10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks! It is already September. Some of you may be shopping for gifts already. Because November would be rush hour for shoppers. Beyond that would be pandemonium for the best deals. Also Black Friday jitters away please? Some of you may have musical theater geeks for friends. Whether you are far geekier than your friend or just a budding musical theater enthusiast yourself. These gift suggestions would help alleviate worries on finding gifts for your theater junkie of a friend.
10th of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks
– Cole Porter Song Collection Volumes 1 and 2
Volume 1 has Gay Divorce’s “Night and Day”, Red Hot and Blue’s “It’s De Lovely” and Frank Sinatra’s big hit “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”. Volume 2 has Kiss Me Kate’s “Too Darn Hot” and “So In Love” and Can Can’s “C’est Magnifique”. Lounging by the fireplace with tunes like these playing in the background makes the cool breeze more tolerable. Ideal inclusion into our list of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks.
9th of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks
– The Savoy Operas: The Complete Gilbert and Sullivan
Lyricist William Stephen Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan used their projects to express their opinions on British society. Long before political correctness was an issue, Gilbert and Sullivan used a foreign culture to satirize the community that they inhabited. Such was the case with The Mikado. This collection condensed the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. Thus giving readers an idea behind the satirical musicals that they presented. Other than The Mikado, book and lyrics for their other works like The Pirates of Penzance are also found here in the 9th of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks.
8th of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks
– Spring Awakening: A Play by Frank Wedekind (English Translation by Jonathan Franzen)
The German play from which the hit Broadway musical Spring Awakening was based from. It was first performed in Germany way back in 1906. The outrage it produced upon getting staged in New York by 1917 piqued the curiosity of theater enthusiasts everywhere. More than a century after its theatrical debut. Themes that it tackled are still relevant today. From hormonal imbalance to abortion to gender identity and sexual orientation. Perfect inclusion into our list of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks.
7th of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks
– Our Musicals, Ourselves: A Social History of the American Musical Theater
As one of the 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks. It is ideal for theater enthusiasts trying to find the history behind the productions. This book tackled issues like patriotism, xenophobia and World War I. If ever race is mentioned, it is for discussing black and Jewish musicals. It managed to cover even musicals of the roaring 20’s. Highly recommended for aspiring theater workers that need inspiration and tips on how to use history for their next musical hit.
6th of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks
– Showtime: A History of the Broadway Musical Theater
This book focused on the Great White Way itself. It even included the days when minstrels and vaudeville were theater fodder. It also differentiated musical plays from musical comedies. And it mentioned when did the term “musical theater” enter the Broadway jargon. How did musical productions evolve into megamusicals? Even Disney’s influence into Broadway musicals is discussed. Ideal for theater historians and anyone interested in the evolutionary process of musical theater. No wonder it’s among the 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks.
5th of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks
– Benjamin Britten: A Life for Music
The genius behind English operas like The Rape of Lucretia, The Turn of the Screw and Peter Grimes. All that emotional turmoil was poured into his compositions. And they started out as diary entries. That turmoil overflowed into his scores. It added a personal touch to his works. His intimate relationship with tenor Peter Pears was mentioned in this book. They were in a relationship at a time when homosexuality was illegal in the UK. One of the 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks who are also hopeless romantics at heart.
4th of the 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks
– Maria Callas: The Woman Behind The Legend
The phrase “the best since Callas” almost became cliche. Younger generations though know more about the woman dubbed as “La Divina” from the hit play Master Class. This book is excellent for theater enthusiasts that enjoyed the play but doubted if the Callas they saw is even close to the actual Callas. And they end up discovering more about a woman bombarded with myths online decades after her death. Seeing Ariana Huffington’s name on the cover gives you an assurance that she’d be fair in presenting Callas. Excellent addition into our list of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks.
3rd of the 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks
– Evita: The Real Life of Eva Peron
Because the alleged source of Tim Rice’s lyrics for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score is one of the toughest book finds today. The next best thing is this biography. (That book is entitled The Woman With A Whip.) Most historians would rather recommend this book as one of the 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks. The other book’s anti-Peronist stance gives it a rather sketchy reputation. Reading this book would give you a renewed view of Evita in case you want to watch it afterwards.
2nd of the 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks
– Changed for Good: A Feminist History of the Broadway Musical
This book is an insight on how women’s roles in musical theater has evolved. From Guys and Dolls’ Miss Adelaide to West Side Story’s Maria to Cabaret’s Sally Bowles. Of course, The Color Purple’s Celie and Wicked’s Elphaba made the cut. And your friend doesn’t have to be a feminist to enjoy this book. You would see yourself enjoying this inclusion into our list of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks.
1st of the 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks
– American Musicals Complete Broadway 1927-1969.
Because buying this collector’s edition is so much better than relying on .pdf downloads. This two-volume set is a compilation of the most popular musicals ever staged in the time frame covered. Volume 1 covers 1927 to 1949. Some of the musicals compiled on Volume 1 are On The Town, Kiss Me Kate and South Pacific. Volume 2 covers 1950 to 1969. Some of the musicals compiled are Guys and Dolls, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof and Cabaret. Worth the bang for your buck in our list of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks.
American Musicals Complete Broadway is up on Amazon. The rest of the items on our list of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks have their Amazon links attached too. Buy now while supplies last.
Christmas is approaching. Hopefully our list of 10 Christmas Gifts for Musical Theater Geeks gave you enough suggestions to consider giving to friends. And definitely there would be more articles to come. Subscribe to our online newsletter by refreshing this page. You would see the box again where you get to enter your email address to subscribe. Follow us on our social media accounts as well. Like our official Facebook page, Musicals Online. And follow us on Twitter @musicalsnews. Thanks for reading.
