Carefully Taught: American History through Broadway Musicals

by Cary Ginell

Carefully Taught looks at American history as depicted in forty Broadway musicals. Presented chronologically according to the musical timeframe, award-winning theater critic and author Cary Ginell dissects the stories, characters, and songs to not only examine how Broadway viewed historical events, epochs, and personalities, but also to capture how dramatic license separated fact from fantasy. The chosen musicals fall into a variety of biographies of famous Americans, (Andrew Jackson and Fiorello LaGuardia), stories with national conflicts (Hamilton, South Pacific), events that captured the attention of the American public (Floyd Collins, Newsies), and sociological studies or satires of specific eras (The Music Man, Hair). Many books have been written about Broadway, but Carefully Taught, from the song "You've Got To Be Carefully Taught" in South Pacific, uniquely approaches American history from two vantage the point of view of the playwright and composer accompanied with the context of how these events were seen when they were produced versus how they are seen today. Ginell’s research of contemporary theater reviews and in-depth studies of productions’ back stories play off his knowledge gained from his quarter century as a theater critic in Southern California.The combination is a complete overview of American history on the stage from the coveted balcony seat.

Genres: Nonfiction

284 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2022

Reviews

[Emmy Lou Musgrave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very informative but not quite what I was expecting. The book gives each musical it talks about 4-7 pages, talking about the historical context of the musical, production notes, and the score. It started with 1776, a play about the American Revolution, and ended with the hippie movement in the 60s/70s with Hair. There was a wide breadth of history covered. Ginell noted where the musicals diverged from actual history, as most of them used a lot of creative liberty to make the musical more entertaining/flow better. It seems like Hamilton is one of the most historically accurate musicals made!

[Eleanor McCaughey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book focusing on musicals about American history is certainly catering to a niche audience, but luckily I happen to be an avid member of that niche group.

I first came upon this book in a store and tried to read only the Assassins entry because that is far and away my favorite musical. But the more I read through the list of musicals I could learn about in the book, the more I was tempted to just buy the whole damn thing. I was interested in learning more about shows I’d already come to love (Parade, Ragtime), but through reading this I actually listened to a few that were new to me and added them to my list of musicals I adore (Big River, Shenandoah, Scottsboro Boys).

My only grievance is that I wish some more time could have been spent on each musical and that some were omitted entirely. More context on the reception of Parade and Assassins, or more discussion on what made Oklahoma so revolutionary in musical theater, could have really added a certain “oomph.” Going along with that, some shows kind of stuck out as… not really being needed. Fly Blackbird, Baby Case, and Allegiance are some examples of this, while How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is only mentioned rather than given a whole chapter (which I think it deserves!)

Also, Corey Cott is listed in the cast of Bandstand as Corey Coft.

Other than that, I really enjoyed learning more about well-known musicals’ history and impact and the plots of more obscure ones.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay I loved this actually. It was a little dry in some areas but it went fast. In chronological order from 1776 to 1960s, this book looks at American history through 40 broadway musicals. Each chapter talked about the historical context, the notes about the production of the musical, and information about the score. Most of the musicals talked about were flops, but some like Assassins, Hamilton, Parade, Hair, Ragtime, South Pacific, and more were the obvious hits which were fun to read about. For any musical theater fan with an interest in the history behind some of the musicals, this one is for you!

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting book - it includes three shows I had never even heard of!

[mitchel musso miraculous · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you're looking for something more analytical along the lines of like, how the way Americans tell their own stories reflect how we view our own history, you will most likely be disappointed- this is just a straightforward account of facts! It's an interesting account though, especially if your interest lies more closely with theatre and production/score notes like mine does :)