Pick a Pocket Or Two: A History of British Musical Theatre

From Gilbert and Sullivan to Andrew Lloyd Webber, from Julie Andrews to Hugh Jackman, from Half a Sixpence to Matilda, Pick a Pocket Or Two is the story of the British musical: where it began and how it developed. In Pick a Pocket Or Two, acclaimed author Ethan Mordden brings his wit and wisdom to bear in telling the full history of the British musical, from The Beggar's Opera (1728) to the present, with an interest in isolating the unique qualities of the form and its influence on the American model. To place a very broad generalization, the American musical is regarded as largely about ambition fulfilled, whereas the British musical is about social order. Oklahoma!'s Curly wins the heart of the farmer Laurey--or, in other words, the cowboy becomes a landowner, establishing a truce between the freelancers on horseback and the ruling class. Half a Sixpence, on the other hand, finds a working-class boy coming into a fortune and losing it to fancy Dans, whereupon he is reunited with his working-class sweetheart, his modest place in the social order affirmed. Anecdotal and evincing a strong point of view, the book covers not only the shows and their authors but the personalities as well--W. S. Gilbert trying out his stagings on a toy theatre, Ivor Novello going to jail for abusing wartime gas rationing during World War II, fabled producer C. B. Cochran coming to a most shocking demise for a man whose very name meant "classy, carefree entertainment." Unabashedly opinionated and an excellent stylist, author Ethan Mordden provokes as much as he pleases. Mordden is the preeminent historian of the form, and his book will be required reading for readers of all walks, from the most casual of musical theater goers to musical theater buffs to students and scholars of the form.

Table of Contents:
1. Beginnings: In the Days of My Youth 2. G & S: Our Loving Frivoliyt 3. Toy Town: The Edwardian Musical 4. Charleston Mad: The 1910s and 1920s 5. And then a Violin Began to Play: Ivor Novello 6. Dancing with a Ghost: The 1930s and 1940s 7. Imagine the Duchess' Feelings: Noël Coward 8. It's Sort of Romantic: The 1950s 9. Behind the Times: Sandy Wilson and Julian Slade 10. Sweep My Off My Feet: The 1960s 11. The Little Things We Used to Do: The 1970s and 1980s 12. To Love Another Person is to See the Face of God: Pop Opera 13. With One Look I'll Be May: Andrew Lloyd Webber 14. A Little Bit Naughty: The Last Thirty Years Discography Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Ethan Mordden is is a recognized expert on American musical theatre and the author of On Streisand, When Broadway Went to Hollywood, Anything Goes: A History of American Musical Theatre, Make Believe: The Broadway Musical in the 1920s, Beautiful Mornin: The Broadway Musical in the 1940s, Coming Up Roses: The Broadway Musical in the 1950s, and On Sondheim: An Opinionated Guide, all published by Oxford University Press. His writing has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The New Yorker. His numerous books include friendly introductions to opera and film, as well as five collections of short stories chronicling gay life in New York City. He lives in Manhattan.

Review :
The volume is meticulously researched, well organized, and eminently useful. It is highly recommended. An excellent resource for those interested in the performing arts. Musical theater aficionados are indebted to Mordden for his informative, well-written, lively volumes on musical theater. His oeuvre provides a superb chronicle of the American musical stage. In the present volume, Mordden crosses the Atlantic to examine the English musical theater. An enjoyable read [...] the discography at the end of the book is especially entertaining. That Pick a Pocket Or Two is worthwhile will come as no surprise to anyone who's read, re-read and RE-re-read any or all of the works of this great musical theater historian. But an added bonus in each book is Mordden's distinctively great sense of humor.