ABSTRACT

The glorious tradition of the Broadway musical from Irving Berlin to Jerome Kern and Rodgers and Hammerstein to Stephen Sondheim. And then . . . Cats and Les Miz. Mark Steyn's Broadway Babies Say Goodnight is a sharp-eyed view of the whole span of Broadway musical history, seven decades of brilliant achievements the best of which are among the finest works American artists have made. Show Boat, Oklahoma!, Carousel, Gypsy, and more. In an energetic blend of musical history, analysis, and backstage chat, Mark Steyn shows us the genius behind the 'simple' musical, and asks hard questions about the British invasion of Broadway and the future of the form. In this delicious book he gives us geniuses and monsters, hits and atomic bombs, and the wonderful stories that prove show business is a business which -- as the song goes --there's no business like.

part |146 pages

Overture: The Fix

part Act One|136 pages

Act One

chapter i|9 pages

The Op'nin'

chapter ii|7 pages

The Show

chapter iii|16 pages

The Music

chapter iv|17 pages

The Lyrics

chapter v|12 pages

The Book

chapter vi|14 pages

The Jews

chapter vii|16 pages

The Cues

chapter viii|13 pages

The Take-Home Tune

chapter ix|11 pages

The Property

chapter x|19 pages

The Genius

part |158 pages

Intermission: The Real World

part |144 pages

Act Two

chapter i|15 pages

The Brits

chapter ii|18 pages

The Line

chapter iii|17 pages

The Fags

chapter iv|15 pages

The Rock

chapter v|13 pages

The Jokes

chapter vi|13 pages

The Star

chapter vii|8 pages

The Flops

chapter viii|11 pages

The Depilators

chapter ix|14 pages

The Maximalist

chapter x|18 pages

The Future

part |14 pages

Exit Music: The Survivor