Composer, writer and lecturer Mel Atkey’s tome is a look at musical theatre around the world, from birth to the present day. Not for the faint-hearted, this book introduces the reader to new practitioners left, right and centre, from all around the globe. From (operetta’s) The Magic Flute to Come From Away and Hamilton, no stone is left unturned.
Whilst exploring where musical theatre originated (writer Peter Stone believed that musicals did not exist outside of New York City) during the prologue, Atkey mentions that one rarely leaves a show “humming the tunes” unless it were a jukebox musical. This is a bold statement, especially when you consider the global success of Dear Evan Hansen and Six, both original scores with phenomenal album sales. Atkey moves on to acknowledge that musicals have evolved through various forms, and that writers are constantly re-examining what audiences want to see and hear; “perhaps in the future, there will be another element that musicals will require that we are not now fulfilling”.
