Welcome
This page is intended to be an introductory page to musicals at the library. The title-underlined links will take you directly to our catalogue. Some featured items are linked via a cover to enable you to read more about the items,see track information or listen to excerpts.
(Page last updated 17 August 2009)
New @ the library
Rob Guest : 1950-2008 .
Highlights from shows including
Phantom of the opera, Les miserables, Sunset boulevard, Beauty and the beast, Joseph and the amazing technicolour dreamcoat, Jesus Christ superstar, Cats, Sweeny Todd, Westside Story, Oliver!, Chess, The King and I, and Miss Saigon.
DVDs
Catalogue Quicksearch:
To find all musicals on DVD, try this Catalogue Quicksearch.
Recent additions:
Sweeney Todd : the demon barber of Fleet Street , based on the musical by Stephen Sondheim; with Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, ....
R16 - Restricted to persons 16 years and over.
Hairspray, Based on the 1988 screenplay by John Waters and the musical stage play, book by Mark O'Donnell. Music by Marc Shaman ; lyrics by Scott Witman, Marc Shaman.
Stars Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken....
Daddy long legs, directed by Jean Negulesco; with Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, Terry Moore, Thelma Ritter, Fred Clark, Charlotte Austin, Larry Keating, Kathryn Givney, Kelly Brown, Ray Anthony
Based on the novel by Jean Webster.
Originally released as a motion picture in 1955
Funny girl ; Funny lady.
Funny girl (149 min.) (1968) / screenplay by Isobel Lennart ; directed by William Wyler ; produced by Ray Stark.
Stars : Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Kay Medford, Anne Francis, Walter Pidgeon.
Funny lady (132 min.) (1974) / screenplay by Jay Presson Allen and Arnold Schulman ; story by Arnold Schulman ;directed by Herbert Ross ; produced by Ray Stark.
Stars : Barbra Streisand, James Caan, Roddy McDowall, Ben Vereen, Carole Wells, Omar Sharif
Books
Catalogue Quicksearch:
To find all books about musicals, try this Catalogue Quicksearch.
On the shelves, books about musicals can be found at 784.87, while scores of musicals are at 780.7.
Recent items:
Broadway showstoppers, (Hal Leonard) (Score). Piano, vocal and guitar chords.
Packed with favourites such as The phantom of the opera. All I ask of you; Les miserables. Do you hear the people sing? ; Evita. Don't cry for me Argentina ; Gypsy. Everything's coming up roses ; Hello, Dolly! Hello Dolly ; Annie. I don't need anything but you ; Cats. Memory ; Show boat. Ol' man river ; The music man. Seventy six trombones ; South Pacific. There is nothin' like a dame ; My fair lady. With a little bit of luck. and many more.
The rough guide to film musicals, by David Parkinson. (2007).
This is the perfect companion to cinema's most spectacular genre, the musical film. 50 essential musicals are covered, including such enduring classics as Top Hat, Singin' In The Rain and West Side Story, together with profiles of musical legends from Gene Kelly and Julie Andrews to Busby Berkeley and George Gershwin. And the rest: Scores of film reviews, plus behind-the-scenes stories, musicals from around the world, and a round-up of the best books, memorabilia, soundtracks and websites. Drawn from the book jacket
Musicals : the complete illustrated story of the world's most popular live entertainment, by Kurt Ganzl. (2001).
Covers a wide spectrum of musicals from the early days, through the romantic shows between the wars, later Broadway performances to today. Ganzl writes informatively - he is also the author of The encyclopedia of musical theatre .
Show tunes : the songs, shows, and careers of Broadway's major composers, by Steven Suskin ; with a foreword by Michael Feinstein. (2000).
This reference book chronicles the shows, songs, and careers of all the major composers of the American musical theatre, from Jerome Kern's earliest to the latest hits on Broadway. This newly revised and updated edition cites and discusses 900 shows and almost 8,000 show tunes. As the Washington Post observed, "It makes you sing and dance all over your memory." (drawn from Amazon)
Producing musicals, by John Gardyne. (2004).
Packed with practical advice from choosing a show, to costume design, casting, marketing, rehearsals, light and sound, this is an excellent book for the beginning amateur team.
The world of musical comedy : the story of the American musical stage as told through the careers of its foremost composers and lyricists , by Stanley Green. (1980).
Like the Ganzl above, this also covers the wide range of musicals, and the people who have been involved in bringing the stage to life.
