Amateur Stage
...this superb book addresses every aspect of musical theatre...a key resource for all of those concerned with the staging of a musical on every scale from a school production to a major staging at a large capacity...theatre. It provides comprehensive step-by-step guidance for musical directors and choreographers, teachers, administrators, actors and students...presented in a clear, concise format with loads of illustrations, this book...is quite a find and a super addition to your library.
Berkshire Eagle
...invest in this book, which, as the playwright William Gibson says in the foreword 'should be in every high school and college library.' And public library I might add...remarkably complete...
Professional Reviews
...a unique and valuable addition to any school or public library's drama section...an excellent resource for the first-time director as well as young adults who have an interest in theatre, but little experience, and want to learn more...a fine way to raise the curtain for the first scene in a directing career.
School Library Association
The book has an accessible upbeat feel to the text which is dotted with inspirational quotes to enthuse and energize the prospective director into action.
Stage Directions
For those in need of a primer, this comes highly recommended.
Amateur Stage
...this superb book addresses every aspect of musical theatre...a key resource for all of those concerned with the staging of a musical on every scale from a school production to a major staging at a large capacity...theatre. It provides comprehensive step-by-step guidance for musical directors and choreographers, teachers, administrators, actors and students...presented in a clear, concise format with loads of illustrations, this book...is quite a find and a super addition to your library..
School Library Association
The book has an accessible upbeat feel to the text which is dotted with inspirational quotes to enthuse and energise the prospective director into action..
VOYA
From acting to upstaging and from Anything Goes to West Side Story, this title provides a broad introduction to the art of directing musical theatre. Musicals! is designed to answer two questions for the first-time director: "How do I mount a musical production from the very first step to the last?" and "Will I be able to do it?" The authors answer the former question by efficiently directing the reader through the basic stages of theatre production. Although the latter question can only be answered by the individual, the authors' encouragement, enthusiasm, and sound advice will certainly help anyone feel as though they could direct Broadway's next big hit. Several very good books exist on directing school and community theatre productions and this can be included among them. In particular, this book has two strengths that make it a unique and valuable addition to any school or public library's drama section. First, it presents information in a straightforward and reader-friendly style. This makes it an excellent resource for the first-time director as well as young adults who have an interest in theatre, but little experience, and want to learn more. Second, the book is genre-specific and addresses the unique challenges of mounting the musical production, such as the various types of show songs and the function of songs in a musical. Reading Musicals! is a fine way to raise the curtain for the first scene in a directing career. Index. Illus. Photos. Charts. Biblio. Further Reading. Appendix.
Library Journal
Boland, a community college theater educator with 27 years of experience teaching and directing musicals, and Argentini, a playwright, actor, and freelance writer, have parlayed their 35-year friendship and considerable theatrical expertise into a handbook for novice directors of the musical. This illustrated nuts-and-bolts compendium includes 22 chapters divided among three major sections addressing preparation, production, and performance. Through accessible prose and a you-can-do-it tone, the authors provide an overview of preproduction planning, auditioning and casting, blocking, stage composition, rehearsals, and choreography, as well as the more technical layers of set design, costumes, and lights. A glossary and selected bibliography are also included. An appropriate acquisition for introductory guidance to musicals at the school and community theater levels; for a more intermediate guide, try Elaine and Deborah Novak's Staging Musical Theater: A Complete Guide for Directors, Choreographers, and Producers (LJ 8/96).Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L, Tex.
