The Sound of Musicals by Ruth Leon. Published by Oberon
A handy little tome is this and a must for any performing arts or drama student. The theatre critic Ruth Leon is passionate about the musicals and this comes out in her informative book covering some of the best.
Ms Leon talks about the birth of classic musicals, where the stories came from and what makes her six choices ‘great’. Written in an informative yet informal style, rather like a conversation, the reader is gripped by the gossip, the trauma and the sheer amazement that these musicals ever reached the stage at all! Little gems include the fact that Lord Lloyd Webber shares a birthday with Stephen Sondheim, and that Rex Harrison refused, in true ‘luvvie’ style, to leave his dressing room on the opening night of My Fair Lady because he felt the show was not ready.
If you haven’t seen the featured shows, then you will want to see them – a sure sign that the author has achieved her task of sharing her passion with a wider audience. This is a great, stylish little book for any bookshelf.