Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll, and Musicals - Tapa dura

"Ferocious theatrical intelligence."--American Theatre "Ferocious theatrical intelligence." American Theatre "The writing is compelling, whether you've seen the shows or not. Miller backs up his assertions with copious quotes from writers, actors, critics, lyrics and historians. In addition to everything else this book accomplishes, it functions as historical writing and an examination of morality."--Clayton-Richmond Heights Patch "Miller offers insightful commentary and perspectives on shows that all began as experimental and intensely challenging works, although some, such as Grease, Hair, and Jesus Christ Superstar, have in some ways entered the mainstream. Throughout, he challenges directors to return these shows to their subversive, groundbreaking roots and implores audiences to recognize the transgressive power inherent in musical theater."--Notes

Eager to respond to the concerns and tastes of the increasingly influential baby-boomer generation, musical theater in the late 1960s began to embrace formerly taboo subjects-including the triumvirate of postwar social change: sex, drugs, and rock & roll. Sex, Drugs, Rock& Roll, and Musicals shows how American culture has changed over the twentieth century, from the Roaring Twenties (The Wild Party) to the cultural chaos of the '50s (Grease) and the sexual revolution of the '60s (Hair) and '70s (Rocky Horror), to the rebirth of the art form in the '90s (Bat Boy), and up to the present, exploring where we've been and where we might be heading. This is a celebration of the counter-culture taking center stage in the most American of performing arts, and changing it forever.