Four new musical theater-related books were released this month. First is Everything Is Choreography: The Musical Theater of Tommy Tune (Oxford University Press), Kevin Winkler’s overview of the Tony-winning actor-director’s work. It’s the first full-scale book about Tune’s career, which includes the musicals Seesaw, Hollywood/Ukraine, Nine, My One and Only, Grand Hotel, The Will Rogers Follies, and more. Winkler celebrates and takes a critical look at Tune, who moved musicals forward by looking backward and brought contemporary style to a trove of show business antecedents.
Second is The Art of Bob Mackie (Simon & Schuster) by Frank Vlastnik and Laura Ross. It’s the first comprehensive and authorized showcase of costume designer Bob Mackie’s life and work, featuring hundreds of photos and never-before-seen sketches from his personal collection of designs for Cher, Carol Burnett, Bette Midler, Pink, Tina Turner, Elton John, Liza Minnelli, Angela Lansbury, Diana Ross, Beyoncé, RuPaul, and Madonna. Mackie granted full access to his archives and personal memories for this lavish celebration of his work.
Third is West Side Story: The Making of the Steven Spielberg Film (Abrams) by Laurent Bouzereau, featuring never-before-seen unit photography, storyboards, costume and concept designs, and behind-the-scenes photos from Steven Spielberg’s first musical. Bouzereau was embedded with the film’s cast and crew and conducted original interviews with director Spielberg, screenwriter Tony Kushner, choreographer Justin Peck, and the cast of Sharks and Jets, among others, to bring together an oral history that chronicles the years that went into bringing the story back to the screen for a new generation.
Fourth is West Side Story, Gypsy, and the Art of Broadway Orchestration (Routledge) by Paul Laird. Drawing on research of original manuscripts, Laird details the process of orchestrating two iconic musicals. He argues that the orchestration plays a vital role in characterization and plot development. Breaking down how composers Leonard Bernstein and Jules Styne collaborated with orchestrators Sid Ramin, Irwin Kostal, and Robert Ginzler, Laird lets us better understand not only these two classic musicals but also the importance of orchestration in musicals in general.