Catch me if you can : original Broadway cast recording.
Based on the motion picture adaptation of Frank W. Abagnale's autobiography who as a teenager runs away from home in search of the bright lights. He successfully poses as a pilot, an ER doctor, and a hotshot lawyer and is tracked by Agent Carl Hanratty, the determined FBI agent who's hot on Frank's trail. In the style of an 'old-fashioned glitzy' Broadway musical.

DVD : A Celebration of Classic MGM Film musicals, ....
Live from the Albert Hall, Clive Anderson introduces a concert which celebrates 75 years of classic MGM film musicals. Featuring John Wilson, his hand-picked orchestra, and a variety of vocalists, this film presents a performance of all the famous songs from these musicals, including The Wizard of Oz, Meet me in St Louis, Seven brides for seven brothers, High society, Gigi, and Singin' in the rain. Although all the original orchestral parts were lost, John Wilson has painstakingly reconstructed the original scores for this 2009 BBC Proms season concert.

Showtime : a history of the Broadway musical theater / Larry Stempel.
"Stempel (music, Fordham U., New York) surveys the history of Broadway musicals, "the theatre which speaks, sings, and dances," from their traditional roots to postmodern forms. His extensively-referenced history covers several stages: the transition period from musical revues and vaudeville, importation of the operetta from Europe, 20th century classics with songbooks from Irving Berlin to Stephen Sondheim, and the current era of revivals and 'anti-musicals' which originated off-Broadway (e.g., Jelly's Last Jam, Falsettos). Chapter headings list cover shows by year, Broadway run, producer, director, cast, notable songs, etc. Illustrations include show stills, playbills, promotional posters, theater interiors, and music for lyrics. (Syndetics summary)

100 film musicals / Jim Hillier & Douglas Pye.
Provides a stimulating overview of the genre's development, its major themes and the critical debates it has provoked. While centred on the dominant Hollywood tradition, 100 Film Musicals includes films from countries that often tried to emulate the Hollywood style, like Britain and Germany, as well as from very different cultures like India, Egypt and Japan. Jim Hillier and Douglas Pye also discuss post-1960s films from many different sources which adapt and reflect on the conventions of the genre, including recent examples such as Moulin Rouge! and High School Musical, demonstrating that the genre is still very much alive. (drawn from the publisher's description)

Look, I made a hat : collected lyrics (1981-2011) with attendant comments, amplifications, dogmas, harangues, digressions, anecdotes and miscellany / Stephen Sondheim.
"With this chronological continuation of Finishing the Hat, musical theater lyricist and composer Sondheim has produced another delightful book that melds lyrics, anecdotes, opinions, and whimsy. ... As in the previous volume, Sondheim includes descriptions about each show, as well as running commentary. Sondheim's general essays (the "harangues" and "dogmas" of the subtitle) show him at his opinionated and literate best. (Drawn from Library Journal, courtesy of Syndetics)

Hair : the story of the show that defined a generation / Eric Grode ; foreword by James Rado.
"More than 40 years ago, the first rock musical made off-Broadway history. No one had ever seen anything quite like Hair, which celebrated hippie values and earned its notoriety as much for its nudity as for its use of rock music and its controversial themes. It addressed topics (race, sexual liberation, youth culture) that were unheard of at the time. This illustrated authorized history chronicles the musical's beginnings from its off-Broadway roots in New York's East Village in 1967 to its successful 2009 Broadway revival. When it first appeared, it was condemned as vulgar and a death knell to Broadway. .... An entertaining social history and fascinating document of a seminal musical.." (Booklist review courtesy of Syndetics)

The Faber pocket guide to musicals / James Inverne.
Key features include: the hundred greatest musicals, snapshot plot summaries, ten terrible musicals; and, recommended recordings. James Inverne has been writing about musical theater for years and brings copious knowledge, passion for the subject and a sense of fun to a genre that continues to entertain us all. Also, a very handy quiz or trivia source book.

Rock the audition : how to prepare for and get cast in rock musicals / Sheri Sanders.
"Rock musicals are an increasingly dominant force in contemporary musical theater. Rock the Audition hones in on this growing area and defines what is required of the actor-singer to succeed in the audition room and on the stage. With an honest and thorough approach, Sanders gives performers the essential tools to find the best artist within themselves and to interpret rock material with optimum openness, sensitivity, creativity, and authenticity....Sanders also helps singing actors refine their physical life in the audition room when singing a rock song, an approach profoundly different from that of the traditional musical-theater methods. Including tips from industry insiders and a DVD with demonstrations of the various practices discussed in the text, Rock the Audition delivers lessons for the long term. For singing actors who want to unlock their artistic potential and get to the next level in their careers, this book is a must. Book jacket." (Syndetics summary)

The Mikado, performed by Douglas Fairbanks, presenter ; William Conrad (Mikado) ; John Stewart (Nanki-Poo) ; Clive Revill (Ko-Ko) ; Stafford Dean (Pooh-Bah) ; Kate Flowers (Yum-Yum) ; supporting soloists ; Ambrosian Opera Chorus ; London Symphony Orchestra ; Alexander Faris conductor.

The gondoliers, starring Douglas Fairbanks, presenter ; Keith Michell (Don Alhambra), Eric Shilling (Duke of Plaza-Toro), Francis Egerton (Marco), Tom McDonnell (Giuseppe), Nan Christie (Gianetta), Fiona Kimm (Tessa), Anne Collins (The Duchess), Sandra Dugdale (Casilda) ; other soloists ; Ambrosian Opera Chorus ; London Symphony Orchestra ; Alexander Faris, conductor ; introduction, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

Other popular G & S musicals are The pirates of Penzance, or Ruddigore.

Take a trip down memory lane with The Doris Day collection on DVD
Performers include : Doris Day, David Niven, James Cagney, Jimmy Durante, Hoagy Carmichael, and John Raitt.

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.

That's entertainment.
A concert by the John Wilson Orchestra which took place at the BBC Proms in 2009, when the orchestra played the music of some of the world's best loved film musicals, following the reconstruction of some of the MGM Library's "lost" scores by the orchestra's conductor John Wilson.

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.

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)