The Complete Book of 1980s Broadway Musicals

For Broadway audiences of the 1980s, the decade was perhaps most notable for the so-called “British invasion.” While concept musicals such as Nine and Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George continued to be produced, several London hits came to New York. In addition to shows like Chess, Me and My Girl, and Les Miserables, the decade’s most successful composer Andrew Lloyd Webber was also well represented by Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Song & Dance, and Starlight Express. There were also many revivals (such as Show Boat and Gypsy), surprise hits (The Pirates of Penzance), huge hits (42nd Street), and notorious flops (Into the Light, Carrie, and Annie 2: Miss Hannigan’s Revenge).

In The Complete Book of 1980s Broadway Musicals, Dan Dietz examines in detail every musical that opened on Broadway during the 1980s. In addition to including every hit and flop that debuted during the decade, this book highlights revivals and personal-appearance revues with such performers as Sid Caesar, Barry Manilow, Jackie Mason, and Shirley MacLaine.

Each entry includes the following information

Opening and closing dates
Plot summaries
Cast members
Number of performances
Names of all important personnel including writers, composers, directors, choreographers, producers, and musical directors
Musical numbers and the names of performers who introduced the songs
Production data, including information about tryouts
Source material
Critical commentary
Tony awards and nominations
Details about London and other foreign productions

Besides separate entries for each production, the book offers numerous appendixes, including a discography, filmography, and published scripts, as well as lists of Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, black-themed shows, and Jewish-themed productions.

A treasure trove of information, The Complete Book of 1980s Broadway Musicals provides readers with a comprehensive view of each show. This significant resource will be of use to scholars, historians, and casual fans of one of the greatest decades in musical theatre history.