New review in Studies in Musical Theatre

At long last, my book A Million Miles from Broadway has been reviewed in the current issue of Studies in Musical Theatre. The reviewer is Ji Hong Yu of  City University of New York Graduate Centre.  I should begin by saying that she takes some issue with the fact that it was not written in a “scholarly” style, a criticism that I must say I wear as a badge of honour.  However, the overall tone is positive: “As the first of its kind to compile the accounts of the recent developments in musical theatre across time and place, his book is particularly timely as there is a growing interest by scholars, producers and journalists in the transnational circulation, production and popularity of musical theatre, both of  English-speaking musicals and non-English-speaking musicals... He writes in the first-person, and uses a number of his personal experiences and interviews as examples, which makes the chapters seem less scholarly, and more like a series of on-line blog postings written by well-informed industry personnel... His book can still serve as a valuable resource for those who are entering the field of international musical theatre, given the scarcity of resources on musical theatre outside New York and London that are accessible to an English-speaking readership.  Perhaps the greatest value that I find in Atkey’s book is that it... questions the widely accepted western-centric definition of musical theatre, and challenges scholars to find a way to discuss musicals that are more layered in their origins and influences... Atkey’s book can definitely be a springboard for further research in this area.”

 

Mel Atkey