The Faber Pocket Guide to Musicals

With hit TV shows picking the leads in productions of

Oliver! and

The Sound Of Music, and smash musicals like

Hairspray and

Wicked all the West End rage, musical theatre is as popular as it's ever been. James Inverne provides an indispensable guide to his top one hundred greatest shows of all time – and ten of the worst. Whether you know your

Pal Joey from

The Producers, your

West Side Story from your

Witch Witch, the

Faber Pocket Guide To Musicals is packed with entertaining behind-the-scenes stories, essential songlists and comprehensive recording guides. Did you know, for instance, that one of the best recordings of Les Miserables is in Hebrew? Or that the Mel Brooks wasn't the first person to want to make a musical of

The Producers? (That claim goes to Eric Idle.) Or the ridiculous story of the huge purpose-built theatre constructed in Holland to house a flop about Grace Kelly?

Key features include:

– The hundred greatest musicals

– Numbers to listen for

– Snapshot plot summaries

– Ten terrible musicals

– Recommended recordings

James Inverne has been writing about musical theatre for years and brings copious knowledge, passion for the subject and a sense of fun to a genre that continues to entertain us all. Make the most of the musicals with this vital book.