bad, because he wrote barrier for the Street journal (and accepted, Susan Faludi for it wrote and Alfred hunt does at present, which would be stupid). However the stating lines were, thus impudently believed I that information about its background used them in context would help. Generally if normal people say things, how "dumps were no longer merry. Dumps meant that illness and death "it it with statements qualify over, as impudent opinions like, which are. Steyn never does that. Tolerance for people is important, but it does not mean that we can never criticize everyone for everything. They can permit individual people, without permitting hated activities.


Dead on
Steyn is one wittiest authors around these days. The notes of MssOtis and the reader of pc. of Louis (e.g., "marking Steyn, which wrote barrier for on the right of publications like the Street journal...") to show you the usual intolerance toward to everyone with conservative opinions, ironical of the people particularly come, which seem, to defend "tolerance" as the largest virtue of the world. My man, he becomes for barrier the Street journal! written? Grausigkeiten! Surely this means cannot it nothing have, worthwhile is to be said! Give me a break. Used this kind of debt by connection, if there is actually nothing to be from guilty to, to be designated "McCarthyism" (redefined before the liberals that designation, to mean to "criticizing the liberals for their opinions.") Is Steyn opinionated, but that is, which educates it worth to measured value (another irony. Master of modern -- read: left wing -- art forms always cross talk, like the purpose of the art to provoke people are or them to be somehow frightened. Still, if someone in such a way does not write a book, which provokes their own Konventionalitaet, is it. too lucky) its substantial point, although, is correctly. That Musikale should be maintenance first it had forgotten, art in second place to most today's practical men Musikals. There is nothing wrongly with maintained people, for reason of the quality! I reminded of a scene in the film version "of the volume truck." Nanette Fabray and OSCAR Levant describe the Plot their new light hearted Musikals to Jack Buchanan, which plays one much "serious" director that they would like to receive to refer the appearance. Hearing to the Plot, he decides that he reminds him of the fist legend. It immediately the beginnings, those the Plot and places improves excited, a locking scene, in which we see the line letter ", which is sunk in the flames of the eternal condemnation," or the words to this effect forwards. There is a break and a OSCAR Levant says mordantly "the That'll vacation ' EM laughing." That, in a nutshell, is, which happened Broadway Musikal. The idea that Musikale are like "rising up time" on an equality with the large Musikalen of the past, is laughable. While I my son 7-year-old went to train to of of this morning asked it me, from which blue out whether I knew a song, which was called "OH-, which beautiful Mornin '." I explained to him that that I and we sang, it together. It seems that it had yesterday learned this song in the music category of its school. I explained to him that it was from an appearance, which was called "Oklahoma" and continued, some other song from this appearance to singing to it, song, which are embedded in my memory, although I did not belong to the clay/tone in many years. By contrast I saw to "straight rising up time" some months ago. Aside the fact that it was terrible tendentious, left my main objection is that I not to a unique piece of music of it (and of this to remind applicable the morning, after I saw it) can do me. I GUARANTEE you that in 55 years, 7-year-olds will learn not song of "rising up time" in the school.


Provocative, maddening and flawed
The author despairs of the condition of the present musical theatre now overhauled by large British Musikale. Before large Broadway musical theatres of Jerome core, Rogers and hammer stone, Jule Styne, to call some there was sincere Loesser, Cy Coleman and Leonard amber opera and operettas. After the era of these large composers and poets it gives again operetta, in the form of the plays (analysis, not pit Steyns) on set from Lloyd Webber and Boubil and already mountain. To Steyn the years between operettas by the completely integrated Musikal, in which the book, lyric poetry and the music were marked, which together are were worked on, in order to explain a history. Lloyd Webbers in operattas the music of ovetakes the lyric poetry and the book thus for Steyn is regressiv it instead of progressist, a return an earlier condition. But to form its point it shortchanges, which Lloyd Webber, which it came permits, near at old-fashionable Broadway Musikal "in the sunset splendour road" and their notch for "phantom of the opera" it designates ", perfect." Morever, while it lowers the lack at ESPRIT and Intelligenz in the present poets, it completely shortchanges Stephen Sondheim, which it nicknames perjoratively "the genius." Under the many annoying chapters the chapter on Sondheim is one of the aergerlichsten, because Steyn states that Sondheim selects intentionally the topics, which are unsusitable for musical theatre ("inclination," "Sunday in the park with George," "Sweeney Todd" and "Meuchelmoerder"} and is not enough passionate. It distorts completely completions Sondheims. "Sweeney Todd" is so much over fatherly love and Obsession, as it is with series murders; "company" is one the most relevant and most mobile Musikale, which I saw on connection; "merrily we roll the fact along" independently of the fact that them play backwards (a trick also uses by Pinter "in the betrayal") appearance, how far one runs away from somebody juvenile aspirations and from dreams; "unreasonablenesses" looks back on the life and love with Lieden, those has become standards like a "losing of my understanding." Steyn is clever enough companion, therefore he seems frequently to sacrifice truth for a good-turned cliche. I had a hard time to estimate this book and gave him four stars because of his width and kind; , which is it a credited book by A, opinionated strongly however witty author, but personally if it comes to Sondheim and to the British I, in most cases think that it is wrong straight.


