Ganzl's Book of the Broadway Musical: 75 Favorite Shows, from H.M.S. Pinafore to Sunset Boulevard

Rating:
Summary: good reference
Review: I found the book very helpful. I am a voice teacher and need this types of information quickly at my fingertips. Musical name, plot, characters, story line, songs, are all there in a very complete, concise manner, no extras. Very short factual information on each musical.

Rating:
Summary: A lazy hack job
Review: This book is a total rip-off. First, each show gets just one photo. Two or three photos follow that are merely close-ups taken from the main photo. This design is so rigid that one of the close-up photos for one show depicts only a string of lights in the background. The captions are haphazard. Sometimes they tell you the names of the characters or actors in the photo, sometimes they don't. The entries on each show are merely plot summaries with no additional information, backstage tales, historical perspective, critique or anything. I have no idea why someone would want to know the summary of a musical without any information about the songs. If you've seen the musical, then you know plot (which often is not the strong point of a musical). If you haven't seen the musical, why would want to know the plot? Also, each entry contains a list of characters' names. Not the original cast, not anything about the characters or how they relate to each other. Just names. Again, if you've seen it, you know the names. If you haven't, it might as well be a random list of names. This is a truly bizarre, overpriced book.