The theater will rock: a history of the rock musical: from Hair to Hedwig

Abstract

Theater Will Rock explores the history of the and the phenomenon that was sparked when two highly distinctive American art forms met onstage in New York City in the Sixties. The has since evolved to become one of the most important cultural influences on American theater, and a major cultural export. Packed with candid commentary by members of New York's vibrant theater community, the book traces the musical's evolution over nearly fifty years, in popular productions such as Hair, Who's Tommy, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Little Shop of Horrors, and Mamma Mia! - and in notable flops such as Capeman. But is the term rock musical an oxymoron? The relationship between and the theater has been an uneasy one from the start, and even the comparatively recent success of Rent has done little to convince theater producers that musicals are anything but highly risky ventures. Elizabeth L. Wollman explores the reasons behind these problematic connections, and looks at the socioeconomic forces that underlie aesthetic decisions. She weighs the influence on the by mass media, sound and recording technology, and the economic pressures that have affected New York theater in general over the past three decades. Finally, Wollman offers a meditation on the state of the musical, its relation to rock, and, ultimately, its future. Readers interested in music, the theater, cultural history, or the New York arts scene will find Theater Will Rock an engrossing, informative book.

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