Contemporary British Musicals: 'Out of the Darkness' - by Clare Chandler & Gus Gowland (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

The shortest runs can have the longest legacies: for too long, scholarship surrounding British musical theatre has coalesced around the biggest names, ignoring important works that have not had the critical engagement they deserve.

Through academic interrogation and industry insight, this unique collection of essays recognizes these works, shining a light on their creative achievements and legacies. With each chapter focusing on a different significant musical, a selection of shows spanning 2010s are analysed and the development and evolution of the genre is explored.

Touching on key, hit shows such as SIX, Matilda, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, The Grinning Man and Bend it Like Beckham, each chapter discusses different theatrical elements, from dramaturgy and musicology to reception, and also includes an interview with a practitioner related to each musical, providing in-depth understanding and invaluable practical and industry knowledge.

Identifying the intersectionality between industry insight and academic analysis, Contemporary British Musicals: 'Out of the Darkness' challenges the narrative that the British musical is dead: creating a new historiography of the British musical that celebrates the work being created, while providing a manifesto for the future.

Review Quotes

"This extremely readable book casts an eye beyond the big players and casts an eye towards a bright future." --Lou Reviews Blog

"Offers a glimpse of the inventive ways in which academia is giving birth to a new field of study out of musical theatre entertainment." --Everything Theatre

About the Author

Gus Gowland is an award-winning musical theatre writer and composer (Pieces of String - The Stage Debut Award 2018) and is also Post Graduate Musical Theatre Co-ordinator at Leeds Conservatoire. Gus has previously worked at University of Lincoln, University Centre Shrewsbury and University of Wolverhampton, all UK, where he obtained his PhD in 2020. His research interests include LGBTQ+ representation in musical theatre and contemporary British musical theatre.

Clare Chandler is a musical theatre practitioner and researcher. As a lecturer Clare has worked at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Edge Hill University and the University of Wolverhampton. She is currently a senior lecturer in Musical Theatre at the University of Lincoln, UK. Clare's research interests include the impact of technology on the development of contemporary musical theatre, feminism and musical theatre, and pedagogical practice and performer training. She directed the national premiere of Angry Birds the Musical by Dougal Irvine in 2018.