When the show was first produced in 1960; at a time when transatlantic musical theatre was dominated by American productions; Oliver! already stood out for its overt Englishness. But in writing Oliver!; librettist and composer Lionel Bart had to reconcile the Englishness of his Dickensian source with the American qualities of the integrated book musical. To do so; he turned to the musical traditions that had defined his upbringing: English music hall; Cockney street singing; and East End Yiddish theatre. This book reconstructs the complicated biography of Barts play; from its early inception as a pop musical inspired by a marketable image; through its evolution into a sincere Dickensian adaptation that would push English musical theatre to new dramatic heights. The book also addresses Oliver!s phenomenal reception in its homeland; where audiences responded to the musicals Englishness with a nationalistic fervor. The musical; which has more than fulfilled its promise as one of the most popular English musicals of all time; remains one of the countrys most significant shows.Author Marc Napolitano shows how Oliver!s popularity has ultimately exerted a significant influence on two separate cultural trends. Firstly; Barts adaptation forever impacted the culture text of Dickenss Oliver Twist; to this day; the general perception of the story and the innumerable allusions to the novel in popular media are colored heavily by the sights; scenes; sounds; and songs from the musical; and virtually every major adaptation of from the 1970s on has responded to Barts work in some way. Secondly; Oliver! helped to move the English musical forward by establishing a post-war English musical tradition that would eventually pave the way for the global dominance of the West End musical in the 1980s. As such; Napolitanos book promises to be an important book for students and scholars in musical theatre studies as well as to general readers interested in the megamusical.
#1422673 in eBooks 2014-10-01 2014-10-01File Name: B00N52FELA
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Well written; but needs photos (no matter what the authors reasons are)By Priscilla StilwellWell written; but where are the photos? Im doing some pretty involved research on graffiti; and this provided a good and thorough look at the style of graffiti in the U.S. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the intellectual side of graffiti research.
