The Theater Will Rock: A History of the Rock Musical, from "Hair" to Hedwig

"The Theater Will Rock" explores the history of the rock musical and the phenomenon that was sparked when two highly distinctive American art forms met onstage in New York City in the Sixties. The rock musical has since evolved to become one of the most important cultural influences on American musical theater, and a major cultural export. Packed with candid commentary by members of New York's vibrant theater community, the book traces the rock musical's evolution over nearly fifty years, in popular productions such as "Hair", "The Who's Tommy", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", "Little Shop of Horrors", "Rent and Mamma Mia!" - and in notable flops such as "The Capeman". But is the term "rock musical" an oxymoron? The relationship between rock and the musical theater has been an uneasy one from the start, and even the comparatively recent success of "Rent" has done little to convince theater producers that rock musicals are anything but highly risky ventures. Elizabeth L. Wollman explores the reasons behind these problematic connections, and looks at the socioeconomic forces that underlie aesthetic decisions. She weighs the influence on the rock musical by mass media, sound and recording technology, and the economic pressures that have affected New York theater in general over the past three decades. Finally, Wollman offers a meditation on the state of the musical, its relation to rock, and, ultimately, its future. Readers interested in rock music, the theater, cultural history, or the New York arts scene will find "The Theater Will Rock" an engrossing, informative book.