Oscar Hammerstein II and the Invention of the Musical

A new look at artist Oscar Hammerstein II as a pivotal and underestimated force in the creation of modern American culture

"Smart and insightful. . . . [Winer] has an intuitive grasp of Hammerstein's aesthetic and character. She gets him."--New York Review of Books

You know his work--Show Boat, Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King and I. But you don't really know Oscar Hammerstein II, the man who, more than anyone else, invented the American musical. Among the most commercially successful artists of his time, he was a fighter for social justice who constantly prodded his audiences to be better than they were.

Diving deep into Hammerstein's life, examining his papers and his lyrics, critic Laurie Winer shows how he orchestrated a collective reimagining of America, urging it forward with a subtly progressive vision of the relationship between country and city, rich and poor, America and the rest of the world. His rejection of bitterness, his openness to strangers, and his optimistic humor shaped not only the musical but the American dream itself. His vision can continue to be a touchstone to this day.

Author: Laurie Winer
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 08/13/2024
Pages: 368
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.03lbs
Size: 10.31h x 4.91w x 1.04d
ISBN13: 9780300280166
ISBN10: 0300280165
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Entertainment & Performing Arts
- Performing Arts | Theater | Broadway & Musicals
- Biography & Autobiography | Music

About the Author
A founding editor at the Los Angeles Review of Books, Laurie Winer has been a theater critic for the Wall Street Journal and the Los Angeles Times.