Gilbert & Sullivan
When did the musical begin? One can go back further to the operettas of Strauss or Offenbach, but Arthur Sullivan and William Gilbert are synonymous with the popularisation of the early genre. There are many web-sites devoted to their music e.g. Gilbert and Sullivan Archive.
Try these examples:
The Mikado, performed by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.
We have this musical in several versions including Video.
Pirates of Penzance, starring Kevin Kline, Angela Landsbury and Linda Ronstadt. This is the video version, but we also have on CD. Other popular G & S musicals are H.M.S. Pinafore , or The Gondoliers.
CD compilations
Catalogue Quicksearch:
To find all musicals on CD, try this Catalogue Quicksearch.
Recent items:
American musical theater : shows, songs and stars.
This is one item example from the four CD set which has been compiled by the Smithsonian Collection of Recordings.
Bernstein on Broadway.
While not the most prolific of Broadway composers, Leonard Bernstein did much to cross musical boundaries, making the stage numbers familiar with songs such as "New York, New York and "I feel pretty". This Cd features Kiri Te Kanawa and Jose Carreras.
Gerwshin overtures.
This features orchestrations heard in orginal stage productions of the 1920s and 1930s.
Movie musicals, 1927-1936.
Nostalgic popular selection including A Fine romance, It's only a paper moon, On the good ship Lollipop, Ol' man river.
New York, New York! : a Broadway extravaganza.
Selection of songs from a number of musicals sung by the New York City Gay Men's Chorus.
Contemporary Pop/Rock Musicals
Hair : the tribal love rock musical.
Arguably this is now in "classic" status - it opened on Broadway in 1968. The lot is something like "War is bad, drugs are good, racism bites the big one, and nudity is nice." Although all these sentiments are expressed on this album which, like the show, has not dated well, the quality of the music makes it forgiveable. The songs weren't really rock, but they accomplished what all good pop songs set out to do - stick in the craw. (drawn from Amazon).
The road to El Dorado, with songs by Elton John.
Elton John's music has featured in many films and this is a typical example of his rock ballad style.
We will rock you, with Queen, and Ben Elton.
Since opening, it's been London's No.1 show. Recorded live at the Dominion Theatre, this album perfectly captures the electric atmosphere of this spectacular theatrical event. This is the story of the Bohemian Rebellion of 2302, the year of the Rhapsody. (Amazon)
Useful websites
- musicals101.com
The Cyber Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre, TV and Film, compiled by Jack Kenrick. Recommended portal. - www.hotlyrics.net
Use the search to locate by song title, show or artist. - Theatricopia : An abundance of links and more for Musical Theatre fans
Portal covering Shows, performers, lyrics, news etc.
Classic shows
(These links will jump you further down the page.)
General:
Annie, composer Charles Strouse.
This is the 1982 soundtrack version. Tomorrow is one song that is in the repertoire of many school choirs since its release.
Annie get your gun,composer - Irving Berlin. (1950)
The story is "boy meets girl meets buckshot" variety but look no further for the source of There's no business like show business. Available also on CD.
Chess,by Benny Andersson and Tim Rice. (1996)
Chess is a musical that sounds like it shouldn't work but instead succeeds surprisingly well. This is the original concept album that was recorded before the musical was staged in London. Chess is the story of a love triangle told against the backdrop of an international chess tournament during the height of the cold war. (Amazon)
Fiddler on the roof.
The story is a universal one of hope, love and acceptance. The movie was nominated for 8 Academy awards, including Best Picture. Another crop of "classic" songs including "If I were a rich man" and "matchmaker". The library also has on DVD.
Godspell
A parallel work to Jesus Christ Superstar - both of the same late sixties/early seventies era. Godspell's portrayal of Jesus is the more light-hearted - as a hippie clown.
Grease.
This movie is a 1970s take on 1950s musicals, providing all the pop kitsch anyone could hope for. This has become the ultimate rock 'n' roll boy meets girl.
Kiss me Kate, by Cole Porter. (1948)
A musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. KISS ME KATE opened at the New Century Theatre on Broadway in 1949, making history in its run of over 1000 performances. The library also has on DVD.
Les Miserables, by Claude Schonberg. (1987)
After Les Miserables became a huge hit in London, it moved to Broadway, but regardless of its cast, it has been a hit musical across the world. Based on Victor Hugo's classic novel of a student uprising in pre-revolutionary France. The library also has on DVD.
Lady in the dark, by Kurt Weill.
