From Assassins to West Side Story : The Director's Guide to Musical Theatre

Rating:
Summary: Flawed but still Outstanding
Review: This is the single most intelligent and entertaining book I've ever read on musical theater. Its only flaw is that the author's personal politics sometimes creep into the text -- still he admits from the beginning that his analyses are subjective and perhaps this is unavoidable. Still, each chapter contains such gems, such unexpected treasures of insight and understanding, and such a contagious enthusiasm and sense of humor. The amazon.com review is right -- it's the only textbook I've ever read that I can read just for fun -- and yet it's also an outstanding textbook.

Rating:
Summary: A Book That Makes People Think Creatively
Review: This wonderful book has inspired more in-depth discussion (not to mention outright arguments) in production planning meetings and rehearsals, both professional and amateur, than any other reference or research book I've used in the last 25 years. Not only is it a gold mine of the accepted wisdom and interpretation of several of Broadway's most performed musicals, Mr. Miller's lucid and concise statements on plot, character, backstory, and style can, with equal benefit to a production, either be accepted as is or challenged and used as a springboard for further analysis of the libretto and music. I can recall no other book which has helped so many performers and directors THINK in a creative way.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Truly excellent book. Intelligent, insightful, a bit opinionated, and really fun to read. The chapters on Pippin and Godspell were most interesting to me, because I've always considered them pretty silly musicals -- but not any more. There's so much that Miller sees that I've never picked up on. You will definitely enjoy all of these musicals more after reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: Great addition to a theater library
Review: You may not agree with all of Scott Miller's ideas about these musicals -- I certainly don't -- but his comments and analysis never fail to provoke thought, not only for directors but also for any fan of musical theatre. If you're involved in performing, directing, or just seeing musicals, you'll be interested in what Miller has to say. And you'll definitely learn something from his book.