Edited by Kurt G^D^"anzl - the author, among other celebrated works, of The Encyclopedia of Musical Theater - this series of biographies explores the lives of outstanding figures from musical theatre's past. Immensely popular and well-known in their day, these performers and writers have now been largely forgotten. Their stories contain triumph and tragedy, murder and mayhem, bigamy trigamy, lawsuits and sex in high and low places, mixed in with a great deal of humour.
By John Franceschina
January 16, 2019
First Published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company....
By John Franceschina
August 26, 2016
Harry B. Smith was the most prolific writer of librettos for the American musical theatre in history, with nearly half of his 300 works actually opening in New York City. In addition, Smith was instrumental in adapting and popularizing foreign musicals in America, significantly influencing writing ...
By Kurt Ganzl
August 26, 2016
First Published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company....
By Kurt Ganzl
February 29, 2016
First Published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company....
By Adrienne Simpson
January 20, 2016
This biography tells the story of Alice May, a touring prima donna in the nineteenth century who travelled from England to Australia, New Zealand, India and the US, taking part in pioneering performances of the popular light operas of the day. Along the way she took part in many premieres, ...
By Andrew Lamb
September 12, 2002
Leslie Stuart (1864-1928) was a British songwriter best remembered as the composer of the hit show, Florodora. He began writing popular songs as a teenager, first for blackface and vaudeville performers, and eventually for more "legitimate" shows and revues. Florodora (1899), written in ...
