The 100 Most Important People in Musical Theatre

September 1, 2019
In this delightful compendium, Propst (They Made Us Happy: Betty Comden and Adolph Green's Musicals, 2019) pays tribute to one hundred individuals on and off the stage whose contributions have made (and are still making) musical theatre one of the most popular forms of the performing arts, if not the most popular. Propst's credits include serving as a judge for the Obie Awards and as a member of the nominating committee for the Drama Desk Awards. The individuals selected have had a significant impact on the form because of their innovations or the perceptions they helped to create about what musicals are. These are the folks who were in the room where it happens, from George Abbott, Irving Berlin, and George M. Cohan to Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hal Prince, Stephen Sondheim, and more. Entries range in length from one to two pages and each includes birth (and death, where applicable) dates and a category such as songwriter, lyricist, or performer. The bibliography lists general theater histories, biographies, and memoirs. A perfect production for all formal and informal students and fans of musical theater.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)