Michael John LaChiusa: A Critical Companion

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Five time Tony Award-nominee Michael John LaChiusa is one of the most significant revolutionaries working in American musical theatre, known for his innovative and daring approach to challenging the boundaries of contemporary theatre.

Michael John LaChiusa: A Critical Companion is the first study that incorporates a diverse array of theoretical lenses on the work of the celebrated American composer, dramatist and lyricist and that also poses the question of how his varied theatrical techniques anticipated the resurgence in popularity in musical theatre in the past ten years.

Presented through thematic chapters, this work focuses on eight of LaChiusas musicals (Marie Christine, First Lady Suite, First Daughter Suite, Giant, Queen of the Mist, Hello Again, See What I Wanna See, and The Wild Party), surveying his oeuvre Off-Broadway, on Broadway and beyond from 1994 to 2014.

Ideal for students of musical theatre looking for accessible contemporary analysis, this critical companion offers close readings and textual analysis of LaChiusa's work and original productions whilst effectively arguing for his contribution to The New Musical Drama that served as a foundation for some of the most successful musicals of recent years.

Published in Methuen Drama's Musical Theatre Critical Companion series this book combines traditional essays with primary research and practitioner interviews that together offer the reader a fresh and accessible look at key moments of musical theatre as a form.

Author Bio

Joshua Robinson is Assistant Professor of Musical Theatre at University of Southern Indiana, USA. Robinson's research has earned him several honors, including the IU Faculty Memorial Award, The Hubert C. Heffner Award in Theatre History, a Research Fellowship at the New York Library for the Performing Arts, as well as an invitation as participant on the Bruce Kirle Emerging Scholars Panel in Musical Theatre at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference as well as the KCACTF/ATHE award for Innovation in Teaching. His publications can be seen in Theatre Topics and Studies in Musical Theatre. In addition to his scholarship, Robinson continues to pursue a career as a director, actor, and playwright.