Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theatre

by John Bush Jones, Sheldon Harnick (Foreword)

Our Musicals, Ourselves is the first full-scale social history of the American musical theater from the imported Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas of the late nineteenth century to such recent musicals as The Producers and Urinetown. While many aficionados of the Broadway musical associate it with wonderful, diversionary shows like The Music Man or My Fair Lady, John Bush Jones instead selects musicals for their social relevance and the extent to which they engage, directly or metaphorically, contemporary politics and culture. Organized chronologically, with some liberties taken to keep together similarly themed musicals, Jones examines dozens of Broadway shows from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present that demonstrate numerous links between what played on Broadway and what played on newspapers’ front pages across our nation. He reviews the productions, lyrics, staging, and casts from the lesser-known early musicals (the “gunboat” musicals of the Teddy Roosevelt era and the “Cinderella shows” and “leisure time musicals” of the 1920s) and continues his analysis with better-known shows including Showboat, Porgy and Bess, Oklahoma, South Pacific, West Side Story, Cabaret, Hair, Company, A Chorus Line, and many others. While most examinations of the American musical focus on specific shows or emphasize the development of the musical as an art form, Jones’s book uses musicals as a way of illuminating broader social and cultural themes of the times. With six appendixes detailing the long-running diversionary musicals and a foreword by Sheldon Harnick, the lyricist of Fiddler on the Roof, Jones’s comprehensive social history will appeal to both students and fans of Broadway.

Genres: Theatre, History, Music, Nonfiction

426 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

Reviews

[Skylar · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic book, was for research but also an awesome read

for any history or even musical fans this is super educative and also interesting, the author put so much research into this it’s crazy

10/10

[Kerri Killeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

An interesting survey of American musical history informed by the socio-political culture. Much of the language is dated and the tone veers towards overly academic. That said, it presents an interesting framework for musical theatre history. The author presents many thought provoking interpretations of seminal musicals. (His thoughts on West Side Story and Urinetown stand out in particular.) At times, he presents his opinion as fact and several of the overviews of the selected musicals are dense and hard to follow with too many asides.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Great analysis

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is essential reading for not just lovers of musicals but history as well. The author traces the American musical from the beginning and it was fascinating learning the social and political histories of the various decades. Also shout out to the podcast My Little Tony’s that regularly uses this book as a source for their research.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

pretty good as far as textbooks go, it was actually enjoyable to do my readings for class

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great addition to any theatre library. This book provides the social context of many of the titles and trends in American Musical Theatre history. Good stuff.

[Seniorprojectbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was overall informative, though rather long and boring in some parts.