What defines an 'off-Broadway' musical and why does it matter?

Which composers, artists and writers began their careers working on 'smaller' Downtown musicals?

How does the off-Broadway market feed the ecology of the commercial Broadway musical?

Off-Broadway Musicals takes a surveyed and chronological look at the development of the smaller shows that have made big impacts around the world. From the longest running musical of all time, The Fantasticks, through to big-hitters such as The Last Five Years, The Little Shop of Horrors and tick...tick...Boom!, these shows have each changed the landscape of what musical theatre can and should be, in turn inspiring film adaptations and productions around the globe.

Drawing on multiple primary resources, each chapter traces the show from its inception to its opening night. It introduces the reader to each musical's key creators and company members and places them in the larger context of Broadway history. After examining the contemporary reception of each show and its cultural impact – both when it opened and now - it considers the impact of these smaller off-Broadway musicals that have made significant changes to the form and pushed boundaries of what musical theatre can be.

Published in Methuen Drama's Essential Musicals series, this book is perfect for students of Musical Theatre, drawing together different resources to dig into the backstories of Broadway's biggest hits and mining the historical record for nuggets of information that illuminate our understanding and enhance our enjoyment of musical theatre's unique brand of magic.