Operetta: A Theatrical History

Rating:
Summary: A brilliant book
Review: Richard Traubner's "Operetta: A Theatrical History" is probably the best theatre history book I have encountered. It covers a huge topic in an orderly, clear manner by dividing the subject chronologically and geographically. As a result, a reader can follow it from start to finish and learn a great deal about changing fashions in entertainment and music. But the book is an extraordinarily useful reference work as well: it has a superb index and treats even lesser-known figures of the world of operetta fairly and thoroughly. Moreover, it is generously (and beautifully) illustrated.

Traubner's musical taste is first-rate, too, and his engaging writing style brings to life some of the long-forgotten gems of this once-wildly popular entertainment. There are thorough treatments of impresarios, singers, composers, and lyricists. Traubner also keeps an eye on the bigger picture by locating operetta's roots in 19th-century poltical satire and following its progress through the more romantic "silver" period of Lehar and Kalman to the modern Broadway musical. It also is the only English language text I know of that supplies a history of the Spanish zarzuela, so it is a necessary companion to the delightful recordings by Pilar Lorengar, Montserrat Caballe, and Placido Domingo of zarzuela hits. This is a landmark text, and any theatre, opera, or musical comedy fans should reward themselves by securing a copy.

(I encountered Traubner's text in its original--1984--edition and was unaware that he had produced a revised version in 2003. Needless to say, I will purchase that edition, too.)