The ABC's of Broadway Musicals: A Civilian's Guide

After thinking of myself as a director first, and a writer second, for my entire adult life (and that's quite a while, at this point), the Great Pandemic of 2020 has forced me to strike that and reverse it. For now -- for a while -- I'm a writer first, and a once and future director second.

So I've been brainstorming writing projects to take up my time while I can't make theatre.

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know that I've already published my first two pandemic projects, my anthology Night of the Living Show Tunes: 13 Tales of the Weird, and a song book, Broadway Musical Christmas Carols. (And while we're here, I might as well plug my other 2020 project, pre-pandemic, Idiots, Heathers, and Squips: The New Golden Age of the Musical Theatre.)

And now I've just finished my third project. Or fourth.

Often people ask me what makes a theatre company successful long-term. There are obviously several reasons, including interesting programming and doing consistently excellent work. But I think the most important thing is the reason for the company -- the reason it was created by its founders. There are lots of reasons to start a theatre company but most of those reasons will result in a theatre company that doesn't last very long. It seems to me there's only one sure-fire way to start a theatre company that will last -- fill a need in the community that is not currently met, even better if that need has never been met.

Many of the companies in St. Louis that have lasted the test of time have a very specific, very narrow, very consistent mission and point of view -- the Muny, the Black Rep, Stages, New Jewish Theatre, New Line Theatre, Act Inc, St. Louis Shakespeare, The Midnight Company, Upstream Theatre, Slightly Askew...

Likewise, as I've brainstormed writing projects, I've been trying to think about what's not out there already, that people might want and/or need, related (of course) to musical theatre. I realized there are lots of great books (mine included!) for people who want to study and dive deep into musicals, but there aren't really any great books for people who know nothing about musicals and would like to know a little.

I realized such a book would have several terrific target markets -- parents of musical theatre freaks who'd like to be able to talk to their kids, high and college students just discovering musicals and needing a good introduction, college survey classes about the musical theatre. It would need to be full of info, but totally non-threatening, non-intimidating, conversational, easy to take in.

And so I started working on it several months ago, and the end product is The ABC's of Broadway Musicals: A Civilian's Guide. I'm really proud of it.

Much of the book is divided into categories: classic musicals, musical comedies, concept musicals, black musicals, women's musicals, catalog musicals, etc. And in each category, there are five examples, each with a short paragraph about them, and then a list of other shows in that category worth checking out.

Also throughout the book are Spotlights, one-page close-ups on some of our most influential musical theatre artists, like Stephen Sondheim, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Kander & Ebb, Rodgers & Hammerstein, George Abbott, George M. Cohan, etc. There's a section on "live" shows you can see on commercial video, books you can check out, even some fun musical theatre trivia. Here's the Table of Contents:

So What Is a Musical?
So Why Musicals?
5 Myths About Musicals
A Quick and Dirty History of Musicals
Spotlight on George M. Cohan
5 Leading Musical Theatre Artists
Spotlight on George Abbott
5 Useful Things to Know
5 Great Classic Musicals
Spotlight on Rodgers & Hammerstein
5 Classic Movie Musicals
5 Great Musical Comedies
Spotlight on Kander & Ebb
5 Great Black Musicals
5 Great Latinx Musicals
5 Great Women’s Musicals
5 Great LGBTQ Musicals
Spotlight on Harold Prince
5 Great Concept Musicals
Spotlight on Stephen Sondheim
5 Great Classic Rock Musicals
5 Great Jukebox Musicals
5 Great Pop Operas
Spotlight on The New Musical
5 Great Neo Musical Comedies
5 Great Neo Rock Musicals
Spotlight on Tom Kitt
5 Weird But Cool Musicals
6 Great Books about Musicals
6 Great Books for Younger Fans
17 Great Musicals “Live” on Video
Spotlight on Lin-Manuel Miranda
10 Musicals That Won The Pulitzer Prize
5 Fun Pieces of Musical Theatre Trivia

Doesn't that sound like fun?

And it's all in a small-format, short, little 72-page book. You can read it front to back, or you can open it to any page and find something interesting. Even my hardcore musical theatre friends who've seen the book tell me there's lots they learned from it.

If you love musicals, I hope you'll check it out! I promise you'll enjoy it!

Long Live the Musical! And Stay Safe!
Scott