1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910778117503321

Autore

Sternfeld Jessica <1971->

Titolo

The megamusical [[electronic resource] /] / Jessica Sternfeld

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Bloomington, : Indiana University Press, c2006

ISBN

0-253-11231-1

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (457 p.)

Collana

Profiles in popular music

Disciplina

792.6

Soggetti

Musicals - History and criticism

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. 429-434) and index.

Nota di contenuto

"Why'd you choose such a backward time and such a strange land?" : Jesus Christ Superstar -- "Humming the scenery" : the megamusical ascending -- "Well, the theatre is certainly not what it was" : Cats -- "To love another person is to see the face of God" : Les miseĢrables -- "The angel of music sings songs in my head" : The phantom of the Opera -- "A model of decorum and tranquility" : other megamusicals in the 1980s -- "New music" : the megamusical in the 1990s -- "Everything is show biz" : the megamusical and Broadway in the twenty-first century.

Sommario/riassunto

A megamusical is an epic, dramatic show featuring recurring melodies in a sung-through score; huge, impressive sets; and grand ideas. These qualities are accompanied by intensive marketing campaigns, unprecedented international financial success, and a marked disjunction between critical reaction and audience reception.  Audiences adore megamusicals; they flock to see them when they open, and return again and again, helping long-lived shows to become semi-permanent tourist attractions. Yet generally