Broadway Musicals, Revised and Updated: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time

I wanted to add a positive review. My partner and I are huge fans of Broadway musicals, so I got her this for her birthday. We enjoy reading it very much. But there are a couple of things to point out:The jacket mentions several musicals, Les Miserables in particular, but there is no individual entry for said musical. There are several other shows mentioned but not included with their own entry, such as Miss Saigon. There are more, but the rest don't come to mind right away. We were wondering if perhaps since Les Miserables (and some others) were created for the stage overseas, perhaps that is why they were not included? Though Les Miserables is just one of the main examples I use since it was specifically mentioned on the inside flap and mentioned in several other entries in the core of this book.But for the positives. This is a rather large book, size wise and all. There are many enjoyable, glossy photos. Also, and most favorably is that the book has many entries for older Broadway shows which are no longer in existence. Many of these were well known in their own time, but little footage remains. The shows all seem to have some importance in the history of Broadway.I also enjoyed the little extra sections, such as the entry about the biggest Broadway flops (Seussical anyone?) and other entries about musicals with a great song but little else going for it, or a great cast with lackluster music.All in all a great coffee table book that will get attention. We have many friends and family members pick it up the minute they see it, and it's always a great conversation starter. A conversation which usually ends with us putting on  The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall [Blu-ray ]. I highly recommend it for the musical lover in your life!

Some readers moaned about certain shows being omitted from this "greatest of all time" list. But the authors state their criteria up front and admit that some really great shows will not make their list for this-and-that reason, but that it doesn't mean they don't hold those shows in high regard.But this "greatest" list, or ANYONE'S "greatest" list for that matter, is not an absolute measurement. To complain is to miss the point, and to miss the joy of this book.The book is packed with great pics, interesting trivia, and production details and credits that are often overlooked or forgotten as the years roll by. If you're a fan of musical theater (and are secure enough in your own opinions to not take the "Greatest Shows of All Time" tag too seriously) then you will certainly get hours of enjoyment out of this book.It's fun to look back at some of the older shows and see the no-names who went on to become bigger names, either in the theatre world or elsewhere.Recommended.

I bought this heavenly book as a Christmas present for my 89 year-old uncle who has severe memory issues. He lived in New York City in the 60’s & 70’s and saw the original productions of these timeless musicals. My uncle has fallen in love with this book the way he fell in love with these musicals. Thanks to this glorious book, his memories of these shows come cascading back. He is more lucid, thanks to this book, than he has been in years.THANK YOU

The first edition of this was a little bit all over the place. The revision provides an A to Z visit to a wide variety of musicals. Each entry provides a lot of interesting information about the featured musical over a two-page spread. Of course, we may not all agree on every choice the author has made, but for the most part it is a representative sample of some pretty good to great shows.

No book about Broadway Musicals can claim to be about "The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time" and then omit the greatest musical ever produced on Broadway: "Les Miserables." (The 2nd greatest, "West Side Story," was, at least, included). The authors' apparent prejudice against Les Mis seems to be prompted by their dislike of Cameron Mackintosh's "empire of spectacular productions" and the use of unorthodox "huge barricades" (page 63). In other words, the almost operatic Les Mis just does not fit into their conventional concept of the standard American "boy meets girl" musical format embodied in those old reliable classics "Annie Get Your Gun," "Oklahoma," and "South Pacific." Although the book is of value as a reference history of those selected 101 shows, I would not have bought it from Amazon had I been able to discover beforehand that it was so flawed by this inexcusable omission.Peter Davies.

I was thinking of using this book in an assortment of texts for a theater course I teach at Hastings High School. However, when I saw that RENT was not included in the "Revised and Updated" edition that I bought for my daughter, I thought perhaps it was a mistake. Then I saw Les Mis was not included....o.k something is up. In the Intro, we are told there have been omissions, for sure, but the authors wanted to include shows that were "extremely popular and/or groundbreaking in some way." Further, the shows selected have had "an undeniable influence on the form." Including a number of flops in the book can, I agree, be enlightening. And there are a number of them, for sure. Each show has its own road to the big stage that we can learn from. But to exclude a show like RENT, a homegrown Pulitzer Prize winning game changer, is inexcusable. If homegrown Broadway shows are your criteria, then why is Evita included? Whatever your criteria is, I would love to hear what your justification could be. Like the show or not, your book should never be used to enlighten people about influential shows on Broadway. I guess Hamilton and Dear Evan Hanson won't be included in your next "Revised and Updated" edition. Talk about a missed opportunity! Your book is beautiful to look at, I'll give you that.

Fue un regalo y le encantó, perfecto para los amantes de Broadway.

This is a beautifully-presented coffee-table book. It's an incredibly large, glossy hardback that will make a perfect gift to the Broadway buff in your life. Inside, there are details of 101 notable musicals spanning nearly one hundred years of Broadway history. There are perennial classics such as "Gypsy", "Cabaret", "Chicago" and "The King and I", modern favourites such as "Wicked" and "Avenue Q", and everything before and in between. The pages for each musical come with a production history, an original Broadway cast list, several photographs from the actual show, a short synopsis, and a song list (often reminding you why you loved a show so much in the first place) Also scattered through the book are short biographies of several notable Broadway actors, songwriters, etc. There are also many little quotes relating to performers and shows. One of my personal favourite quotes can be found in the pages for "Hair" and states that in "Hair" "you were a professional if you turned up". There are several pages about notable off-Broadway shows, the old revues, notable flops, bad shows that had good songs, and two interesting pages on the original Ziegfeld Follies of 1919, complete with some rare photographs. Whether you're an absolute Broadway fanatic, or just find the subject mildly entertaining, you're bound to find something to interest you in this large, lavish book.

This is a large size, high quality coffee table book with a beautiful cover. I looked through several books on the topic before deciding on this one. My decision was based on the fact that it seemed to have the best reviews. I gave it as a gift so I can't comment on the contents. Shipping and packaging was great. Based on my initial experience I would recommend this book.

Bought this a leaving present for a work colleague who adores musicals (I was in charge of the leaving collection!) When it arrived I thought what I good quality book it was and it passed my "paper-quality-sniff-test" - (you can always smell really good quality paper!) The recipient was thrilled with it .

Excellent and comprehensive book. Just what my Granddaughter wanted as she hopes to go into the profession and is studying dance and acting at theatre college.