A Sad But True Story



Offensive, derisive, and un-insightful
I bought this book because Routledge has published numerous excellent books on theatre, and it is their first book on musicals. They should be ashamed of themselves.

It is difficult to enumerate all the ways this book offends (and in fairness I haven't finished it yet), soI will stick mostly to a chapter called "The Fags." Mark Steyn, who has written for right-wing publications like The Wall Street Journal and The American Spectator, writes "Fags weren't funny anymore; fags meant disease and death" (202).

While he is bemoaning the high percentage of gay authors in musical theatre he attacks anyone gay in the vicinity. He denounces Tony Kushner (for his non-musical play Angels in America); Terrance McNally (for his non-musical plays Love, Valour and Compassion and A Perfect Ganesh) and even a patch in the AIDS quilt for the "banality" of "a hand-me-down drag-queen cliché" (206). Clearly the author has an agenda in cutting down gay men and he veers dramatically away from his argument to do so. He even attacks Jonathan Larson because though it seems "unlikely, Larson seems to have been straight - and thus the first hit musical `about' Aids was the work of a (professionally) closeted heterosexual" (208). While I don't care for Rent, the basis of Steyn's attack undermines legitimate concerns about the show. (And, from a factual point of view, Falsettos, a hit on Broadway long before Rent appeared, is just as much about AIDS; and New York Theatre Workshop was Off-Broadway, not off-off-Broadway.)

The author knows some about musical theatre (although there are numerous factual inaccuracies), but he uses that as a platform to attack numerous unrelated subjects. He seems to think everyone is beneath him. Sondheim is insulted for being "very New York" but "Deer shooting: That's what folks do in the country. And it's hard to argue that they'd be better off putting down their rifles and listening to Bernadette Peters singing `Art Isn't Easy'" (129) (never mind that she doesn't appear in that number). Who is this more offensive to? Sondheim who can only appeal to a 20 block radius, the New Yorkers who do nothing but dissect internal rhymes or the rest of the country who shoot deer all day?

The author begrudges Sondheim for not writing love songs, without acknowledging that his work struggles with those issues in a way that is complex and harrowing. How is "Finishing the Hat" any less valid as a love song than "Just Let Me Look At You" of "Sue Me" (both of which Steyn compares Sondheim to, unfavorably)? Company, Passion and Follies all explore realities of loving someone who isn't perfect, when the curtain doesn't set on a wedding. Sondheim's characters may find it difficult to let down their guard, may be torn between work and romance, may be terrified about keeping up appearances, but despite, or maybe because of it all, Sondheim's characters explore the depths of passion, vulnerability, commitment and betrayal. I love the old work. The Gerhswins make my knees weak; Rodgers and Hart take my breath away; and Kern touches me and seems to make the world perfect for a moment. But that doesn't detract from Sondheim's work. You can love them all.

The author finds the current state of musical depressing, but he seems to be picking shows based on the titles. While he lists numerous bad, obscure off-off-Broadway revues (many of which seem to have been cabaret acts denigrated only for their titles), he doesn't mention two recent gems: Wings and Floyd Collins. Perhaps they would complicate his argument that everything has gone down hill since Stonewall.

I felt betrayed by buying this book, and supporting this author with my money. If you want to read it, get it from the library. Jesse Helms and George Will might appreciate this book, and if you think PC is awful and white straight men have a right to insult everyone with no regards to manners or kindness, then you might enjoy it. Otherwise, there are some wonderful books out there, like Ethan Mordden's Better Foot Forward and Broadway Babies, Philip Furia's The Poets of Tin Pan Alley, Alec Wilder's American Popular Song; Deena Rosenburg's gem, Fascinating Rhythm, and Craig Zadan's Sondheim and Company, to name but a few.


More opinionated than informative
All Steyn is not this a large author to begin with. But, as soon as you receive behind its clumsy Prosa, find that it is more blustery than insightful. Its opinion, which died Broadway the Musikal, is particularly merry in a time, if we see bright new Musikale like "rising up time," "a new brain," "Floyd Collins," and "parade,", if unbelievable new authors are visible fair and if authors Sondheim, Kander like



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