12:00:01 am 
Books: Four Titles for Reference, General Enjoyment
Categories: UncategorizedNot sure why, but I've been fascinated by the two reviews of D.J. Taylor's new book "Bright Young People" in The New York Times'. Both articles have invariably quoted Evelyn Waugh, but I've finished both thinking about Noel Coward. I finally pulled out the complete lyrics and figured I'd share:
"Bright Young People" from Cochran's 1931 Revue:
Verse:
Look at us three,
Representative we
Of a nation renowned for virility
We've formed a cult of puerility
Just for fun.
You may deplore
The effects of war
Which are causing the world to decay a bit.
We've found our place and will play a bit
In the sun.
Though Waterloo was won upon the playing fields of Eton,
The next war will be photographed, and lost, by Cecil Beaton.Refrain 1
Bright young people,
Ready to do and to dare
We casually strive
To keep London alive
Form Chelsea to Bloomsbury Square.
We fondly imagine we're cynical elves,
IN charity tableaux we pose upon shelves.
It's just an excuse to exhibit ourselves.
What could be duller than that?I could continue with the lyric, but that's not the real reason for this post. Rather, it's to offer up some mini book reviews of my own; thoughts on a quartet of releases from Applause Theatre and Cinema Books and Limelight Editions.
These two imprints of Hal Leonard are amazing for the sheer volume and diversity of titles that they release every year. There are four titles that I've gotten recently that I really want to highlight, starting with Denny Martin Flinn's "The Great American Book Musical: A Manifesto, A Monologue, A Manual", from Limelight. Flinn is really a traditionalist when it comes to musical theater and the book musical in particular. In this very opinionated, and often insightful treatise (which does in fact carry traits of all of the subtitles), he discusses first the evolution of the book musical and then, moves on to analyze its various components, by deftly dissecting classics like My Fair Lady, West Side Story, and Fiorello!. Readers may not always agree with what Flinn has to say, but there's little doubting his passion for the subject, and that's probably most important, because his zeal makes "Great American" a terrific read for practitioners and fans alike.
Also on the musicals front, and from Applause, is the Sixth Edition of "Broadway Musicals: Show by Show" – an updated edition of Stanley Green's invaluable reference on musical theater. This new volume has been updated by Green's widow, Kay Green, and now, "Show By Show" takes readers through the 2007 calendar year, with descriptions, cast lists, and song titles for shows like Curtains, The Drowsy Chaperone, Spring Awakening and Avenue Q. Throughout my life, whether as a musical theater aficionado or as a journalist, I've found myself referring to "Show by Show" for both factual reference and sometimes more subjective reference. I'm truly grateful that the publishers and Green continue to update this one.
From Limelight comes another reference/critical study, "The Pulitzer Prize Plays: The First Fifty Years, 1917-1967" by Paul A. Firestone. This new book chronicles the plays and musicals that have won this prestigious award, grouping them works by theme. The book begins by looking at plays chronicling "Family Life," and then, moves on topics like "Social Protest" and "Political Heroes." For each script that Firestone discusses, he details the plots in lucid detail and includes salient historical information about the pieces' first productions (cast list, opening date, and venue).
There are times when Firestone's prose sounds as if it comes from the period he's covering. When describing the plays Long Day's Journey Into Night, Look Homeward Angel and The Subject Was Roses, he writers that "in these plays, there is a great quantity of liquor consumed, bordering on alcohol addiction…Booze is the approved drug used as an escape…" And, in this style lies part of the book's charm. As readers go through descriptions of plays like Maxwell Anderson's Both Your Houses and Robert E. Sherwood's There Shall Be No Light, it almost feels as if one is reading a piece that comes from the period in which these plays were written. The book is rounded out by a fascinating appendix that lists the jurors for the Pulitzer season-by-season and a handy bibliography. It will be interesting to see if Firestone or another author can develop a similar book to take readers through the subsequent years of the Pulitzer.
Finally, let me mention one critical assessment of a single playwright that comes form Limelight: it's William W. Demastes' "Spalding Gray's America", which offers a thoughtful overview of the late monologist's life and work. Demastes' exceptionally readable prose makes "America" a title fit for both academics and the casual reader interested in Gray.
---- Andy Propst
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