Synopses & Reviews
First published in 1984, Gerald Bordman's
Oxford Companion to American Theatre has established itself as the standard one-volume source on our national theatre. It has been hailed for its "wealth of authoritative information" (
Back Stage), for its "fascinating picture of the volative American stage" (
The Guardian), for its "well-chosen, illuminating facts" (
Newsday). The distinguished actor Jose Ferrer wrote "I'm in awe of the scholarship and research that have gone into the making of this book." And
The Los Angeles Times called it "the almost perfect gift book for both the student and the theatre lover."
Now Bordman has thoroughly revised this redoubtable volume, once again providing a completely up-to-date guide to the American stage from its beginnings to the present. Here are over 3,000 entries on playwrights, plays, actors, directors, producers, songwriters, famous playhouses, dramatic movements, and much more. Readers will find summaries of plays as varied as The Contrast, Francesca da Rimini, Arsenic and Old Lace, Our Town, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; biographical sketches of Edwin Forrest and Bartley Campbell, Lillian Hellman and David Rabe, John Barrymore and Jessica Tandy, George Gershwin and Cole Porter; and entries on groups such as The Actors Studio, Christy's Minstrels, and the Provincetown Players. For the new edition, Bordman has added entries on such recent plays as Fences, M. Butterfly, The Heidi Chronicles, and The Piano Lesson, as well as biographies of Len Cariou, Dustin Hoffman, Raul Julia, Tommy Tune, and August Wilson, to name a few. And as in the previous edition, Bordman gives readers as broad a picture of American popular theatre as possible, offering extensive coverage not only of classic works (such as Death of a Salesman) but also many commercially successful plays (such as Brother Rat or Getting Gertie's Garter), plus entries on foreign figures and productions that have influenced our dramatic development (from Shakespeare to Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter).
Accessibly and attractively arranged in the two-column, A-Z format for which the Companion series is famous, this is a volume of enormous erudition, an essential reference for everyone who has a passion for the stage.
Synopsis
First published in 1984, Gerald Bordman's
Oxford Companion to American Theatre is the standard one-volume source on our national theatre. Critics have hailed its "wealth of authoritative information" (
Back Stage), its "fascinating picture of the volatile American stage" (
The Guardian), and its "well-chosen, illuminating facts" (
Newsday).
Now thoroughly revised, this distinguished volume once again provides an up-to-date guide to the American stage from its beginnings to the present. Completely updated by theater professor Thomas Hischak, the volume includes playwrights, plays, actors, directors, producers, songwriters, famous playhouses, dramatic movements, and much more. The book covers not only classic works (such as Death of a Salesman) but also many commercially successful plays (such as Getting Gertie's Garter), plus entries on foreign figures that have influenced our dramatic development (from Shakespeare to Beckett and Pinter). New entries include recent plays such as Angels in America and Six Degrees of Separation, performers such as Eric Bogosian and Bill Irwin, playwrights like David Henry Hwang and Wendy Wasserstein, and relevant developments and issues including AIDS in American theatre, theatrical producing by Disney, and the rise in solo performance.
Accessible and authoritative, this valuable A-Z reference is ideal not only for students and scholars of theater, but everyone with a passion for the stage.
About the Author
Gerald Bordman is the author of many books, including
American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle,
Jerome Kern: His Life and Music, and
Days to be Happy, Years to be Sad: The Life and Music of Vincent Youmans.
Thomas S. Hischak is a playwright, professor of theatre at SUNY Cortland, and author of award-winning books on theater including The American Musical Theatre Song Encyclopedia, Stage It With Music: An Encyclopedic Guide to the American Musical Theatre, and Word Crazy: Broadway Lyricists from Cohan to Sondheim.