Broadway Plays and Musicals

Broadway Plays and Musicals serves as a comprehensive reference guide covering over 14,000 productions that appeared on Broadway from 1919 to 2007. Each entry contains basic production information including dates, theater, number of performances, creative team members, cast size, and plot summaries. The chronological organization allows readers to track the evolution of Broadway through different eras, from the emergence of musical theater in the early 20th century through the Golden Age and into modern times. The book includes both commercial successes and short-lived productions that closed quickly, providing a complete historical record. Reference sections contain additional data about awards, long-running shows, and various statistics about Broadway productions over the decades. Cross-referencing helps readers find connections between shows, creators, and performers across the nearly 90-year span covered in the volume. This encyclopedic work captures the scope of Broadway's cultural impact and artistic development, documenting how American theater reflected and shaped each era's social attitudes and creative innovations.

Very few public reviews exist for this reference book. On Goodreads, it has only 2 ratings with no written reviews, averaging 4.5/5 stars. Readers appreciate: - Comprehensive listings of over 14,000 Broadway productions - Plot summaries for shows from 1919-2007 - Cross-referencing between shows, people, and dates - Inclusion of minor and forgotten productions Common complaints: - Index formatting makes it hard to locate specific entries - Some major musicals have brief descriptions while minor shows get longer coverage - Price point ($144+) limits accessibility - Text-heavy format lacks visual elements A librarian reviewer on Choice Reviews notes it functions well as a "quick reference source" but suggests Thomas's American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama series provides more depth. No reviews available on Amazon or other major book sites. The limited number of reviews makes it difficult to gauge broader reader reception.

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📚 The book documents over 14,000 productions from 1919 to 2007, making it one of the most comprehensive resources about Broadway history. 🎭 Thomas S. Hischak, the author, is a Professor Emeritus of Theatre at SUNY Cortland and has written over 40 books about theater, film, and popular music. 🎟️ Each entry includes essential details such as opening and closing dates, number of performances, cast members, creative team, and plot summaries, serving as a valuable reference for theater historians and enthusiasts. 🏆 The book covers both the hits and flops of Broadway, including productions that closed during previews, providing a complete picture of Broadway's theatrical landscape. 🗽 The chronological format allows readers to trace the evolution of Broadway theater through significant historical events like the Great Depression, World War II, and the AIDS crisis, showing how these events influenced theatrical productions.