Kurt Weill is representative of a group of composers who straddle classical and popular music forms. (Lyrics are by Ira Gershwin). This is the 1963 studio cast recording.
My fair lady on DVD.
Based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, My Fair Lady stars Rex Harrison as linguist Henry Higgins (Harrison also played the role, opposite Julie Andrews, on stage), who draws Eliza (Audrey Hepburn) into a social experiment that works almost too well. (Amazon) The library also has versions on CD including one featuring Kiri Te Kanawa and Jeremy Irons.
Oliver! by Lionel Bart.
After opening on the West End in 1960, Lionel Bart's Oliver! successfully transferred to Broadway. (the cover is to a different version)
The Rocky horror show, by Richard O'Brien.
The Daily Mail commentator at its time of release wrote "From Bill Haley to David Bowie is one hell of a time leap. Mr O'Brien measures it effortlessly, illuminatingly and wittily ...for all its highly sensual ambience as a piece, it is far too joky to ever be accused of practising the corruptions it pretends to preach". (the cover is to a different version).
Salad Days, by Julian Slade.
SALAD DAYS was one of the longest-running musicals in London in the 1950s. On a summer's day, a young couple meet an old man in the park who owns a magical piano that makes everyone dance. "The story of Salad Days has been described more times than I can remember as 'thin'...nevertheless it is a vehicle to wheel the songs along" (Julian Slade writing in the 40th anniversary CD version).
Singin' in the rain.
When Sight & Sound conducts its international critics poll in the second year of every decade, this 1952 MGM picture is the American musical that consistently ranks among the 10 best movies ever made. It's not only a great song-and-dance piece starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, and Debbie Reynolds; it's also an affectionately funny insider spoof about the film industry's uneasy transition from silent pictures to "talkies." (Amazon)
West side story.
Created by what lyricist Stephen Sondheim described as "a unique concatenation of people" (Leonard Bernstein, Sondheim, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins), the show remains as explosively vibrant, daring, and modern as it was decades ago. Bernstein integrated Latin percussion and jazz into his electrifying score, dazzlingly translating New York's unique vitality into a musical idiom. (Amazon) The library also has on DVD.
The Wizard of Oz
When it was released during Hollywood's golden year of 1939, The Wizard of Oz didn't start out as the perennial classic it has since become. The film did respectable business, but it wasn't until its debut on television that its popularity soared. This DVD version contains a Behind-the-scenes documentary:"The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: The Making of a Movie Classic," hosted by Angela Lansbury, and Outtakes, including the rarely seen "Jitterbug" dance, plus Interviews with Margaret Hamilton, Ray Bolger & Jack Haley.
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Cats.
Since its debut in 1981, London's and the world's longest-running musical still runs in a dozen theatres worldwide. This show starred Elaine Paige who rose to stardom with the hit "Memories".
Other Lloyd Webber musicals to particularly note are Evita, and Jesus Christ Superstar.
The Phantom of the opera.
A musical mega hit whose fame has extended well beyond the music theatre.
Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat.
This DVD version stars former teen icon Donny Osmond, who played over 1,800 performances across North America. Its Lloyd Webber's first project with lyricist Tim Rice was originally written in 1968 as a school cantata. The Old Testament story remains a popular school concert choice. (The Library also has on CD.)
Richard Rodgers
The sound of music.
This has now been immortalised by the screen version featuring Julie Andrews as the novice nun who became governess of the motherless von Trapp clan. Definitely cult status. The Library also has on CD.
The King and I.
This 1955 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway hit The King and I, starring Yul Brynner as the King of Siam and Deborah Kerr as the governess sent to look after his children, was the most expensive film ever mounted by 20th Century Fox.
Other works to note from the prolific Rodgers and Hammerstein partnership are
South Pacific (VIDEO), and Oklahoma! (DVD).
Stephen Sondheim
Sweeney Todd: the demon barber of Fleet Street, based on the book by Hugh Wheeler.
For this most ghoulish of shows, Sondheim looked for inspiration in the way the music is used in horror and suspense movies. The winner of nine Tony Awards in 1979, Sweeney Todd may not be Sondheim's most accessible score, but its operatic complexity (it is almost entirely sung-through) makes it darkly spellbinding. (Amazon)
A little night music.
Perhaps best known for the hit "Send In the Clowns." Stephen Sondheim's glamorous 3/4 waltz-time musical recalls enchanted evenings and white kidskin elbow gloves.
Collector's Sondheim Double CD set with over 50 classic Sondheim numbers.
