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No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance: A History of the American Musical Theater |  | Author: Sheldon Patinkin
Publisher: Northwestern University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $45.00
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Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 160590
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Pages: 672
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.1
Dimensions (in): 9.9 x 7 x 1.4
ISBN: 0810119943
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.140973
EAN: 9780810119949
ASIN: 0810119943
Publication Date: May 20, 2008
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| • | ISBN13: 9780810119949 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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Product Description
Written by one of American theater's most avid and knowledgeable proponents, No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance traces the American musical from its rich and varied beginnings in European opera, American minstrel shows, and vaudeville through its many permutations to its current state--from, as Sheldon Patinkin puts it, La Boheme to Rent. Minstrelsy, burlesque, revue, dance, and choreographers, the of musical theater so often overlooked by its historians, finally receive due consideration in this thorough and thoroughly entertaining book about how American musical theater came to be and developed into what it is today.
Patinkin writes about the infancy of the musical--the revues, operettas, and early musical comedies, as well as the groundbreaking shows like Oklahoma!, and Show Boat that brought the form to its golden age during World War II. With insightful references to how history, literature, theater, fashion, popular music, and movies influenced musical theater generally and certain shows in particular, he traces a direct lineage from older forms to contemporary musicals. The result is a broad, clear, and detailed picture of American musicals within both an aesthetic and a historical context. Patinkin conveys the pleasure of the ever-changing forms of musical theater even as he gives readers the analytical tools and terms to understand and better appreciate this uniquely American art. The book features a selection of black and white photographs from historical musical productions, and each chapter includes suggestions for materials to watch and listen to at home or in the classroom.
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| Customer Reviews:
 a great introduction to the field, and then some January 16, 2009
Jeffrey Sweet (NY)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sheldon Patinkin has long been one of the key figures in the Chicago theatre movement. Half the people you've heard of who've come out of Chicago have worked with him in one way or another (many at Steppenwolf and Second City), including the multitude of students at Columbia College where he taught a course in musical theatre history that is the basis of this enormously useful book. As one would expect, there are paragraphs on the key works. But the material that I find particularly useful describes the social and historical context out of which these works arose.
An Opus... July 21, 2008
Robert A. Schaefer (Chicago, IL USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you ever had a question about something related to the world of musical theatre the answer can be found in this little book. Actually, its not a little book at all but that is because Sheldon Patinkin goes into such historical depth which allows the reader to fully understand the importance of the subject matter. This book is a must read for musical theatre buffs as well as students interested in music. As a special education teacher I plan on using some of the valuable historical world facts found in No Jokes, No Legs, No Chance with my students as a means of furthering their understanding of how America developed.
The book that every Mus Th. Major should Own December 29, 2008
J. A. Kawarsky (New Hope, PA United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Ok, so there are a few errors...HOWEVER, it is the most usable text out there for a course in the history of the American Musical Theater. My only gripe is that Mr. Patinkin (or perhaps his editors) become very lazy on years (such as letting the reader consistently know exactly what year a show was produced). If a CD could be made at an inexpensive price (yeah, right) to go along with this, it would be yet better. Terrific item.
 PROOFREAD- WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO EDITORS? April 29, 2009
A. Gift For You (baltimore, md United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
On page 416, Mr P writes that in 1971, writer Sam Spewack, producer Leland Hayward and funny girl Fanny Brice died. I am not sure of the exact date, but its a well documented fact that Ms. Brice died about 20 years before 1971.
On page 429, he writes that Tony Curtis sang and danced for the first time in his career in a tour of Some Like it Hot, but in 1954, Mr. Curtis sang and danced in So this is Paris. A musical.
Then toward the end, he seems a bit rushed while discussing the 2006-2007 season. He wrote that the Color Purple lost the Tony to The Drowsy Chaperone. But The Color Purple WASNT nominated for Best Musical and The Drowsy Chaperone lost the Tony to Jersey Boys
I hesitate to buy books anymore because of this growing trend of inaccuracies, misspelled words, etc.
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