Singing and Dancing to The Book of Mormon: Critical Essays on the Broadway Musical - by Marc Edward Shaw (Editor)
Holly Welker (Editor)
One of the most successful shows in Broadway history, The Book of Mormon broke box office records when it debuted in 2011 and received nine Tony awards, including Best Musical. A collaboration between Trey Parker and Matt Stone (creators of the show South Park) and Robert Lopez (Avenue Q), the show was a critical success, cited for both its religious irreverence and sendup of musical traditions.
In Singing and Dancing to The Book of Mormon: Critical Essays on the Broadway Musical, Marc Edward Shaw and Holly Welker have assembled a collection that examines this cultural phenomenon from a variety of perspectives. Contributors to this volume address such questions as:
What made the musical such a remarkable success?
In what ways does the show utilize established musical theatre traditions and comic tropes, but still create something new?
What religious and cultural buttons does the work push?
What artistic and social boundaries—and the transgressions thereof—give the work its edge?
Another focus in this volume is the official and unofficial Mormon reactions to the musical.
Because the coeditors and several of the contributors have ties to the Mormon community, they offer unique perspectives on the musical’s finer points about Mormon doctrine. Beyond the obvious appeal to theatre devotees, Singing and Dancing to The Book of Mormon will be of interest to scholars of religion, sociology, theatre, and popular culture.
Varèse Sarabande and Craft Recordings have announced the long-awaited vinyl debut of Lost: Season Two (Original Television Soundtrack), featuring Michael Giacchino’s score in its entirety.
Craft Recordings celebrates the enduring, 75-year legacy of PEANUTS, with an expanded reissue of Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown. Arriving April 4th, the collection features 11 never-before-heard outtakes plus the original album.
International Literary Properties, the global company that invests in, acquires, and manages literary estates, has acquired Ellen Raskin’s literary estate. Learn more!
The physical CD and two vinyl editions of the Swept Away album, titled “Rough Seas” and a limited edition “Devil’s In My Head” Blood Moon red pressing, will be released this spring. Learn more!
Pianist and composer Danny Wright has released his latest album, 'Stage To Screen,' featuring piano renditions of beloved movie and Broadway songs. Learn more about Wright and the album!
University Press of Kentucky plans to release a revised, third edition of 'Trapped! The Story of Floyd Collins' by the late historian Robert K. Murray and renowned cave explorer Roger W. Brucker, on April 15.
Stage and screen star Josh Gad has put pen to paper to tell his story. His new memoir, In Gad We Trust, is a heartfelt and hilarious collection of essays about his career highlights and all of the inbetweens. Watch in this video!
South Street Seaport Museum's monthly book club will continue in February. Seaport Museum staff and special guests will stir up lively discussions informed by our shared love of literature, history, and preservation.
Red Lyric Productions will release the original Off-Broadway/NY Fringe Cast Album of Urban Momfare. The musical had a run at the 2014 New York International Fringe Festival, where it received a Best Musical Award.
Precious Days Records has released the debut recording of Gretchen Cryer and Gracie Hyland’s new musical HOUSE ON FIRE in streaming and digital formats. Learn more about the album and the upcoming concert presentation.
The world premiere recording of Lisa Bielawa’s song cycle Centuries in the Hours will be released on a new album from mezzo-soprano Leandra Ramm titled Watching glass, I hear you.
Gretchen Cryer recently wrote a new musical with her granddaughter, Gracie Hyland, titled House on Fire. We have your exclusive first listen to a song from the show. Listen to “Early Teenage Crisis” here!
Broadway-lovers know that the legendary Palace Theatre has gone through quite a transformation over the last several years. What happened at the Palace before now? Watch in this video as Lane chats with BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge about the venue's incredible history
After a sold out run at the 2024 Twin Cities Horror Festival, the script for the camp horror comedy Let's Summon a Demon at Debbie's written by Brandon Monokian has been published by 1319 Press. Learn more!
The new album Reefer Madness: New Los Angeles Cast Recording, featuring the full cast from its critically acclaimed 25th Anniversary Los Angeles revival, is available on CD today. Learn more.
Rachel Potter, known for her roles on Broadway as well as her appearance on The X Factor, has revealed the full list of featured artists for her upcoming album, Stages.
An event featuring OVER THE SHOULDER: A Freelancer's Guide to Telling Stories and Editing Films by Mark Solomon, will be presented at The Drama Bookshop. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.
The Drama Book Shop in association with Jay Michaels Global Communications will present 'How To Sing Without Thinking' with Gabriel Weiner, a talkback, signing, and live podcast recording. Learn more!
Ari Axelrod's A Place for Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway – is available on CD and digital formats now. Learn more about the album and about Axelrod's upcoming performances.
The Drama Book Shop will present, in association with Jay Michaels Global Communications, 'JJ's Audition Adventure' - A talkback, signing, and live podcast recording with Javier Vazquez Jr and Denise Santos. Learn how to attend.
Valev Laube, the celebrated Estonian-American musician, composer, and multimedia producer, has finally released his highly anticipated debut album, Liminal. Now available across all major streaming platforms.
Schmigadoon! creator Cinco Paul has announced that he has co-written a new alphabet book based on the musical series. Written alongside Ray Kampf (who also created the illustrations), the book is described as 'a sophisticated whimsical and colorful alphabet book.'
Grammy Award winning Broadway, West End and opera artist Zachary James is set to drop a live album, recorded at the legendary Crazy Coqs in London, on New Year’s Eve 2024. Learn more!
Fans can prepare for the official Wicked digital and Blu-ray release with the extensive special feature listing which includes documentaries, deleted scenes, commentaries, and more. Take a look at the full list below!
Hadestown: Live from London – the original London cast album for Tony and Grammy Award-winning “Best Musical” Hadestown – has been released as a limited-edition deluxe gatefold “pop-up” vinyl. Learn more!
A delightful, rhythmic adventure is tapping its way into the hearts of little readers everywhere with the release of Tippy Toes and Tappy Heels by Amanda Pietsch. Learn more about the book!
BroadwayWorld is excited to debut the exclusive track 'Mama Ma' from the world premiere recording of the National Theatre production of Phaedra. Listen to it now.
A Kickstarter campaign has launched to raise money for the upcoming star-studded concept album of the new musical, The Fitzgeralds of St. Paul. Learn more about the album and see how to contribute!