This lively textbook provides a comprehensive overview of the history, theory and practice of this popular theatre form. Bringing critical theory and musical theatre together, Millie Taylor and Dominic Symonds explore the musical stage from a broad range of theoretical perspectives. Part 1 focuses on the way we understand musicals as texts and Part 2 then looks at how musical theatre negotiates its position in the wider world. Part 3 recognises the affiliations of various communities with the musical stage, and finally part 4 unravels the musical's relationship with time, space, intertextuality and entertainment. Written by leading experts in Musical Theatre and Drama, Taylor and Symonds utilise their wealth of knowledge to engage and educate the reader on this diverse subject.With its accessible and extensive content, this text is the ideal accompaniment to any study of musical theatre internationally: an essential tool for students of all levels, lecturers, practitioners and enthusiasts alike.

List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction PART I: READING TEXTS 1. 'A tale as old as time': Narrative Theory 2. 'A man who can interpret could go far': Semiotics and Semiology 3. 'Razzle dazzle 'em': Reception Theory and the Epic Musical 4. 'Life is a cabaret': Cultural Materialism PART II: INTERPRETING CONTEXTS 5. 'You've got to be carefully taught': Orientalism and Musical Theatre 6. 'I wanna be a producer': Globalization, Capitalism and Consumerism 7. 'What's the buzz?' Meta-narratives and Postlinearity PART III: PERFORMING IDENTITIES 8. 'Marry the man today': Feminism and the Performance of Identity 9. 'The bitch of living': Youth Cultures, Power, and Sexuality 10. 'I am what I am': Sexuality and Queer Theory PART IV: RETHINKING RELATIONSHIPS 11. 'It's the last midnight': Playing with Time and Space 12. 'I'm just a Broadway baby': Intertextuality in Music and Lyrics 13. 'Dreamgirls will make you happy': The Pleasures of Voice and Body 14. 'Make 'em laugh': The Politics of Entertainment Bibliography Index.