American Musicals in Historical Context

From the American Revolution to the 21st Century
Discover key moments of American history through the lens of musical theatre and the shows that have defined the 20th and 21st century by placing historical events on stage.

The American story told through one of the country’s most celebrated art forms.

Musical theatre has been no stranger to placing historical events on stage: from the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the first 'populist' President in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, through to the movement against the Vietnam War in Hair and the newsboys strike in Newsies; the musical form has long-explored and been inspired by the American story.

Following on from the success of the hit musical Hamilton (2015) came a reshaping of the way early U.S. history is taught and written about. This second edition of American Musicals in Historical Context gives students a fresh look at history-based musicals, providing a synopsis, an overview of critical and audience reception, and historical context and analysis for 21 musicals.

Featuring a new chapter on Suffs (2024), this volume examines musicals that have centered their themes, characters, and plots on some aspect of America's complex and ever-changing history. Each musical helps us rediscover pivotal national crises, key political decisions, defining moral choices, unspeakable and unresolved injustices, important and untold stories, defeats suffered, victories won in the face of monumental adversity, and the sacrifices borne publicly and privately in the process of creating the American narrative, one story at a time. Students will come away from the volume armed with the critical thinking skills necessary to discern fact from fiction in U.S. history.

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