Full Description
Discover five time Tony Award-nominee Michael John LaChiusa, one of the most significant revolutionaries working in American musical theatre, known for his innovative and daring approach to challenging the boundaries of contemporary theatre.
Michael John LaChiusa: A Critical Companion is the first study that incorporates a diverse array of theoretical lenses on the work of the celebrated American composer, dramatist and lyricist. It also poses the question of how his varied theatrical techniques anticipated the resurgence in popularity in musical theatre in the past ten years.
Presented through thematic chapters, this work focuses on seven of LaChiusa's musicals (Marie Christine, First Lady Suite, First Daughter Suite, Giant, Hello Again, See What I Wanna See, and The Wild Party), surveying his oeuvre Off-Broadway, on Broadway and beyond from 1994 to 2014.
Ideal for students of musical theatre looking for accessible contemporary analysis, this critical companion offers close readings and textual analysis of LaChiusa's work and original productions whilst effectively arguing for his contribution to "The New Musical Drama" that served as a foundation for some of the most successful musicals of recent years.
Published in Methuen Drama's Musical Theatre Critical Companion series this book combines traditional essays with primary research and practitioner interviews that together offer the reader a fresh and accessible look at key moments of musical theatre as a form.
Contents
Introduction- "Curiosity": LaChiusa and the Emergence of The New Musical Drama
Chapter 1 - "Miracles and Mysteries": "Mongrel America" and the Genre of Marie Christine
Chapter 2- "A House That Will Never Be a Home": Historical Imagination and Creativity in First Lady Suite and First Daughter Suite
Chapter 3 - "Heartbreak Country": Images of "Americana" in Giant and Queen of the Mist
Chapter 4 - "In Some Other Life": Adaptation Theory in Hello Again, See What I Wanna See, and Bernarda Alba
Chapter 5 - "To Live in Light": Historical Conversations in The Wild Party
Conclusion - "When it Ends": The New Musical Drama Meets Commercial Success
